simon bruty
Shooting sport is different in the digital age, but you still need the same skills to take great pictures, awardwinning photographer Simon Bruty tells David Clark
Travelling around the world in style, watching major sporting events and meeting elite athletes is most sports
fans’ dream job. Simon Bruty has lived that dream for over 30 years. The Uk-born photographer has covered eight summer Olympics, several football and rugby World Cups and numerous major events in world tennis, skiing and golf.
Working primarily for Sports Illustrated since 1998, Simon has garnered a reputation for finding new ways to shoot familiar sports, as well as having a keen eye for the crucial moment. He’s also developed a diverse portfolio which includes action, portraits of sports stars shot on location and in the studio, and behind-the-scenes documentary work. Simon has spent his working life photographing sport, but, as he explains, his first ambition was to be on the other side of the camera…
Which came first for you, sport or photography?
Definitely sport. I played a lot of cricket as a kid and I wanted to be a cricketer. Everything else was by the wayside. However, while at school in Hampshire, England, I did a photography O Level course and that really fired me up. I went out and got a Canon AV-1 with a 50mm
lens. I remember looking at other lenses in the local camera shop and fantasising about buying them, like a kid looking in a sweet shop window.
When did you decide you wanted to shoot sport?
At first I didn’t have any interest in becoming a sports photographer, because I was constantly being told how tough it was to get into. Then at school I played basketball and got on well with the teacher, who was a former professional player. He asked me what I wanted to do when I left school and I told him I was into photography. He told me about the Allsport agency, showed me pictures they had taken of him and gave me their phone number.
How did you approach Allsport?
I just kept calling the number and after a while I got through to Steve Powell, who was the co-owner of the agency at the time. Eventually he said “Why don’t you come in to see us?” So I went to the office in Collier’s Wood, south London, and was shown around by senior staff photographer Adrian Murrell. I was 18 and super-excited to be there. A few weeks later I had a call from Adrian saying they had a job for me. My cricket career had stalled badly and that avenue was now closed to me, so I grabbed this opportunity. I found a bedsit, moved to London and started at Allsport in 1984.
What work did you do?
I was basically making tea and a gopher. I was on the lowest rung in the office, but I was really lucky because Allsport was definitely at the cutting edge of sports agencies. It had a great stable of photographers and I learnt literally on the job with those guys, particularly Dave Cannon, who took me under his wing and lent me gear. As I didn’t know anyone in London, if I had any spare time I would just go out and photograph sports events. At weekends I’d get a pass to go to Fulham or Chelsea matches. Dave would look at my work afterwards and say “This is terrible,” which it was. However, I was looking at imagery all day and every day and did nothing else but go out and try to emulate the guys in the office. I started small, gradually improved and began getting bigger and bigger jobs.
What were your first big assignments at Allsport?
Dave Cannon took me to the British Open in 1985, then the following year I went to
i was basically making tea and a gopher. i was on the lowest rung in the Allsport office
Rio to photograph Formula 1. That was basically it – I was up and running. Allsport’s work was expanding and there was a need for more photographers. Bob Martin and Chris Cole joined the agency around that time, so there were a lot of young and ambitious people coming in. There was a lot of camaraderie among us, but at the same time we were competitive. It was a brilliant place to learn. I spent 13 years at Allsport.
What was your next move?
I wanted to try something different so I went to Allsport’s New York office in 1994. While in the States I started getting to know people who worked for Sports
Illustrated. They had big budgets and were sent on amazing assignments on private planes. It was a glamorous life and I really wanted to work for them. In 1998 I left Allsport, went freelance and started doing one or two assignments. Then in the same year they offered me a staff job.
What were the differences between UK and US photographers, if any?
The sports guys in the States were definitely more technically savvy at the time. They would light whole arenas, which nobody in the UK or Europe was doing. Sports Illustrated in particular had the resources and they also expected sports photographers to be able to light a portrait. Until then, I had only played with lights and experimented – I’d had no formal education in lighting, just learning on the job with other Allsport photographers. So it was challenging.
i didn’t have time to fail; when you’re working for a magazine they expect you to come up with the results
Was there a lot of trial and error as you learned?
I didn’t have much time to fail, because when you’re working for a magazine they just expect you to come up with the results. I certainly messed things up many times, but always managed to come up with the image they were after. When I first got here I bought a Norman 400B one-light kit and a great little softbox. I came up with some pretty cool images using that simple set-up and just went on from there.
How long did you stay with
Sports Illustrated? I was on the staff for 17 years, so I had a good run. Two years ago they fired all the staff photographers and now I’m freelance. I still do some work for them as well as a range of commercial and editorial clients. The market is now swamped with action pictures, so now most of my work is story-based or portraits, with action tagged onto it. I like the variety.
Do you enjoy shooting portraits?
I’ve always been interested in the portraiture side, but it is a very different animal. When the sitter comes through, you have to have an idea and be ready, because generally they don’t want to give you any time. You need to have plans A, B and C and you have to be able to execute them at any point.
What photographic kit have you used over the years?
I’ve always used Canon kit, apart from the occasional medium format camera. As a sports photographer you need the
wide range of lenses and the quality that Canon provides. I’ve always felt they have been on the cutting edge in terms of research and development. Canon’s service is good and the cameras have always been reliable.
What’s your main camera now?
I use the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. It’s amazing. There are lots of things I love about it, such as the ability to shoot Raw files without any buffer. As a sports photographer that’s what you need.
The main lenses I use are the EF 400mm f/2.8l IS II USM, which is a staple for sports photographers, and the EF 200-400mm f/4l IS USM which has an in-built 1.4x extender. The zoom range gives me the ability to frame the subject, so I’ve been using that lens a lot. I switch between the two. I also take a variety of other lenses on assignment, including wide-angles and tilt-shift lenses.
Do you use a lot of remote cameras for action shots?
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with remote cameras. I took four remotes to the Rio Olympics this year, which is a lot of gear in itself. They’re brilliant because they get you to spots you generally can’t photograph from. However, they take away a lot from the camera in your hand, because you’re always fussing over the remotes. I’ve messed up so many times with remote cameras and it’s debatable whether the time and effort poured into them is worthwhile, for me.
Do you spend a lot of time on post-processing?
No, I don’t spend very much time on it. I’m not a Photoshop expert by any stretch of the imagination, so I farm it out to guys who know what they’re doing. I use Lightroom and Photoshop in my basic attempts at post-production, but I mainly concentrate on the shooting.
How has sports photography changed during your career?
All the changes have been based around technology. Even before digital, autofocus changed sports photography dramatically. Before autofocus, really good sports photographers who could follow focus were in a different league to the rest of the pack. Autofocus levelled the playing
I’m not an expert in photoshop by any stretch, so i farm it out to guys who know what they’re doing
field. Then digital brought about a complete revolution, particularly in the transmission of images, and it’s still changing. Technical innovations over the past 10 or 15 years have made getting an action photograph pretty straightforward.
So has sports photography become de-skilled?
On the outside it seems like it’s all changed and it’s all super-easy. We are awash in imagery and you see great action photographs every day. But the basic skills of anticipation and concentration are the same as they’ve always been. If you’re no good at those essential photographic skills, it doesn’t matter what new technology you’re dealing with – you’re never going to be that good a photographer.
What’s your favourite and least favourite sport to photograph?
I’ve always liked photographing soccer.
modern technical innovations have made getting an action photograph pretty straightforward