One of the best touchdowns of the San Francisco 49ers’ 2025 regular season was immortalized in an award-winning photo by Kyle Terada.
Terada, a photographer for Imagn Images, won the 2025 Dave Boss Award of Excellence — the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s top photography honor — for his photo of George Kittle diving for the pylon against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium in Week 10. The shot, which captured the tight end fully airborne and reaching for the end zone on a 13-yard touchdown, was selected from nearly 1,300 entries in the Hall’s 58th annual photo contest.
Unfortunately, Kittle’s touchdown didn’t come until the final moments of the fourth quarter, when the game was already out of hand. Kittle scored with 2:59 left in the game before the 49ers lost to the Rams, 42-26. The veteran tight end finished with nine receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Terada said he placed his Sony camera at ground level, using its tilt screen, and shot from beneath Kittle without ever raising the camera to his face. A person briefly crossing into frame nearly cost him the shot.
“I knew I had the photo, but I wasn’t sure if the composition stayed clean,” Terada said. “Fortunately, it was good enough for the judges.”
Contest judges said the image captures “everything we love both about football and photography,” citing Kittle’s athleticism, intensity and reach as elements that came together in a single frame.
The Dave Boss Award is named for the former NFL vice president of publishing and creative services and is open only to professional photographers on assignment to cover NFL games. Terada, a Bay Area-based shooter, has worked for Imagn Images and its predecessor for roughly 16 years — a career that started as a hobby after he could no longer play the sports he loved as a kid.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: George Kittle TD photo wins Hall of Fame award
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
