A bit of inspiration

Compared to many of the seasoned professional sports photographers out there who have been working day in, day out for years, I remain relatively inexperienced and somewhat inept. I've learned many lessons since I started, and tried to keep out of everyone's way whilst absorbing as much as possible about the craft. Aside from one notable exception where I inadvertently screwed up big time, I've thought that things have been progressing quite nicely thanks.I started shooting football seriously only a year ago, mixing it in with a lot of rugby. I now do more football than rugby, with the images being more marketable especially with the tabloid newspapers. Working for a small but perfectly formed agency, and doing games up to Championship level with some FA Cup and Champions League (not Premier League...yet), my emphasis has been on goals and celebrations. That's what sells, so that what I've been focusing on.I hadn't realised that in doing so, I'd let my standards slip. It's a gradual thing that you don't really notice, and down the slippery slope you inexorably slide, unsuspecting and innocent, towards the mire of mediocrity.Whilst I've been getting very nice goal and cele shots which have been selling fairly well thank you, I found myself leaving the ground somewhat disgruntled even if I'd got "the shot" captioned and wired in real time. It was only a couple of days ago when I figured out what was going on.I happened upon the blog of a chap called Matthew Ashton who runs the AMA sports photo agency. He's out shooting football pretty much constantly and is currently in Qatar covering the Asian Cup. I recommend having a read of his blog as it's an excellent insight into what full time professional sports photography is all about.It wasn't so much the action shots on his blog that woke me up. It was all the other pictures. The shots that set the scene, get the atmosphere, capture the weird and wonderful goings on and the character of the people. These are the pictures that make his blog really stand out. It would be so easy (relatively) to just go and cover the game, capture the action, and move on.A little light bulb went on and I realised that this is precisely what I hadn't been doing. I'd just been turning up, shooting goals, celes and a bit of action, wiring off 20-30 shots, and calling it a day. I had realised how far I'd let my standards slide. The two photos above are from the London Rugby 7s in 2010 when I was actively looking for "the other shot", and as a photographer first, sport photographer second, it's those sort of shots that I find much more fulfilling. So what if they don't sell. I like them, and as long as I get the goals and celes in the bag as well, I'll get a lot more out of what I'm doing.So, I've self-rebooted and will emerge onto a touchline somewhere in the south east after a week's break photographing some stunning landscapes on the Isle of Mull, more of which later (landscaping with a 400 2.8 anyone?).And yes, I'm gutted I cut off the left edge of the ball on the 1st shot. Gaaagghh.