News / Blog - Sports News

Sunday morning was mild and dry... what a great incentive to take a walk in a valley near the reservoir.

What about taking a camera along too? Don't mind if I do!

So off I went to take a few pics of the Guernsey Velo Club's Winter MTB XC Series, Round-1.

I have noted before that there is always a great atmosphere at GVC events. I think it must be because the competitors vary over a large range of ages and levels of fitness. There is also a lot of support offered by racers families.

The sportsmanship is also impressive with 'rival' competitors encouraging each other to achieve their best time... but not giving up on their own intention to take the win! Every sportsman wants to be victorious!

I ended up taking quite a few pics - even though I missed Race-1.

I did have a good excuse for being late as I had a very late night on Saturday night/Sunday morning after photographing Blackalicious at the Fermain Tavern. They were fantastic (and I'm not usually a great fan of their genre of music).

Those pics will follow.

For now, here are the MTB XC pics:
VIEW PICS OF THE GVC MTB XC - ROUND-1

I was called in by The Guernsey Press to cover a Rugby match at KGV between St Jacques and the visiting Tottonians.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon as I settled down to capture some of the action.

As it turned out it wasn't quite the relaxing afternoon that I had been expecting as the game proved to be very tight with the local St Jacques hanging on to a narrow, hard-fought for lead until the very last seconds.

The inevitable tension almost distracted this photographer who went away promising that I must find more time to photograph this entertaining and action packed sport.

I've added a few pictures of St Jacques v Tottonians to a new gallery:
VIEW PICS OF ST JACQUES v TOTTONIANS

TEN MILLION has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

How nice it would be to have that many Pounds in the Bank.... even Dollars would be OK for me!

However the chances of a professional photographer ever making that sort of money are pretty unlikely :-(

So when TEN MILLION features anywhere in my working life it will always feel a bit special... and that number has just shown up.

I've been running this web-site since 24th October 2010. It replaced what is now my very dated original web-site (still on-line for nostalgia only).

This means that it's still a couple of months short of five years since www.guernseymotorsport.com went live.

I'm incredibly proud to say that (since the start) this web-site has been viewed an amazing TEN MILLION times!!

The first MILLION views took one year - almost to the day. This current year will see over THREE MILLION views and I am thinking that this is probably where the level will settle... but who knows?

My decision to work full-time as a photographer came about ten years ago when I was 50 years old after I sold a business.

I tried retirement but that was horrible! It might sound like a good idea but I'm someone who has to be creative and challenged. So I turned a hobby into a job... and it has certainly been challenging!

However I have loved nearly every single hour of it... and there are many more hours put into photography than I ever gave to my old 'proper job'. How did that happen?

It must also be said that in the decade that I have relied on photography for my income the whole industry has been shaken up and changed beyond recognition. It now seems that everyone who has a DSLR and a Facebook page is a 'Photographer'.

But I've never regretted the decision to give it a try and I've now established a loyal following and a good sized base of regular Commercial customers for TALLPICTURES.com.

My thirty-five years spent as a retailer have stood me in good stead to respond to competition and (after a short period when I questioned the future viability) I now realise that it isn't what other people are doing, it is about what you do for yourself that either 'makes or breaks' a business.

There's also lots of room in the marketplace for every-one.

I'm now privileged to make an income out of my passion and I genuinely thank all the visitors to this web-site and the many customers who buy pictures.

So that now brings me to the future.

Well I have a couple of very exciting new developments on the way. More about those later :-)

This time it was the spectators and boxers who made use of the Bels football pitch....

D&C White Collar Warrior, Belgrave Wanderers FC & Power Constructions presented 15 Bouts of Open Air Boxing at The Track last Saturday.

For the second time I was invited down to The Track to capture some of the action and atmosphere.

This year the Boxing ring was set up closer to the stand which gave an option of buying a 'cheap seat' in the stands but the majority of spectators chose the comfy seats... together with a table for the mandatory beers!

Over a thousand people made the early evening stroll down Victoria Avenue whilst enjoying the mild August evening. The gates opened sharp at 5pm so there was a full evening to look forward to.

Their relaxed mood was soon turned around when the fast-paced action started in the ring. By the end of the night the punters had been entertained to 15 bouts of White Collar Boxing!

