Sports photographer Delly Carr talks to ePHOTOzine

Photography is a fascination Delly Carr has had since his father gave him his first camera when he was seven. But it wasn't until Delly started his university degree and then consequently worked in some high-profile marketing roles that he knew his photography passion was much more interesting than the corporate path. So, he left behind his great income, office, personal assistant, company car and security to give photography a try. Twenty years on, the passion to succeed and be paid for it has paid off.

A self-confessed armchair sportsman, Delly was always fascinated by the sports photographs that appeared in the daily newspapers. So much so he even cut out the ones he liked and glued them into a scrapbook.

 

“Sports Photography offers me challenges such as extremes of weather and lighting. It offers me spectacle, drama, emotion alongside blood, sweat and tears. I can go to a season of football matches and yet not one set of images will be the same.”

 

For Delly, a good sports photographer must leave a piece of themselves in the image. This could be a thought, an extra effort, great technical skill or even passion.  According to Delly, sports photography is about quick fleeting moments that are otherwise missed but brought into existence by the physical photograph.
 

“The moments  are many, the moments are quick, and the moments all exist with different biologies to each other. The biology is determined by the vision and portrayal that the photographer judges as being part of its outer skin. The sports photographer puts a little of his own self into his grand vision, and ultimately the exhibition of that captured moment.”

 

For Delly, action and pace in an image are important. A peak action moment captured in a photograph will always get the 'oohs' and 'ahs' out of the viewing spectator but there are many other dimensions, particularly when you're as close to the action as Delly is, to capture. Delly tries to portray that, he tries hard to tell the story of what's playing out infront of him. He may have a few great action style images but his main aim is to create an image that portrays the feeling of the sport or its inherent beauty. Yes, that does mean Delly thinks sport is beautiful. He can see that it is, and that's where he gets his kicks out of shooting sport.

 

“It's funny, when you show a sportsman a creative pretty picture of them, they seem non-fussed about it, but show them an image of them in full stretch, muscles bulging, or performing an amazing move then they almost always love that picture.”

 

Delly always tries to understand light's properties, how it looks, how it behaves and how it changes over a twenty four hour period. He sees light as his paintbrush and uses it to add beauty to his sport imagery.

 

"The light in the early morning and early evening  gives you the chance to get some beautiful images. Adding elements of colour, shadows, mystique and beauty. I know they're the words that you wouldn't associate with sport but as I strive to show that sport is beautiful, I can't ask for more than shooting action at this time.”
 

Within the sport of Triathlon, which is what he is best known for, both his name and work are iconic and therefore part of that sport's make-up and history. He's also described as a storyteller and as someone who inspires photographers to better things – not bad for an armchair sports enthusiast!