Xplosion’s new dimension

Quackenbush helps add new dimension to Halifax Xplosion football

As the Maritime Women’s Football League continues to evolve, Jason Quackenbush has helped to provide a new dimension for its Halifax Xplosion franchise. Through his lens, he captures an emotional and competitive yet human aspect to women’s tackle football.

While the sport is still making inroads, the efforts of Quackenbush show that the women of the gridiron carry themselves with a proud and dignified demeanor. From action shots in colour to the black and white portraits, he manages to immortalize the essence of what makes the sport so great.

Although his interest in photography is one that would develop into a passion, the road to turning the dream into reality was one that came with time. With his camera as the paint brush, and the subject as his canvas, Quackenbush had the artistic tendencies of not seeing the greatness in his own work during the early years.

“I have always had an interest in photography but lacked a good camera for a very long time. In 2010, I bought my first DSLR and found my passion. People kept telling me I had talent, but being a new photographer, I never really saw it.

Over the last three years, I have become more comfortable and sure of myself, which is a great feeling. I really love capturing a moment, freezing it in time and being able to share it with everyone. There are so many photos that I have taken that make me proud, a recent standout is a night shot of the A. Murray MacKay Bridge in monochrome.”

Contributing tirelessly as the photographer for the Halifax Xplosion, it would not be an understatement to call his work a labour of love. Tackle Nikky Adams has been an essential part of his life and his craft,

“I have the honor of being engaged to Xplosion tackle Nikky Adams (wearing #9). Attending practices with her was a chance to hone my sports photography. I had some experience already from shooting the Timberla Titans Men’s softball team the previous year, but football was definitely a new challenge!”

While football presented the most visceral challenge in sports photography (being able to capture the moment in a split second or lose it forever), it was also the tonic towards helping him increase his confidence. The dedication shown by all members of the Xplosion would serve as a strong influence for the highly talented Quackenbush,

“From there, the positivism and passion, from the players, the coaches and the helpers on the team kept me coming back to shoot at each practice and at most of their games.”

During the 2013 Xplosion season, one moment stood out as a favourite for Quackenbush. With the club struggling through a winless streak that began with the first game of the season, it would come to an end against an unlikely opponent.

“Being with the team in Fredericton on July 6th when they won their game against the Lady Gladiators was definitely a favourite moment. It was close to 40 degrees with the humidity that day and they pulled themselves together and played like the Xplosion should. The excitement from the team and the staff was amazing, I was so proud of them!”

As 2013 marks the landmark tenth anniversary season for the budding league, Quackenbush was recognized for his outstanding volunteer work with the franchise. An invitation was issued to him to attend the year-end banquet, culminating with SupHer Bowl X. The invitation represents a great point of pride to one of the most promising and talented sports photographers of Atlantic Canada,

“To be recognized by the Xplosion tells me they appreciate the pictures and they value having them. Every week the girls tell me how excited they are to see what pictures I have.

They love that I have captured their moments so they are able to relive the experiences. I never expected such a huge out pouring of support from the team and their fans regarding my photography. I am humbled as well as honoured.”

“All quotes obtained first hand unless otherwise indicated”

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

2 Comments

Leave a Reply