The evening had been organised in support of Charity with the Bels FC also earning a few bob towards the re-building of their stand.

So every-one was a winner... the Charities, the Bels, the bout winners and the punters enjoyed a night out with a difference.

I think we can look forward to more of the same another year.

I've added a few pics of each bout to my galleries:
VIEW PICS OF THE OPEN AIR BOXING

It's what Summer-time was made for... the beach :-)

Every Guernseyman knows that we have amazing beaches over here. The best of them have white sand and clean water... and when the sun shines the sea takes on beautiful blue and green colours. Awesome.

However, now-days, when I find myself on one of our lovely beaches the peace is spoilt by the revving of engines! It's race-time.

But today was a very pleasant change. I received a late call from Peter Frankland, the Picture Editor at the Guernsey Press, saying that he was held up on another photoshoot and could I step in to photograph the Guernsey Surf Club's inaugural Junior Surf Series. Of course I can!

So my morning didn't go to the original plan but I enjoyed a couple of hours taking pics of the Swoffers and Yak Wax supported Junior Surf competition. I loved it.

I was impressed by how good the young surfers were and they made capturing the action very easy. I have a fancy that I will be back on the beach at Vazon again soon... without the revving engines!

I've added a Gallery featuring the Surf action:
VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY SURF CLUB'S JUNIOR SURF SERIES

EDIT: What is the first rule of reporting... GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT!!

So I failed there then :-(

Paul isn't racing at the Sand Ace meeting this year... he'll be in Tayac, France for the World Longtrack Championship!

But he did have a good time in Guernsey and he was VERY fast:-)

.....Last Saturday saw one of the UK's top 500cc Slider riders make a visit to the Vazon sands.

Last Saturday saw one of the UK's top 500cc Slider riders make a visit to the Vazon sands.

Paul Cooper was over to familiarise himself with the beach conditions before the prestigious British Sand Ace Championship on July 4th.

The National Sand Ace Championship is about to hold its 10th event on the white Vazon beach and this year the quality of field - both Sliders and Sidecars - is the best ever!

This is testament to the fantastic job the organising committee of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club do in bringing all the details together to make everything run smoothly.

I'll be covering the event again... that makes it my tenth time also!

I've just added a few pics of the warm-up race to my Galleries and from the way Paul Cooper was 'at home' on the beach I think he is likely to be one of the top runners in the Sand Ace. Make sure you make a diary date for the 4th July... the action will be amazing!
VIEW PICS OF THE JUNE 6th SAND RACING

There was a buzz going around ahead of the fourth Full Boar 'Lock-In' Cage Fighting yesterday. It had been billed as 'Round-4, More Blood, Sweat and Beers'.

Could it live up to the hype and the three previous events?

I was certain that it would after I checked my web-site statistics and found that in the twenty-four hours between the fight weigh-ins and the start of the event there had been over 9,000 picture viewings of the fighters facing up to each other for the first time... its safe to say that the word was out!!
VIEW PICS OF THE 2015 LOCK-IN WEIGH-IN

The fight night is always incredibly busy as I try to capture as much of the action as possible and this year was no different as the pace doesn't ease up for more than a minute.

But I'm privileged to be asked to, literally, take a cage-side seat (actually a ladder!) to give me the closest viewpoint in the building... that means I'm often closer to the combat than the Ref! :-)

I've started the gallery updates with pics of the Muay Thai British Middleweight Title fight between Josh Meadowcroft and Jake Brookfield. All other bouts will follow. Keep checking the gallery.
VIEW PICS OF THE 2015 FULL BOAR LOCK-IN

The Full Boar Motorcycle Club is about to hold Round-4 of its Lock-In Cage Fighting at Beau Sejour.

This event is entering its fourth year and it has earnt a great reputation for the high standard of organisation, fighting and entertainment.

I reckon it is the largest indoor sports event held in Guernsey with up to 850 spectators. This guarantees that the atmosphere is electric!

But the night before always sees the weigh-in of the fighters and the first chance for them to stand toe-to-toe with their opponents. The tension can be felt!

