2021 was an odd year for many, starting in the middle of the covid pandemic and personally I was struggling for direction. It was really a pivotal moment and I made a few choices that ultimately made it one of my most successful years. I decided to enter the Siena International Photo Awards, one of the most prestigious, with a set of Rugby images. I had my expectations set low as the standards are incredibly high. However, I was delighted to have two of my four photographs short listed and finally to have one of those awarded "Remarkable Artwork" details here. I also decided that in 2021 I would aim for a Fellowship distinction with the Royal Photographic Society. An FRPS is no small undertaking and I treated that as a project with the intent of having a panel ready for assessment before the year end.
However, with those plans in motion I didn't have an outlet for my work, at the start of 2021 I was freelance but with no assignments coming in. I saw that friends were attending matches and spoke with Dan Minto about Pro Sports Images and quickly agreed to start representing them. Before long I was back shooting Gallagher Premiership games at local clubs, Gloucester, Bristol and Exeter. This culminated with me representing Pro Sports Images at the Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham on 26th June. That was a game that will stick long in the memory.
2021 was also unusual in that for the first half of the year no fans were allowed in the stadiums which is quite surreal. However, as fans were gradually allowed back it showed how important they are and how much the players respond to them.
My season continued covering all of the Wales Autumn Nations Series; Gallagher Premiership, URC; Challenge Cup and even a few football matches. My work this year has been published in The Times, The Guardian, The Sun, The Mirror, The Daily Mail and The BBC amongst others.
In the November my FRPS Panel assessment took place via Zoom and despite being very nervous I was successful and now am a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society Details Here.
On a sad note I lost my mother in July 2021 at the age of 93, she was and continues to be an inspiration for me. This post is dedicated to her memory, 2022 will be tough without her encouragement and presence but I am sure she would be proud of my achievements this year.
I wish everyone the best for 2022 and hope to continue as 2021 finished!
The gallery below is a few of my favourite images from 2021 I hope that you enjoy them.
