sports COMPETITION

t’s early morning and the booming voice of Bob Martin rings out down a Skype connection from Rio de IJaneiro in Brazil, where the photography veteran is shooting the 2016 Olympics preview events. An alumni of the Allsport photography agency, his career has stretched over 30 years and now, in his late 50s, more than 200 of his best sports images feature in the new coffee-table book 1/1000th: The Sports Photography of Bob Martin. His love of photography dates back to his days as a young boy, ‘I was mad about photography when I was at school. To be honest I was more mad about the printing and processing bit. It was in the days even before resin-coated paper; processing films on spirals and printing black & whites in trays. I liked the process more than the creative side of photography to start with.’ In fact, Bob’s first published picture – a mid-air shot from a motocross scrambling trial – was printed in The Surrey Comet newspaper while he was still at school. After abandoning thoughts of a career as a vet, which he admits was ‘beyond my intellectual ability’, Bob took a gap year in which his father hoped he would ‘get the photography out of me’, but fast forward over 30 years and that clearly never happened. He took a job with a commercial and industrial shooting interiors and then worked at Imperial College London as a photographic technician. Bob recalls, ‘During that period, in my early 20s, I always wanted to be a newspaper photographer – it was in the days when The Express had 30 staff and a room where they would sit waiting to get sent on their assignments. That world really appealed to me.’

Early days at Allsport all pictures © bob martin He adds, ‘Then a job came up in the at Allsport [sports a working photographer in a rough Award-winning sports photographer Bob Martin’s impressive images agency] and I jumped at it, not world. We had a great time in those because I wanted to be a sports early days – we had some fantastic feature in his new coffee-table book 1/1000th. He talks to Steve Fairclough photographer but it was like a photographers working together. stepping stone in to press There was me, Simon Bruty, Pascal about his 30-year career and his life-long love of photography photography. At Allsport the deal Rondeau, Shaun Botterill – all The was you processed and printed all really great photographers. We had week and then, if you wanted and Chris Cole as well, who’s now were keen, you could go out and stopped shooting , but was at weekends. I got bitten one of the real natural by the sports photography bug when photographers around.’ I was out at weekends shooting.’ Bob’s high levels of ‘The early days of Allsport were professionalism were honed at fantastic for me – I learnt how to be Allsport. ‘You used to come in illustrator 24 sportssubscribe 0330 3334555 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 23 January 2016 25 on a Monday morning and the Caption imil is eum That was the other thing that really something in the bag – all the time I were those who were great at follow photography, which gets slagged by The story of 1/1000th good pictures had a red dot volupta erferferum made me as a photographer. go hell for leather for the great focusing and great at handling the a lot of photographers, is the LCD When quizzed about the title of his stuck on them. The transparencies que asperum videm Working for a magazine like that picture and that’s what I’m about.’ , which I wasn’t. on the back of the – it’s kind book Bob replies, ‘That was that were really good were “red quia vidis dolorera meant you could shoot for about six Given the longevity in his career Technology has helped my career of like having a Polaroid back on originally the highest speed as alia ipsam dots”. You’d sit round the lightbox days to get one picture and it wasn’t Bob has spanned the film-to-digital and it helped make sports your camera. If you’re that cameras went to and it was and look at each other’s “red dots” Caption imil is eum a problem, they didn’t mind.’ era, but he doesn’t yearn for days photography a more creative genre.’ experimenting with a pan you can used an awful lot in the earlier days – you slagged each other off if you volupta erferferum Bob adds, ‘I went off to The gone by. ‘I think the new cameras shoot a few frames and look at it – 1/1000th of sports photography. You tend had a bad shoot or tapped each que asperum videm Masters as one of my early jobs for are fantastic – they made me far Equipment choices in the days of film you couldn’t look Reader offer now to use higher shutters speeds other on the shoulder if you had a quia vidis dolorera , brought the more capable of taking a good Bob admits, ‘I’m very much a at it until you processed it. I use it and the stopping ability of digital as alia ipsam good shoot. I think that Monday pictures in to [Sports Illustrated’s picture, so how could I dislike technical nutcase over equipment. all the time; it’s an integral way of readers can purchase cameras doesn’t seem to relate to morning meeting where you looked then director of photography] them? Some people hark back but I I’ve always had as much equipment how I work. I shoot a picture, look the stopping ability of film cameras, Caption imil is eum Bob Martin’s book at what the others had done, and volupta erferferum Heinz Kluetmeier and I thought I’d didn’t really like follow focus and in as I can afford or lay my hands on. at it and think about it, adjust 1/1000th for the which I find quite strange – what you’d done, was a real growth hit the big time – I’d got loads of many ways the technology helped My standard bodies are Nikon D4Ss settings, adjust the colour balance 1/1000th of a second would stop que asperum videm reduced offer price of part in my career and made me pictures in the magazine and he my career. If in particular but I also use a D810 for feature and adjust the profile.’ almost anything on film but I quia vidis dolorera £40 (a saving of 20% on aspire to do better. That really as alia ipsam said, “Well, you didn’t get the hadn’t come along I don’t think I’d work, because it gets a bigger file, He swears by shooting raw files wouldn’t go below about 1/1250th or helped to develop me as a main one did you? You didn’t get be a sports photographer now – I and for some commercial jobs but doesn’t re-touch his images the usual price), plus 1/1600th of a second on digital to photographer.’ the best picture. It’s about getting think it helped my career.’ because advertising agencies want much, except for those in his p&p, simply by ordering have that same stopping ability.’ the best picture.” He continues, ‘Modern-day sports big files, so I shoot on the D810 for portfolio. ‘I shoot raw all the time from the book’s website He had wanted to do a book for Joining Sports Illustrated ‘That brought it home to me that photography is a really creative the advertising or portrait work. For – I’m a great believer in that if you’re www.1-1000th.com some time but it wasn’t until Following his stint at Allsport, Bob when you went out, you went after thing – you have to have lots of my normal work the D4S is my not using raw, you’re not using the and entering ‘AP’ as the recently that he obtained the went to work for the legendary US the best picture – if you went after content and a creative look to your main workhorse. I have a lot of full potential of your camera. The promotion code on the required sponsorship, chiefly from sports publication Sports the best picture you had a chance of . It’s not just about bodies because I don’t like changing ones that I supply to my customers checkout page. Nikon, to make it happen. ‘A lot of Illustrated. He reveals, ‘I had the getting the best picture. You should “here’s the latest 100-metre runner lenses when I’m shooting, so I put are opened from the raw file and are the pictures in it are obviously quite harsh realisation that it wasn’t be aspiring to greatness all the time with his feet off the ground”, which one on each lens. I have all the tweaked from a colour tone and old, because it’s a retrospective of about taking 20 good pictures on – that’s how I photograph now. I it was in the early days. It was a lenses from 600mm down to 16mm. sharpness point of view, then sent my career, but I think it one day – it was about taking one. don’t just go and try and get technician’s thing – the good people ‘The greatest thing about digital off to the customer.’ reflects where I am today as

