Try Time!! – Alligin Photography Announce Exciting New Project

Rich Clarkson is acknowledged as one of the founding fathers of today's sports photography, he also, 30 years ago, set up a series of workshops for aspiring photographers to work alongside industry leaders and develop in a creative environment.  Alligin Photography attended one of the workshops earlier this year and returned determined to try something new in the field of UK Service Sports Photography.  We were very fortunate that one of out clients, the Army Rugby Union could see the potential of the vision and signed up to providing some of their rugby players to allow the necessary training and experimentation to take place, so that the vision could become a reality.

Today Alligin Photography is proud to release the first trial images produced as part of the project.  They have been produced by Geraint Ashton Jones, a Director of Alligin Photography, Lee Crabb of Scrumpix Images who is also Alligin Photography's lead photographer for the Army Rugby Union account and finally an up and coming talented young photographer from Hampshire, Charley Rose, of Charley Rose Photography.

The project would not have started but for the support of the Army Rugby Union through their Secretary, Chris Fowke, Head Coach, Andy Sanger and Senior XV Team Manager, Paul Jones.  Of course thanks must also go to the players who gave their time for the first photo shoot which involved a degree of adaption and experimentation by the photographers which of course meant some waiting about and endless repetition of the skills by the players.

The photography team will be coming together a few times during the season to refine and develop their techniques and to keep pushing the boundaries try and bring a fresh form of action images in to the Service sporting environment.  As a team the photographers aim is to work as hard of the pitch as the players do on the pitch and create images that the players, the Army Rugby Union and also the photographers can be proud of.

These images will eventually be loaded on the Army Rugby Union Media Portal which can be visited by clicking here.

Lee Crabb of Scrumpix Images website

Charley Rose Photograghy Facebook Page.

Finally a special thank you to Graham Main, of Soldier Magazine, who stayed behind after the Army Community 10s competition and provided invaluable assistance during the shoot.

Both in this shoot and the planned future shoots the players have to repeat a number of skills again and again and again.  As photographers we can but appreciate their willingness and endurance in this aspect of producing successful photography.

Not the best rainbow either have ever photographed due to the White Balance settings being used but since it came out the least we could do was include it in an image.

Lessons Learnt

  1. Can afford to under expose sky more than originally planned
  2. Care with back ground to ensure floodlight stations etc not in wrong part of shot
  3. Wide angle shooting low to high works well (used 11mm-24mm lens quite extensively)
  4. Pay attention to players clothing to ensure sponsor's logos are shown in the best way possible
  5. Let the players input their ideas as to what works well
  6. Patience

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