The final Sport Industry Socials event of 2022 took place on Wednesday December 7th, celebrating the power and history of sports photography.
In the third installment of the Through the Ages: Sporting Imagery series, members of the Sport Industry Group, partners and guests were invited to explore a stunning department store gallery in the heart of vibrant Brixton.
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Selected images included the best sports highlights from the last 12 months and the most memorable sports photographs of all time, courtesy of Sport Industry Group’s partner – Shutterstock.
With some of sport’s greatest moments on display – from Muhammed Ali towering over a defeated Sonny Liston to Chloe Kelly’s already legendary Euro 2022 celebrations – the evening underscored the inspirational power of sports imagery and explored the evolution of its use in the past century.
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
To provide further insight, two of the UK’s pre-eminent sports photographers – Ella Ling and Paul Currie – came together for a Q&A to talk about their careers, the profession and the images on display.
Ella specializes in tennis and has been traveling on professional tennis tours since 2006, covering hundreds of tennis tournaments around the world including 45 Grand Slams. She was courtside for both Andy Murray’s victory at Wimbledon and Emma Raducanu’s surprise US Open victory, and as a result has captured some of tennis’s most iconic moments.
Paul started his career as a photographer at the age of 14 and has a wealth of experience in photography. He currently works in Premier League and English Football League (EFL) football, but also covers boxing, cricket, tennis and rugby league – most recently covering the Rugby League World Cup for Shutterstock.
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Ella spoke about some of the biggest challenges in modern sports photography, citing “competing with other photographers for that unique shot that nobody else has” as a major obstacle.
“To overcome that, I don’t always follow the ball. From being able to take shots of the crowd, to taking shots of the opposing player waiting for the ball to land on their court, it helps capture photos that not everyone does,” she explained.
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Ella also emphasized the importance of “capturing the emotion of the moment itself” and that communicating passion and excitement through an image is a recipe for success.
Paul agreed, stressing the need to seek out the emotions in sport by finding the “human side of the game”.
Referring to his football experience, Paul spoke about focusing on the individual. “Often the photographers are told to watch only one player. Maybe Messi or Ronaldo. And they might not score or assist or perform a little bit of skill, but you’re just waiting for that moment,” he said.
Paul looked back at the beginning of his career “in a darkroom at the Anglia Press Agency in Colchester” and looked at the changing landscape in sports photography. In a digital world, the days of capturing an image just for the front page are over and the need to deliver images suitable for a variety of formats is now imperative.
Both Ella and Paul had their own photographs on display at the gallery from the past year. For Ella, it was a shot of a jubilant Rafael Nadal celebrating his Australian Open win after a thrilling comeback in Melbourne, while Paul saw his Rugby League World Cup shot of Dom Young scoring a try during England’s group game against France achieved that was included in the artwork.
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Photo Credit – Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Finally, questions about the floor were asked before Ella and Paul joined the other guests to enjoy a few drinks and enjoy the rest of the exhibition.
Sport Industry Socials continues in 2023 with another exciting series of events, with tickets available for sports industry members and partners.
Learn more about sports industry membership here.
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