Welcome to the second of my nostalgic looks back at 30 years of 
photography. This time I am focussing on sport.
One of my earliest and proudest sports photo shoots was from the touchline at Southampton FC’s compact and atmospheric ground. It was the late 1980’s and the match was Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday.
Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday
The save was being made by (I think) England keeper, Peter Shilton. Little could be more exciting for a young photographer than to be sitting on the touchline with the crowd roaring behind you, at such a prestigious game.
Something a little more recent and closer to home, Christie Park in Morecambe and two shots showing the emotion on both sides of a goal…
Morecambe scoring against Notts County
Delight and despair!
Of course, it wasn’t all football and I attended numerous other sports matches, including being a regular at Lancaster’s rugby ground, Vale. A more manageable pace than football perhaps, but for me, more complicated to follow. Plus, they tended to play whatever the weather, so no respite for a soggy photographer!
Vale RUFC V Kirkby Lonsdale
From outdoors to indoors, water polo was a tough game to photograph. Fast moving, often obscured by water and without the bright outdoor lighting to allow a very fast shutter speed. Lancaster’s Water Polo Club were and are an impressive force.
Lancaster Water Polo Club in action
Something a bit different that I enjoyed on several occasions, was the annual Whittingham Point To Point. There was always a great atmosphere and with the backdrop of the Lune Valley, it was a stunning , location too. In this lucky shot, I managed to capture four horses jumping simultaneously.
As I discovered working on newspapers, you don’t need a big event to capture a good sport photo and I was very happy to snap the look of determination on this young lad’s face as he headed for the finishing line, at a local school sports day.
I hope you have enjoyed this small selection of some of my favourite sports shots. Although not a particularly keen follower of sport myself, I very much miss photographing it on a regular basis.
Look out for more reflections of a press photographer coming soon!