I am not a huge fan of the Australian game of football. Nothing personal, it just was not appealing when I was young and as I got older other sports grabbed me like Test Cricket and Rugby Union.
I do however, love to photograph it.
Few other sports are as easy to get good images from as Ozzie-rules footy.
Sometimes called “Aerial Ping-Pong”, the game tends to have plenty of tip of the finger moments.
The game has handling rules, like having to hand-ball, kick or punch the ball, but not throw it, you have to bounce it after a few steps, not tuck and run, but there is no off-side, so other than that, it is fairly free form and fast, meaning the play can come to you at any time.
A running game, a tackling game and above all a fast game.
At higher levels, the play is very open and fast, a bit like Basketball (my next favourite to photograph), at lower levels it tends to be more “scrum” like and the fickle oval ball kicked, punched or passed will always yield some unexpected results.
Drama is plentiful at any level of skill. In this game the strong home side dominated, but the nature of the game is still evident.
Unlike most other winter sports I have shot, it is not rigid, has no defined “front line” of action and each contest is a dramatic 1 to 1 tussle.
From a players perspective you can contribute no matter your size. There is room for the strong, the fast, the agile, but of course at the top level, all of these are expected.
It’s little wonder basketball players also make good AFL players, as speed and height (natural or post-jump) are both mandatory.
I am never going to be a full blown footy fan, but I will also never turn down a chance to shoot it.