I'll be featuring all the Bouts in my picture gallery... but for now, may I introduce you to the fighters who will enter the ring for the White Collar Boxing, Kick Boxing, Muay Thai and MMA Cage Fighting...
TAKE A LOOK AT THE LOCK-IN ROUND-4 FIGHTERS

I missed adding a Blog on the day it actually happened but tradition has it that I try and mark each time the viewing counter for this web-site breaks through another MILLION recorded views.

The NINE MILLION figure was smassshed a couple of days ago when I was stacked with the Bank Holiday work. Hence the late Blog.

So here we have the latest landmark and it seems to confirm that when the TEN MILLION mark is passed that will herald a new 'twelve month' best of THREE MILLION views in one year! Nice.

You may have noticed that I quite like the word 'MILLION' as I have used it (in Internet swearing CAPITALS) so many times already in this Blog!

Thanks a MILLION (just one more for luck!) for the continued interest in my work and I hope you find the time to visit again soon.

Here is a link to some of the previous MILLION marking Blogs:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MARKING BLOGS

I'm not going to claim that my life as a photographer is full of drama and action, shame :-(

But I do get the chance (or invitation) to go to places and events that I wouldn't normally make the effort to... but I usually end up really pleased that the opportunity was offered to me.

This was the case yesterday when I was phoned (late in the day) by the Guernsey Press and asked if I could cover the Under 16's Football League Championship play-off at Blanche Pierre Lane. The game was between Vale Rec and Sylvans.

OK I said :-)

I arrived just four minutes after kick-off but already vehicles were being turned away as the car-park was full... obviously this game had attracted a fair bit of interest.

I parked around the corner and made haste to get to the game but I had already missed a Sylvans goal.

As the game progressed it was Sylvans who continued to show the best form and by the second half they had more of the play than the 2-1 score-line suggests.

When I left the grounds I was satisfied having enjoyed an entertaining evening... one that I wouldn't have made the effort to see if it wasn't for my profession.

I've said it many times before, I love my job.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE U16's FOOTBALL PLAY-OFF

Our small Island always amazes me by the huge amount of activities it offers to those who make a small effort to attend or partake in them.

Last weekend was a great example with another packed diary to choose from.

In the end I found myself photographing Daz Carre as he finished his 24 hour run at Footes Lane in aid of the Rhys Daniels Trust. Daz's achievement was not far short of super-human and was best seen in the context of what people were doing in the London Marathon... that was just a stroll in the park compared to what Daz achieved!

I also photographed The Mouse Outfit on the Fermain Tavern stage at the latest Get Down. That was another brilliant night, thanks to Andre 'oneofakind' De Carteret :-)

Sunday offered plenty of entertainment too.

The Guernsey Powerboat Association organised an open day to showcase the start of their new race season. The line-up of boats was very impressive and there was an air of excited anticipation in the pits. With new headline sponsors Stanley Gibbons Investment on board 2015 will be their best yet.

Between all the chasing around I also photographed the first (I guess of many) Guernsey Velo Club Urban Downhill Mountain-bike races in Castle Cornet held as part of the Heritage Festival in association with Adventure Cycles & Visit Guernsey. 'Conquer the Castle' was raced through the historic passages and gateways of Guernsey's main castle and drew a large crowd of spectators.

Like I said, Guernsey is never short of things to do...
VIEW PICS OF THE CONQUER THE CASTLE MTB EVENT
VIEW PICS OF DAZ CARRE FINISHING HIS 24 HOUR CHARITY RUN
VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY POWERBOAT ASSOCIATIONS OPEN DAY

I photographed the final game in Guernsey Rugby Club's season in the National 3 London & South East league at Footes Lane last Saturday. The visiting side was Westcombe Park and they were to contribute to a hard-fought game.

It was a tense affair at the start due to Guernsey needing a good result to keep them up in this league next year. As the game progressed into the second half it was Guernsey who got their game together and by the final whistle the score was 42- 28 in the local sides favour... job done!

Whilst there wasn't a particulaly big crowd the conditions were bright (good for photography) however there was quite a strong and chilly wind which might have put a few of the supporters off.

I was down on the side-line and managed to capture some of the action.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY v WESTCOMBE PARK

This morning Talbot Valley lived up to its reputation of being one of Guernsey's prettiest places.

I was fortunate to spend a few hours there whilst photographing the Guernsey Velo Club's MTB Downhill racing, Round-2.

