You must have seen enormous
changes since 1987. From a
photographer’s perspective has
it mostly been for the better?
The thing that’s really changed is the
access to the team. In the ’80s you could
rock up to training and they wouldn’t
mind. You could stay for the whole
session and take photos, or even join in,
holding tackle bags, collecting the balls if
they go too far – maybe even keep one!
So, it’s definitely changed in that respect.
It’s been clamped down on and it’s a lot
more secretive these days.So, what access will you get to
England’s training sessions this
time around?
It’s really limited access now. Every team
under the contract signed with World
Rugby has to allow 15 minutes to the
media every session. What they do in
those 15 minutes is completely up to
them. We could be on one side of the
pitch and they might train on the other
side, so you need a long lens for that and
sometimes even a long lens isn’t big
enough – they could be facing the wrong
way, so all you see is their backs! That
gets frustrating and we have a bit of a
moan, but hopefully they’ll play ball.Today’s restrictions must
make it harder to get a picture
that’s marketable?
Yeah, you need to get a relevant photo for
every day. I’ll be in Japan for two months
and you want to do a great job; you want
to portray what’s going on. Fingers
crossed we’ll get some good stuff.How has photographing the actual
World Cup matches changed?
There’s more photographers! That first
one in Australia and New Zealand, if you
had 20 photographers at a game that was
a lot... The venues have changed too.
In Sydney, the semi-final was held at
the Concorde Oval, which is on the
Parramatta Road where all the car
sales showrooms are, and it was so
small compared with where the semi-
finals are going to be this year.How many photographers are
likely to be accredited this year?
Hundreds. I think there will at least 200
to 300 for the semi-finals and the final, at
least – a lot compared to the old days.The gear has changed a lot over
the last 30 years too. What were
you using at the 1987 tournament?the ef 70-200mm
zoom is the best lens
for tries right in front
of you
(^02) WelCome to the game
England captain Mike Tindall poses before
his team’s first game of the 2011 World Cup
Lens Canon EF 14-24mm f/2.8L
exposure 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO100
(^03) PraCtiCe makes PerfeCt
Silhouette of England (and then Newcastle
Falcons) fly-half Jonny Wilkinson
Lens Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
exposure 1/3200 sec, f/6.4, ISO200
(^04) t he road to Wembley
Jack Grealish and Jed Steer of Aston Villa
celebrate victory in the penalty
shoot-out during the 2019
Championship play-off
Lens Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM
exposure 1/2000 sec, f/3.2, ISO2500
68 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
TheproinTerview
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