Only five days after the start of classes, on the 25th of October, I found myself standing on the sidelines of a football match with a camera in my hands, preparing to photograph my first game ever: Real Madrid Castilla vs Real Avilés. The game ended with a 2–0 victory for Castilla, but for me, the result was only part of what made that night unforgettable.

One of the reasons I decided to enroll in this master’s program was the promise of hands-on experience in the field. I came into it with almost no experience using professional cameras. The only photography background I had was from a class during my bachelor’s degree, where most of my pictures were actually taken on my phone. So when I was asked to pick up a camera and cover a football game, I honestly did not know what to expect.

The game itself may not have been the greatest football spectacle for everyone watching, but for me, it felt special. Every moment on that pitch meant something because it was the first time I was experiencing football from behind the lens instead of from the stands or a screen.

What made the experience even more surreal was having the chance to see Álvaro Arbeloa up close. As a Madridista, seeing a Real Madrid legend right there in front of me felt unreal. The first memory that instantly came to my mind was his iconic run with Xabi Alonso during La Décima celebrations, one of those moments every Madrid fan remembers forever. Moments like that reminded me how close football suddenly felt compared to simply watching it on television.

I was lucky to have the help of my classmate Humberto, who understands those cameras better than anyone. Without his guidance, I probably would have spent more time fighting with the settings than actually taking pictures. Thanks to him, I was able to focus on what mattered most: capturing moments.

And that is what surprised me the most. There was something impossible to describe about taking a picture during the game, looking back at it on the camera, and realizing that you actually captured a real moment. A celebration, a reaction, a movement that lasts only a second but stays frozen forever in your photo. That feeling instantly made me understand why sports photography is so special.

The pictures are far from perfect, and I know they are not my best work. But honestly, that is what makes them meaningful to me. They represent a beginning. A first step into something completely new. I know I still have a lot to learn, and hopefully, with time, I will improve more and more.

But for now, this was the start.

The journey of Douae the photographer… to be continued.