There was a good turn-out of MTB bikers riding the twisty down-hill course. Each competitor had two timed runs on this sunny morning... and it really was a couple of hours well spent by riders and photog's alike :-)

For me, speaking as a photographer, the light was really useful offering me the chance to use slow shutter speeds, back-lighting, flash and panning techniques.

I definitely ticked a few boxes there then!

I've added a new gallery of pics here:
VIEW PICS OF MTB DOWNHILL SERIES ROUND-2

Can I just say a huge thank-you to everyone who has visited this web-site since the weekend. I'm staggered by the enormous interest in my work :-)

The automatic counter that runs at the bottom of the page has shown well over 50,000 new views which makes my efforts all worthwhile!

I hope you have found pictures that interest you and that you are encouraged to make a return visit every so often. I can guarantee that you will always find new updates.

.... oh, and don't forget that you can buy an occasional pic on-line which will encourage me to keep offering up-to-date coverage of all these events ;-)

Thanks again,
Andrew

There is nothing like a win to get any sportsman excited. This goes for any game.

Some may argue that sport and competition should be partaken for the fun and exercise... that alone should be enough for you!

But I maintain that they just don't get it. What sport is about is playing to win. If there are a few other benefits along the way then they are just a bonus!

The challenges on the way to the win can be fun. The ups and downs are all part of any game. But the end goal (in this case) is what a team and its supporters are looking for and when it comes it's well worth celebrating.

As a Sports photographer my aim is to illustrate the play and hopefully capture some of the story. But my ultimate objective is to freeze that moment of elation and the joy of accomplishment that comes with victory.

The capture of the perfect celebratory shot can be a little like fishing for a record fish or maybe a better 'photographic comparison' would be to think of it like trying to photograph a rare bird. You will almost certainly need lots of patience together with the luck of being in the right place at the right time. And too that mix you hopefully add a little pinch of experience that moves the odds in your favour a little ;-)

So I was pretty pleased with myself when I captured a sequence of shots at the E H Trophy Hockey Semi-finals this weekend. I was able to tell the whole story in pics... from the ball going in the goal to the excited celebrations. In fact I want to jump around as much as the players.

It was a win, win for everyone... and that's what it is all about :-)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF SPORT CELEBRATION

The small spectators area overlooking the Squash courts at Beau Sejour was packed for the weekends 2015 Guernsey v Jersey Squash Inter-Insular.

The event ran with reduced numbers of competitors due to some being put off by the high cost of travel. This was a great shame but it didn't reduce the amount of interest in the competition.

This year there was an added attraction as Guernsey's professional International player Chris Simpson found time to represent his Island giving locals a rare chance to see him in action. Chris achieved a career best high with a World Ranking of 20 in 2014 and managed an easy win against Mike Hopkins from Jersey.

The photography is a challenge as the glass back wall of the courts catches reflections of the spectators which, when combined with the dirt and smudges that appear on the glass after a days play, means most pics are spoilt to some extent. It's also very hard to move around in such a packed area... but the best has to be made of what is there!

I've added a gallery of pics featuring some of the games:
VIEW PICS OF THE 2015 SQUASH INTER-INSULAR

It's a case of the faster the better when it comes to Downhill MTB racing.

Add to the pot some slippery conditions and it is just about perfect for challenging racing... MTB racers like it fast and slippery!

So it was all smiles for the first round of the Guernsey Velo Club's Downhill series in Petit Bot valley this morning.

Perhaps it was the spectators and photgraphers who actually had the hardest job... just trying to stay on our feet on the muddy slopes.

But it was worth the effort as the action was really entertaining with a couple of impressive 'off's' for good measure.

I've already added some pics to a new Gallery. Take a look here:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND-1 OF THE 2015 DOWNHILL SERIES

SHOCK AND HORROR AS A LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER STATES THAT (JUST MAYBE) A PHOTO CAN'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY!

It has taken me a lifetime of photography for it to suddenly dawn on me that (perhaps) a photograph doesn't show the whole picture.

There, now I've said it, I'll have to come to terms with this. I'm sure I will get over it... given enough real ale.

