Shooting Rugby on Film - Sports Photography from 1970

Last week I was invited to join Miles Myerscough-Harris (aka ExpiredFilmClub) at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take photos of a rugby match. No we were not confused 😂 - it was the annual 'Saracens Showdown' when Saracens Rugby Team break out from their usual stadium to put on an incredible show.

Originally I was simply going to shadow Miles and enjoy the atmosphere - but the day before I got a text: 'Sorry mate, we need to be at the content briefing at 10am' and I realised that it was going to be a bit more serious...

A day in the life of an analogue sports photographer

Miles had been hired by the Saracens marketing team directly - so our role was to capture photos and content that they could use to celebrate their team. This is different to when Miles is hired by someone like the NFL who are looking to promote a sport rather than a team.

Miles in his natural environment, shot on Portra 800

This meant two things for our day:

1. the brief was very specific and detailed in terms of the shots that we were expected to capture (high pressure)
2. the access we were given to the team and squad was unbelievable

We were there when the players turned up at the stadium, we were allowed into the changing room before the match while the team got ready, we were on the pitch as they ran out, and we were amongst the aftermath as the final whistle blew.

My kit

I brought three cameras, with very different purposes. Firstly - my Olympus OM1 workhorse with a 50mm prime lens and a 200mm prime lens for the match. I loaded it with a mix of my favourite films: Ilford Delta 3200, Kodak Tri-X, and Kodak Portra 800.

I'm ready! Shot by Miles with his fancy star filter 🌟

Secondly - my trusty Lomo LC-A+ that fits in my pocket and can quickly capture close-up moments in wide angle glory - loaded with Kodak Gold.

Thirdly - my Lomo Baby Fisheye 110 camera - with which I hoped to capture some unique player portraits. Loaded with Lomography Color Tiger.

My photos - Olympus OM1

Here are a sample of my favourite photos taken on my Olympus. With the longer lenses I could get much closer to the action, although focus becomes much harder (especially in low light and at high speed!)

My photos - Baby Fisheye

This was a niche idea - using small negatives and fisheye lenses in a sports stadium would never give good results at distance, but I was very grateful to a couple of the players (including current England Captain Maro Itoje!) for allowing me to stop them for a close-up.

We were in the player's underground car park at the time, and I didn't have a working cable flash - so I had to use bulb mode and a handheld manual flash 😂 Creative workaround under pressure, but it explains the blur!

Wait, he's not a rugby player... 😅

My photos - Lomo LC-A+

I've taken my LC-A all over the world (including North Korea) and once again it delivered fantastic results at a moment's notice.

What's next?

Firstly - thanks to your amazing lab team who developed these films to perfection  (including pushing one of the Gold and pulling the Delta 😅)

I had an incredible time and it was fantastic to see some of my photos featured in the final reel that went out on Miles' and Saracen's channels:

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There are rumours that Miles might be taking me to another rugby game before long. What sport would be YOUR dream day out?