Photo Special: presence

By Bow’s editor John Stanley

This is an underrated technique using an ultra-wide lens, in this case, a 20mm prime lens. Normally these lenses are used for landscapes or architectural photography, but they have exceptional application in sport for getting extremely close . So close, you have to ask permission. In both these cases, I was so close to the archer (closer than it looks – probably less than a foot away) that I was definitely intruding into the archer’s space. You could not, of course, do this in competition; both these situations were in practice: Mario Vavro (right) in Vegas and Atanu Das in Antalya. The photographer is rewarded with an extremely dynamic shot with converging lines and drama that is impossible to reproduce in any other way. This is an example of gaining trust and permission from your subject, but then letting them act naturally in their familiar environment, and it often produces great results.