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well and I’m pretty pleased Simon Bruty and John French and Ambitions and the future with it as a body of work. sports writers SL Price and Robert In the past decade or so Bob has It’s certainly got rave reviews from Philip. Bob notes, ‘I think they’re branched out from shooting and my fellow photographers, which is really nice reads and for someone since 2005 has co-ordinated the quite flattering.’ who’s interested in sport it’s also official photography for the He adds, ‘It was easier than I quite a nice book. I didn’t just want Wimbledon Championships. He thought to choose the basic set of it to be a photographers’ book – I was also photo chief for the London pictures that would go in, but it was wanted it to be something a sports 2012 Olympics and is currently a far more difficult to say “no” to some fan would pick up.’ consultant to the International of them because a lot of pictures got Bob cites a picture that won him the Olympic Committee (IOC) and the left out as well. But you have to World Press Photo Sports Picture of Bob Martin is a multi Rio 2016 Olympics. He reveals, choose pictures that work together. the Year in 2005 as one of his award-winning sports ‘I’m still shooting about 60% of the It’s a book that can sit on a coffee stand-out images. ‘The other one that photographer. His time. Other stuff has come along, table, can be opened up, can be people talk about is the paralympic photographs have been but it wasn’t on purpose. At looked at and you can put it down picture, from the Athens Olympics, of published in numerous Wimbledon I shoot as well – I’m one and come back to it later.’ the swimmer [Xavi Torres] where he publications including of the photographic team, but I just The book is dotted with Bob’s left his legs behind on the starting Sports Illustrated, Time, head it up and I help and advise background caption information on blocks. That won me more awards The Sunday Times and them on matters photographic. each image and contributions from than any other picture so, therefore, I The New York Times. The same goes for the IOC for the colleagues such as photographers suppose it’s my best picture.’ In 2005 he won the Rio Olympic Committee. So I World Press Photo mix it up a bit.’ With such a wealth of major Sports Picture of the sporting events under his belt is Year. He was the photo there anything Bob would still like chief for the London to shoot that he hasn’t? ‘I’d like to 2012 Olympics and is photograph a Super Bowl; I’ve never now a consultant to the been to a Super Bowl. The only International Olympic reason I want to go to it is that it’s Committee. Visit that one world-class event that I www.bobmartin.com haven’t been to. I’ve been to a World Cup Final, world championships and tons of Olympics but never to a Super Bowl.’ He adds, ‘I’ve been very, very lucky in my career with where I’ve worked, what I’ve done and what I’ve managed to achieve. I’ve fallen on my feet. I want to keep on trying to remember to re-invent Caption imil is eum volupta erferferum myself and to try to aspire to be que asperum videm different. I guess when you quia vidis dolorera fade away is when you don’t as alia ipsam manage that.’

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