OK where did 2021 go to? After spending a fair amount of time getting things in order on this blog I then went and abandoned it for what must be the umpteenth year on the trot. However the good news is that I have been taking photos over the last 12 months or so. Wildlife has taken a back seat although I did fit in a couple of sessions at Sean Weekly’s hide up at Gigrin. I’ve also continued with lego photography but the main focus recently has been sports. Local Llanelli football team Evans & Williams – who are part of the West Wales Premier League – invited me to come along and shoot some games to get pictures for their match day program and so that’s what I’ve been doing – and enjoying – for the last few months.
I’ve done a bit of football photography before covering a day tournament and match day final (also for Evans & Williams) so it wasn’t a total shock to the system. Getting up to speed to shooting a game however was a shock, but it didn’t take too long to adjust. The auto-focus of the Sony A9 coupled with the multiple frames per second helps the process. A photographer friend also helped me get to grips with tracking and that has helped too. So much so I’d like to one day try the camera’s tracking with wildlife.
Initially the photos that I took went to Evans & Williams and I shared a few on social media. I didn’t really want to upload 60 to 100 match day photos to my own profile nor do I want to run a gallery/store for the images. With that in mind I started a new Facebook page specifically for sports photography. It makes sharing the images easier for me and gives all players and teams access to the shots. A couple of teams – Dafen and Pontardulais FC for example – have shown interest in my shots and either posted them with match reports or used them for programs.
Sports photography does bring many frustrations and I think missing a crucial moment must be the biggest. At the weekend for example I missed a brilliant save by the ‘keeper just by not keeping the shooting going for an extra second or two. Mind the game was incredibly frantic in the last 20 minutes or so including 15 minutes of injury time and at times I was getting absorbed in the game rather than remembering to photograph the action. Overall I am enjoying the experience – even the bitterly cold afternoons – and it’s given me a chance to get out with the camera as well as enjoy photography and football at the same time. In fact just enjoying taking photos again is a massive plus.
Llanelli Sports Photography
Football Galleries can be found at Jason Dale Photography on Facebook. All images are copyright ‘Jason Dale Photography’. Images can be used freely with the watermark left intact or appropriate attribution provided or prior permission. Images are available for purchase without watermarks. If you’d like me to cover a game in the Llanelli or surrounding area then do get in touch.
