Football photography past and present

Photodiva

Photodiva

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I was watching football on ESPN classic last nite (yeah, really struggling to find something vaguely interesting to watch on Sunday evening), a 1970 Brazil v England match. It was interesting to compare (1) the quality of the film (dirty marks on lens, poor quality reproduction compared to what we are used to now), and (2) the advertising, none of those horrid dancing adverts, just 'National Westminster Bank', 'Mothercare', 'Martini'. I was also looking at the photographers clustered around the pitch. Most were sitting on the ground behind the goal line. All with film cameras, naturally. None with anything like the 400mm we are used to seeing today.

Do any of the 'veterans' here recall shooting film for football, what was it like then, how has it changed?
 
Not so keen on classing myself as a veteran, but I started shooting while a student in Sheffield 1984-87. The student newspaper had press passes to Sheffield Wednesday (top division) and United (next division down), plus other sports venues in the city.

I sat next to the pros from the dailies behind the goal each weekend. I had an OM10 with the cheapest 80-200mm zoom I could afford. They, of course, had the then state-of-the art cameras and lenses. I seem to remember them using long lenses but they could have just been fast zooms. Once the guy next to me knew he had the shot in the bag so let me use his fancy Olympus lens for the second half. I couldn't even hold it, it seemed so heavy.

The thing I remember most is hearing the pros all take the shot (single shot, no bursts, even if they had motorwinds) that fraction of a second before me. My shots were rubbish, theirs made the back pages. Timing, then and now, is so important.

The most noticeable change for me is the immediacy. While the pros knew whether they had the shot or not (or at least claimed to), I never had a clue. I was limited to 24 or 36 shots each game but with the fast failing light, 400iso limit and my slow lenses I took most shots in the first quarter. Then I'd race back to the darkroom after the game to develop, praying there was something vaguely in focus with a ball somewhere in the frame. Last (rugby) game I shot was at 3200iso, 250-ish shots, all viewed over a pint after a game. No magic, no mystery but a damned sight more convenient!
 
I recall a story told to me by an old local newspaper photographer. He was covering a Grimsby game using TLR (Twin Lens Reflex)as he had come straight from another press job. If anyone is unsure what these are its a medium format camera with two lenses, top one for viewing and bottom one for taking.

Grimsby scored three goals in the first half and this guy was happy and confident he had all three. As the whistle blew at half time he went to put his camera back into his case. At this point his jaw dropped as he noticed a big chunk of mud stuck on the bottom (taking) lens!!!! From that day on he never used that camera again for football.
 
I watched an old game from the 70's and obviously didnt take much notice when i watched the same games on telly in the 70's...photogrpahers laying face down at each side of goals.. no sitting or kneeling.. just led down..
 
@Kipax, I noticed that on an advert last night. It had a clip of an old match at wembley, not sure which match as I was tog spotting. I noticed two big huddles of togs either side of the goal lying or kneeling. Brilliant. Makes us look like a bunch of pansies with our stools and laptops :)

Serious respect to those guys!
 
Hi Helen. I think this is a ploy to find out how old we all are;).
Well I for one am old enough:razz:. I used to shoot Northern Foorty for the Nationals & my main team was Bradford City. I used a nikon F3P & a Nikon FM2 one with a 180mm (my own) & the F3 with a 300mmm 2.8 manual (agency's). I would shoot 3/4 rolls x24 for about 20mins of a game then get back to base to Dev & print images, these would be put through a drier & placed on a Drum for wiring via the telephone to the clients:LOL:. Film was usuallly Ilford XP B&W which had a C41, (colour film), proccessing & had a ISO lattitude of 400 to 1600, very grainy, (aka noise).

I once had the priverlage of shooting with a F3H which even by modern standards had a blistering 13.5 FPS this ate a film in 3 seconds:puke:. not very cost effective:). Staying to the end of games was a dream untill introduction of digital via the Nikon/kodak amalgamation, the YP got one for trial & it retailed at about £9,000 + god knows what for a (word used lightly):D "Laptop". you wippersnappers have never had it so good:).
ps if I ever get to scan my negs (ooer misses) I'll post my Sunday Mirror back page image (a one shot capture of time!)
 
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Some interesting anecdotes! We are SOOO lucky now, with the leap forward in technology. I met a chap at one of my club's matches, probably least season. Hadn't seen him before, he sat behind the goal line, nearer to the goal than I. I noticed he had a film camera. Don't know what lens, it didn't look that big. At half time I asked him how he got on changing film during the match. "Oh, I make 24 frames last a match" was his reply. "I go to Boots or ASDA and get them developed express, then send them off. Job Done". Oooh er.
 
Also how many of the old timers had AF as well....we have got it easy. :LOL:
 
I have recently tried out my manual focus 135mm f.2.8 at matches when the light has dropped to much for the zoom and how hard is that,I have nothing but the utmost admiration for the manual focus film guys and the superb shots they got
In comparison we have it so easy today.
 
Watching all the footage of Nat Lofthouse since his death seeing the photographers just stood or kneeling on the goal line. I do remember back at Burnden Park I was with my Dad on the main players entrance seeing all the bikes turn up just before half time waiting for people to run out with the films shot during the first half. Photographers with runners and the bikes now its just 1 bloke with a laptop and the internet.
 
Is anyone on here old enough to remember when we had a manufacturing industry??????
 
I ain't saying nuffink! :D


(apart from the fact that I was at Uni in Wales during the miner's strike - that was fun!)
 
The skill remains the same, the change is the tools and technology to allow you to capture that moment.


soccer-football-league-division-two-brentford-v-leeds-united_1274329.jpg


1950's - 3 glass plates on average per game and they got the shot

soccer-home-international-championship-scotland-v-england_681693.jpg


1970's dependent on the lighting conditions 5 - 10 rolls of B/W or E6 20 pics per game

soccer-euro-96-group-a-england-v-scotland_681501.jpg


1990's colour film anything up to 6 - 30 rolls if it were an FA Cup or World Cup final

soccer-fifa-world-cup-2010-qualifying-round-group-six-england-v-belarus-wembley-stadium_1873201.jpg


2010 World Cup Final 1 - 2 thousand images per photographer

2020 60fps ?
 
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Dan Law said:
The skill remains the same, the change is the tools and technology to allow you to capture that moment.
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Got to disagree with that Dan the skill in manually focussing and getting a great shot is far in advance of doing the same with autofocus especially with the AF speed of modern pro lenses.Thats not to denigrate the skill of modern pro togs but give them the choice and I am sure they would choose autofocus any day
 
CaptainPenguin said:
Got to disagree with that Dan the skill in manually focussing and getting a great shot is far in advance of doing the same with autofocus especially with the AF speed of modern pro lenses.Thats not to denigrate the skill of modern pro togs but give them the choice and I am sure they would choose autofocus any day
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Don't disagree with you CaptainPenguin. Can't think of 1 photographer I know who'd rather shoot manual focus! by skill I was meaning more the ability to read the game know where the best positions are and anticipating the shot. Its the technology that's improved (AF, lenses, hi ISO's etc etc) but you can have the best kit in the world and still be a hopeless photographer.
 
Dan Law said:
Don't disagree with you CaptainPenguin. Can't think of 1 photographer I know who'd rather shoot manual focus! by skill I was meaning more the ability to read the game know where the best positions are and anticipating the shot. Its the technology that's improved (AF, lenses, hi ISO's etc etc) but you can have the best kit in the world and still be a hopeless photographer.
Click to expand...

Spot On
 
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