June
28
All sports photographers have only one goal – to capture a moment that would last a lifetime, a photo that transcends a message to the people who will be looking at it. Sports photography has become the face of the reality of sports. It has been the mirror of many victories and success, as well as the agony of failures and defeats. With all the moments, there is an eye that sees what others cannot. As every great person starts in a humble beginning, same goes with Bob Martin.
Bob Martin is one of the most sought-after sports photographers in the world today. His career has witnessed the drama behind every sports event in the last couple of decades. He has been producing masterpiece after masterpiece. His works garnered many recognitions and awards all over the world. He was hailed as the British Sports Photographer of the Year for the year 1992-1993, 1998-1999, and 2001-2002. Also, one of his photos taken from the Paralympics in Athens and was awarded as the Sports Picture of the Year in the World Press Photo Awards 2005, one of the 23 awards he won in 2005.
His most notable photos are the ones from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where he was one of the pioneering photographers to capture real-time action photography. Since then, he has been known to be one of the greatest photographers in graphic and editorial photos for advertising and marketing. His range is now limitless.
What makes his photos different from the others is the emotion of his photos. Every image that he captures exhibits emotions that the people can feel. It seems like it has life of its own. Every bit has a story to tell. He was there when Jennifer Capriati won her first grandslam trophy in Australian Open in 2001 and when Lance Armstrong won his seventh Tour de France trophy. Because of its amazing visionary style, his photos are published in many newspapers and magazines.
He has been covering sports events one after the other and according to him, patience is one of the greatest virtue he has learned from being a sports photographer. In an interview he said, “There is an awful lot of waiting around to try to capture that special picture. You would think that sports photographers just turn up and shoot the event, but it’s not like that.”
Though he knows that skills are maybe his best asset, he also relies on his equipments. “Sports photography has become so specialist, with such limited access, and you don’t always get the position you necessarily want,” he explains. “So you need to have a vast range of telephoto lenses – I’ve got everything from a 600mm downwards. I’ll take at least two or three super-telephoto lenses to almost every shoot, so a 600mm, or 400mm and a 300mm.”
Despite all the achievements he has received, he remains humble and enthusiastic in all his ways. He always have the passion of a beginner, getting excited for his turn and patiently waiting for the right moment to capture his perfect shot.