Thinking about sport and fitness portraits during the Tokyo Olympics

26 Jul

Actually it’s not just the Olympics, this summer we also have the brand new Hundred Cricket, the return of the Tour De France cycling and of course the Euros in football. One of things that I love about watching sport on TV is the athlete photos - sometimes I find myself disappointed by how bland and boring they are but every so often some brilliant photographer meets a producer with some vision and some magic happens! Only then, do we get sports personality photos with real personality!

Essentially there are two types of sports portraits, the posed kind and the in-action kind. When working with athletes I like to do both, regardless of whether we’re in the studio or outdoors. I started my photography career taking photos of rock climbers - so catching that perfect in-motion shot is a challenge that I relish. Likewise though a great portrait can say so much about the person as well as the sport and that is a shot that can be used again and again. Take a look at the player headshots for The Hundred and you’ll see what I mean, and the ones they are using for the TV coverage are even better - so full of energy and capturing a real love for the sport.

Player training camp for the Caroline Panthers

A lot of athletes are concerned to look their best physically for their photos, and while that’s great and a huge confidence boost for the athlete, there’s more to a great sports portrait than that. The body language, the facial expression, the lighting style all communicate a message - as an athlete it’s important to know what message you want to send. Determination - very likely, commitment- for sure but what about joy, about being a great teammate, about strategy and compassion, about being a role model and about passion and love for the sport?