Club Meeting, 'Sports Photography' - Tuesday 30th January 2024.
On Tuesday 30th January Morpeth Camera Club were pleased to welcome back guest speaker George Ledger ARPS
DPAGB with his presentation entitled ‘Sports Photography.’ George is a freelance sports photographer and a member
of both Consett and Durham Photographic Societies. In his career he has photographed most sports from the local
amateur clubs to major national sporting events and the Olympic Games. He also been the official photographer for
Newcastle Falcons RFC, Durham WFC, Consett RFC and the universities of Durham and Northumbria.
As well as being a talented sports photographer George is a NCPF judge also a previous winner of the Wildlife Trusts
‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ competition, and has had work published in national newspapers and magazines.
George opened the evening by saying that in order to validate himself as a photographic judge he likes to attend clubs
beforehand to show what he does himself. As a retired police officer he decided to take up professional photography
and soon realised that he had to follow strict rules, apply to sports clubs for permission to get in and have access to
major players.
He went on to explain the difference between amateur and professional work. Before digital photography, a sports
photographer would go home, work in the darkroom and send his photographs to the media to be used in the first
edition the next day. Nowadays professional photographers have to process on site, provide keywords and send fifty
images almost instantaneously, allowing television pundits for instance to have access to shots in almost real time.
Editors of evening editions of newspapers require the same service so there is enormous pressure to produce these
images in good time. If photographs are not used on the day then it is considered old news.
One has to learn the sequence and rhythm of each sport to establish where to stand to get it right. He showed the
audience images of track events where good finishing line shots are imperative, also high and long jumping events
where one must be situated on the landing side. You don’t always need long lens as long as you get the timing right,
he said. No Tripods are allowed at major events but remote cameras can be used with the proviso that they are tuned
to the appropriate wavelength.
He then went on to show images taken of the Talented Athletes Sports Programme who nurture budding athletes for
the Olympics. He takes team and individual shots of players; of university basketball, skeleton bobsleigh, Paralympic
athletes, skiers, football, and rugby teams. Individual portraits are taken before the season to be used on advertising
posters. He explained the lenses needed for different sports, in cricket for instance one needs a whole load of different
lenses and with experience, he has learned what equipment is needed for each event.
He liaises with the media and establishes what style they require; broadsheets prefer facial expressions and a strong
sense of action. We saw excellent action shots of speed skating, which is very repetitive so one has to vary the angle
to control the background and change the viewpoint. His favourite sport is Gymnastics which capture physique, effort,
strength and range of movement and we enjoyed graceful images of floor and beam work.
George then showed impactful Consett rugby team images involved in community sport. He talked about first team
members of Newcastle Falcons coaching up-and-coming players of all ages, how players are loaned out, and how
Durham recruits players from all over the world. He acquired Newcastle United Agency work but finished after Covid
when photographers were limited to ten per match, mainly to give other photographers who relied on this work to
make a living a better chance of being selected.
Post Covid he embarked upon a scheme called Consett in Focus, the Documentary Photographic Group, to document
all sports represented in the town. This came with its own rules and restrictions set by parents and governing bodies
on photographing minors. In this scheme, he covered, boxing, dance, motorsport, bowls, windsurfing, sailing, cycling,
and martial arts. This work also incorporated Trampoline, clay pigeon shooting, and Canicross which highlighted the
amazing number of sports in which one town participates. A short Q & A session revealed that George is almost retired
but will still apply to gain accreditation and insurance to enable him to carry on from time to time.
Club Chairman Peter Downs thanked George for giving a fascinating talk, after which a buffet supper was served.
Steph.
DPAGB with his presentation entitled ‘Sports Photography.’ George is a freelance sports photographer and a member
of both Consett and Durham Photographic Societies. In his career he has photographed most sports from the local
amateur clubs to major national sporting events and the Olympic Games. He also been the official photographer for
Newcastle Falcons RFC, Durham WFC, Consett RFC and the universities of Durham and Northumbria.
As well as being a talented sports photographer George is a NCPF judge also a previous winner of the Wildlife Trusts
‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ competition, and has had work published in national newspapers and magazines.
George opened the evening by saying that in order to validate himself as a photographic judge he likes to attend clubs
beforehand to show what he does himself. As a retired police officer he decided to take up professional photography
and soon realised that he had to follow strict rules, apply to sports clubs for permission to get in and have access to
major players.
He went on to explain the difference between amateur and professional work. Before digital photography, a sports
photographer would go home, work in the darkroom and send his photographs to the media to be used in the first
edition the next day. Nowadays professional photographers have to process on site, provide keywords and send fifty
images almost instantaneously, allowing television pundits for instance to have access to shots in almost real time.
Editors of evening editions of newspapers require the same service so there is enormous pressure to produce these
images in good time. If photographs are not used on the day then it is considered old news.
One has to learn the sequence and rhythm of each sport to establish where to stand to get it right. He showed the
audience images of track events where good finishing line shots are imperative, also high and long jumping events
where one must be situated on the landing side. You don’t always need long lens as long as you get the timing right,
he said. No Tripods are allowed at major events but remote cameras can be used with the proviso that they are tuned
to the appropriate wavelength.
He then went on to show images taken of the Talented Athletes Sports Programme who nurture budding athletes for
the Olympics. He takes team and individual shots of players; of university basketball, skeleton bobsleigh, Paralympic
athletes, skiers, football, and rugby teams. Individual portraits are taken before the season to be used on advertising
posters. He explained the lenses needed for different sports, in cricket for instance one needs a whole load of different
lenses and with experience, he has learned what equipment is needed for each event.
He liaises with the media and establishes what style they require; broadsheets prefer facial expressions and a strong
sense of action. We saw excellent action shots of speed skating, which is very repetitive so one has to vary the angle
to control the background and change the viewpoint. His favourite sport is Gymnastics which capture physique, effort,
strength and range of movement and we enjoyed graceful images of floor and beam work.
George then showed impactful Consett rugby team images involved in community sport. He talked about first team
members of Newcastle Falcons coaching up-and-coming players of all ages, how players are loaned out, and how
Durham recruits players from all over the world. He acquired Newcastle United Agency work but finished after Covid
when photographers were limited to ten per match, mainly to give other photographers who relied on this work to
make a living a better chance of being selected.
Post Covid he embarked upon a scheme called Consett in Focus, the Documentary Photographic Group, to document
all sports represented in the town. This came with its own rules and restrictions set by parents and governing bodies
on photographing minors. In this scheme, he covered, boxing, dance, motorsport, bowls, windsurfing, sailing, cycling,
and martial arts. This work also incorporated Trampoline, clay pigeon shooting, and Canicross which highlighted the
amazing number of sports in which one town participates. A short Q & A session revealed that George is almost retired
but will still apply to gain accreditation and insurance to enable him to carry on from time to time.
Club Chairman Peter Downs thanked George for giving a fascinating talk, after which a buffet supper was served.
Steph.