ImageZ Club Night – Sports Photography – Guest Speaker – Eddie Keogh
photo: Eddie Keogh
Tuesday May 3rd Attendees 15
We were back in the hall for last nights meeting and our guest speaker was Eddie Keogh. Eddie came around and introduced himself and shook hands with everyone before his presentation.
He told us he had been a sports photographer for over thirty years.
He explained that he began after attending a year’s course in Sheffield and got his first job for Liverpool. Eddie shoots all kinds of sports, but his love is football.
He began his presentation with a photograph of Maradona taken in Mexico at the World Cup which he attended in 1970.He explained that images he takes now can take only a minute and a half to get to the London office and go out to Newspapers worldwide. Quite a difference from years ago.
Eddie accompanied his presentation with images that showed his very immense talent for getting remarkable pictures of Sportsmen and women. These included Princess Anne at Badminton, The All Blacks performing the Haka before a match, Lewis Hamilton winning a race at Silverstone and the Eton Wall game which is only ever played by Etonians at the school and has a wealth of history.
He explained that when going to get images at a Sporting venue the important things to think about are where is the best place to stand to get the best photograph, the direction of the light, and what is in the background of your picture which might distract the viewer. He had an excellent photograph of Tiger Woods walking on an American golf course which he told us were kept so well the grass looked manicured. He explained how difficult it is to get a photograph with no-one in the background as usually stewards and camera men are not far behind someone as well-known as Tiger Woods.
Eddie said in some cases he has a remote control linked toa camera positioned strategically which fires it thirty frames in a minute, and he showed us a picture of many cameras behind a goal on tripods belonging to different the photographers.
Eddie’s images were highly creative and inspiring to see. He talked us through the cameras and lens he uses and his techniques.
He told us he had worked for Reuters for a number of years but then went Freelance allowing him to have more choice over his work.
His talent meant he was picked to work with the England football team and he praised the England manager Gareth Southgate for his man management skills and improvement of the spirit of the team as well as his all-round management qualities.
Eddie had some wonderful images of the England team members on the pitch during the World cup, during a relaxation period when Ed Sheeran was entertaining them. He showed us the intricacies of training, studying other teams, and discussing forthcoming games and play. He said his job is a dream job as he has travelled with the team and stayed in the same hotels as them.
Eddie finished his presentation by showing us pictures of what he called “the Grass roots” of the game of football which he still loves to visit, and included muddy changing rooms, a dog who had chewed the football, and some heated moments between players.
Some images were taken at Hackney Marshes when on a Sunday morning when many diverse football players turn up for a match as there are eighty pitches. Eddie’s pictures were comical showing men sporting wild haircuts and having a last-minute cigarette before the match.
Eddie finished his presentation saying find what you love to photograph, and the challenging work becomes easier and more inspiring.
We want to thank Eddie for a highly informative and interesting evening with amazing photographs and a true insight into what it takes to be an incredibly good Sports Photographer.
Wow! Excellent blog on an excellent evenings entertainment.