Day 1 – Shoot to client brief
A last minute call up saw me packing my camera kit and heading up the M25 this week. Ahead of me lay 2 days shooting at the LIV Golf Invitational London, hosted by the stunning Centurion Club near St Albans.
You couldn’t fail to hear, see or read something about the LIV Golf Invitational Series in the news this week. It is certainly shaking up the world of professional golf at the moment. So you can imagine I was really excited when Performance54 called to see if I was available. I would be shooting at probably the most important golf tournament in the world right now!
The brief for Thursday, was to shoot some image content for golf professional, Kevin Na. I was to capture imagery of him on the practice green and driving range. Later in the afternoon follow him over the first 9 holes of his opening round, playing alongside Ian Poulter and Louis Oosthuizen.
Day 2 – Do My Own Thing
Having shot to a client’s brief on Thursday, Saturday was going to be fun as I was free to do my own thing. I picked up the leaders as they started their final round from the 1st Tee.
In my motorsport photography I like to try something different, use light and angles to create my images. I thought it would be interesting to try this feel to the golf today.
Fast shutter speeds capture the sand flying in bunker shots we all love… getting down really low gives a worms eye view!
In motorsport we use technique of a slow shutter speed while panning in time with the car. This captures the car sharp while blurring the background, giving a feeling of speed and motion. I decided to try a similar thing out on the course…
Final Hole
Time to get myself through the crowds of spectators and catch up with the leaders group as they play the 18th.
After 3 days, 72 holes it all came down to just 1 shot on the 18th for Charl Schwartzel to triumph over fellow countryman Hennie Du Plessis. Also securing the Team Award for the Stingers.
After the awards presentations a few words from Governor and Golf Saudi Chairman, Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Thankfully he managed to escape from the stage before the champagne started flying…
Thank you to Performance54 for asking me back to be part of your photographer team. It was great to shoot the Saturday a little differently for you… hope you liked my twist on Golf Photography.
Next week it’s back to 4 wheels and a shoot a very lovely Aston Martin DB4 for Classic Cars Magazine….
