CEPA is proud to announce our partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for the latest iteration of its “Big Shot” photo series. On the night of Saturday, October 11, 2025, we will ask thousands of Bills fans to illuminate Highmark Stadium, the home of the Buffalo Bills, for a gigantic, one-of-a-kind photograph.
The “Big Shot” photo will capture the Bills’ home of 52 years in spectacular, never-before-seen fashion before the team moves to a new home in 2026.
Each year, for the last 36 years, students at RIT, considered one of the world’s leading photography schools, choose an architectural wonder to photograph for Big Shot (past Big Shots have featured Churchill Downs, the Alamo and the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid). Their goal: to make a work of fine art that attendees help create! At Orchard Park next month, Big Shot 37 will commemorate the final season for the Buffalo Bills in Highmark Stadium before its lights go out forever (1973–2025).
The event is fully participatory for Bills fans. Attendance is free, but tickets are limited to 10,000.
CEPA board member, RIT professor, and Big Shot co-coordinator Eric Kunsman will lead his students and attendees in creating an amazing “painting with light” project.
It will be a unique experience: the stadium will be totally dark for the photo-shoot except for the light created by flashlights, strobes and cellphones. The long-exposure, 360° interior panorama will be the perfect memorial. Attendees will appear as blurs, representing the generations of memories made in Highmark Stadium.
Those in attendance are encouraged to bring flashlights, flashes, strobes and dress in black. The first 6,000 attendees will receive complimentary flashlights from Nikon, a cosponsor of the event.
“CEPA is excited to partner with RIT Big Shot and work with the Buffalo Bills,” said Ben Hickey, Executive Director of CEPA.
“Both organizations have been dedicated to community outreach, photographic education, and the creation of fine art for decades. Working together on RIT Big Shot 37 at Highmark Stadium will increase our visibility as leaders in photographic education to a new audience,” Hickey said. “Photography has become so commonplace that many take for granted the level of skill required to make a work of art that captures a true sense of community.
He concluded, “The fun, participatory nature of RIT Big Shot, and the sense of wonder this project is sure to elicit, will cut through the noise. If you love this project, come take a class or see an exhibition at CEPA!”