This hard fact hit home yesterday whilst editing the afternoon's photo-shoot. That job had to be one of the most miserable I've completed for a few years.

The occasion was the final round of the Guernsey Autocross Club's Winter Championship taking place on Chouet beach. And man did it live up to the title!

The beach was cold. Now that alone wouldn't be a problem. But when combined with strong wind and driving rain then we have an issue.

I'm a belts and braces sort of guy so I don't trust my favoured cameras to withstand such horrendous conditions without a little help. Whilst the manuals of Nikon 'pro' cameras and lenses state that they are:

'Protected by a tough, weather-sealed full metal body, the reliable and durable D4S sustains peak performance in the most demanding environmental conditions imaginable.'

The manual also says:

'Keep dry: This product is not waterproof, and may malfunction if immersed in water or exposed to high levels of humidity. Rusting of the internal mechanism can cause irreparable damage.'

So with this knowledge, when the weather is so bad, I always take the extra precaution of using purpose-made covers over my kit. (Remember, Nikon have left themselves plenty of room to wriggle if the kit is damaged by water).

OK, you should now have an image of a miserable photographer, back against the driving rain, camera kit in hand operated only by touch and memory as the covers steam up, and wishing I had windscreen wipers for my spectacles!

But I hear you ask, 'How does that relate to the headline above?'

Well it's just that I had hoped for a little more of the 'pain and discomfort' to be visible in pics. I wanted the viewer so see how I suffer for my art. To understand how I go the extra mile to get the pic. But no, it's like I said, 'maybe a photo can't actually tell the whole story?'

Now I guess I'm just going to have to live with that fact and suggest you use your imagination whilst looking at the pics.

Perhaps I could ask you to try sitting naked in front of an open fridge with your feet in a bucket of cold water with your wet hair dripping down your back whilst you check-out the gallery... it'll help you feel my pain and the pics will take on an extra level of reality.

Click here when you are ready:
THIS IS THE LINK IF YOU WANT TO SHARE MY PAIN

My doctor will be very pleased with me. He knows that my profession as a photographer doesn't feature very high on the 'active job' list!

This is because it seems that for every hour taking pics there will be three where I sit at my desk editing, captioning, tagging and admin'ing (if there is such a word) :-)

But this morning was a little different. I spent a couple of hours walking up and down the Guernsey country-side - in the mud - and perhaps more importantly in the fresh air and having fun. It's nice to get the week's allocation of exercise out of the way nice and early!

The event that ensured I was out of bed at a (fairly) early hour was the Guernsey Velo Club MTBC XC Winter Series Rnd-5 race meeting in the heart of the Island at Sherwell's fields.

The atmosphere was brilliant. Of course there was plenty of competitive spirit but many of the riders where there simply to enjoy a ride in the mud.

They weren't disappointed. Neither was I.... the mud makes for great piccies :-)

I have even managed to limit the time at the editing desk and the picture gallery featuring the GVC MTBC XC racing is already on-line.

Now that's work just how I like it:
VIEW PICS OF THE GVC MTBC XC WINTER SERIES RND-5

I am reckoning that it is now safe to update one of my picture galleries.

This particular gallery always requires an update at about this time of year. That is because it features work that was sold over the Christmas period to be given as presents.

I always find myself having to be careful not to reveal any 'secrets' in the run-up to the big day. I design, print and deliver these special personalised gifts during the weeks leading up to Christmas and it would not be appreciated if I let the surprise out of the bag to the recipient!

The gallery I am referring to is the one that features my custom designed Montages. These always sell well for gifts as they are a great way to display a few favourite pics.

Unfortunately, it's a fact that when someone just buys a 'normal' print in one of the smaller sizes it often ends up in a draw, forgotten and rarely seeing the light of day :-(

So the best answer is to buy something that deserves a little bit of wall space. Montages tick that box. The final design is customised just for you and will encourage you to keep it on display. I even offer an option to have the Montage framed before delivery. Nice and easy, job done.

Of course the fact that no-one wants the surprise spoilt before the big day means I cannot add the gift Montages to this web-site until all the parties are over. I reckon it is safe now so the updates are now on-line.

Oh, can I just remind you that Christmas 2015 is on the way... don't forget to start your pressie list ;-)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE UPDATED MONTAGE GALLERY