I had been planning this triathlete photography shoot for some time, and after several postponements due to adverse weather conditions, yesterday evening proved to be the day we’d been waiting for – The sea was calm, and the early evening light was perfect.

These photos were taken using a Canon 5D MKII, Canon EF 17-40mm, Canon EF 70-200mm, and a single Canon Flash, which was triggered wirelessly off camera, with a PocketWizard.

Posted below are two of my favorite photos from the assignment – The first photo is of Danny Care, Harlequins Scrum Half, and the last photo is of James Johnston, Harlequins Prop.

Thanks to – Wired Events | Harlequins Rugby Team

Recently, I’ve been working on a series of portfolio development photoshoots, with the aim of capturing more lifestyle, and product/brand style photos. I wanted to create a series of strong images, which had impact, and would be ideal for advertising purposes.

It was a last minute call on the location, but I found the perfect spot close to my home. The sun was just setting, and the lighting was perfect. These photos have all been captured with the natural light.

Camera Equipment Used – Canon 5D MKII, Canon EF 17-40mm, Canon EF 70-200mm

As well as a barefoot runner, Jonno is also a keen triathlete, and participates regularly, at various events across the country.

I wanted to create a series of high impact, advertising photos of a triathlete. As a sports photographer, there’s always that dream shot, which captures a triathlete, just as they explode from the water, and head for transition. Capturing the adrenalin, determination and pain on the athletes face is paramount in order to add realism and drama to the photo.

Here are a few of the shots, taken on a quiet beach in Cornwall, moments before the sun disappeared behind the cliffs.

Camera Equipment Used – Canon 5D MKII, Canon EF 70-200mm, Canon EF 17-40mm, Canon 550EX (Fill Flash)

Jonno is a great athlete to work with. His barefoot running knowledge, and experience as a professional sports photographer himself, enabled us to work together to create a series of barefoot running photos, which capture the all important barefoot technique.

Camera Equipment Used – Canon 5D MKII, Canon EF 17-40mm, Canon EF 70-200mm

Recently, I was asked by Professional Illustrator, Mark Mayers, if he could use one of these photographs for his latest Premium Tutorial on the PSDtuts+ website.

Having seen how good Mark is when it comes to creative digital editing, I was keen to provide him with whatever images he needed in order to create his latest vision.

Below, is the finished image which Mark has submitted. The methods which he used, including a step-by-step guide to create your own Advertising Style Sports Photograph, is available on the PSDtuts+ website.

You can see more creative work by Mark Mayers, on his website at www.markmayers.co.uk

I am a Professional Sports Photographer for a lot of reasons. Some of which, I simply cannot explain.

Firstly, I honestly believe to be a successful photographer in whatever you photograph, you must have a passion for your chosen subject.

As far as my sports photography goes, I certainly have this passion. I love what I photograph, and I often dream up new ideas, or new angles to shoot my subjects from. These ideas typically have one goal in mind – To capture the excitement, adrenalin and determination, which each and every athlete experiences.

Another factor which I feel is important as a sports photographer, is that you not only need to love the sports which you photograph, but you also need to understand them in great detail.

Sometimes, it may be enough to simply know the sport to the point where you can predict the next move, or moment of action. But, I like to take this a step further. I choose to physically participate in all of the sports which I photograph.

I do this not only because I love being active, but also because I want to experience how it feels when the sun drops off of the horizon as you wait for that last wave before dark. I want to know how much it hurts when you push hard, cycling up a Tour de France mountain climb. I want to understand what it’s like when you’re so focused, that all you can hear is your deep breathing, and all you can feel is your heart pounding in your chest.

I believe that these experiences provide me with a better understanding of the sports which I photograph, and in turn, this understanding helps me to better capture the emotion, the pain, and the glory within that particular sport.

I want my photographs to scream freedom, I want them to portray health and well-being, but most of all, I want my photographs to make others feel just like I do about sport. I want my images to inspire others to get out there and “live” in this great world in which we exist.

So, in answer to the popular question, “Why am I a Sports Photographer?”, I am a Sports Photographer because I love adventure, I love life, and I love sport.

For a while I have wanted to produce a series of surfer portrait photographs. A collection of images which weren’t just snap shots of surfers. I wanted to create something a little special. I wanted the shots to be dramatic, and powerful…

It’s a perfect time of year to photograph in Cornwall… The vast majority of tourists have just left, and the weather is still fine. So you can head to the beach and almost guarantee crowd free sand and sea. In order to take advantage of this, what better location for the photo shoot than Carbis Bay beach, with its stunning, picturesque sandy beaches, and gentle lapping waves.

The following photographs have been captured using a Canon EOS 5D MKII, Canon EF 17-40mm lens, and a Canon 550EX Flash.

After booking an appointment with Activate4 in order to get a few sports related injuries fixed for myself, Justin and I got chatting about all kinds of sport and photography. Soon, we had arranged a photo shoot.

Here are the results… Captured with a Canon EOS 5D MKII, Canon 17-40mm, and Canon 70-200mm.

SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY IN CORNWALL – If you’re an athlete who lives in Cornwall, and would like a series of images captured of you in action, then please feel free to get in touch. You can see more of my athlete photography by visiting my Professional Photography Portfolios.

Alan is a Professional Wedding Photographer from Cornwall, who has started to tread his own, distinctive path, in the wedding photography market. He is a talented photographer, and is unique in the way which he captures his images – Opting for a relaxed, contemporary style, which results in naturally beautiful photographs, each and every time.

Alan has an ability to effortlessly capture all of the wedding day excitement, emotion and activity, and then mix it with a modern, fun and vibrant post production twist – Creating a collection of glorious wedding photographs which will be loved and cherished for many years to come.

You can visit Alan’s website at – www.alanlawphotography.co.uk