Shot on a D4 with a Nikon 400mm f2.8 G AF-S VR. 1/1000th at f5.6 at 200 ISO.
The French Open has
amazing positions for
photographers and this shot was taken from one near where the television commentators are stationed. The clay
looks simply wonderful. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
A Chinese coach at the Beijing National National Aquatics Centre begins a training session by dangling young divers by their feet and dropping them into the pool from the 10m diving board. We were horrified but the kids were loving every minute!"
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 300mm f2.8
1/1000th at f2.8 800 ISO. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
IRB Rugby: 2007 Rugby World Cup
USA vs. England. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Shot on a D4 with a Nikon 400mm f2.8 G AF-S VR. 1/1000th at f5.6 at 200 ISO.
The French Open has
amazing positions for
photographers and this shot was taken from one near where the television commentators are stationed. The clay
looks simply wonderful. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
A Chinese coach at the Beijing National National Aquatics Centre begins a training session by dangling young divers by their feet and dropping them into the pool from the 10m diving board. We were horrified but the kids were loving every minute!"
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 300mm f2.8
1/1000th at f2.8 800 ISO. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
IRB Rugby: 2007 Rugby World Cup
USA vs. England. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Bob Martin, a charmingly understated Englishman based in London, is one of the best known and most admired sports photographers in the world. A specialist in shooting graphic action pictures for editorial, advertising, and corporate clients, he has photographed everything from elite sports action to elephant polo and horse racing on ice, and his event defining, instantly recognizable images of 13 Summer and Winter Olympics have earned him international esteem and more than 60 national and international awards over the course of the past 3 decades.
Martin’s work has taken him to the farthest reaches of the globe, and his images have appeared in such prestigious publications as Sports Illustrated, Time, Life, Newsweek, Stern, Paris Match, Bunte, L’Equipe, The Sunday Times of London and the New York Times. He’s a three-time winner of the coveted British Sports Photographer of the Year award, and in 2005 he was honored in winning the World Press Photo Sports Picture of the Year. Since that time, Martin has coordinated the official photography for The (tennis) Championships at Wimbledon, was Photo Chief the 2012 London Olympics, and is currently a consultant to the International Olympic Committee and the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Shot on a D4 with a Nikon 800mm f5.6E FL ED VR with the matched convertor
1/1000th at f7.1 at 3200iso
The matched convertor gave me a 1000mm lens! Indoors at 3200iso is almost as good as daylight
I have always loved the way water distorts the shape of swimmers’ bodies, and this picture – taken after the start of a backstroke race just before the eventual gold medal winner surfaces – is a great example. I shot this on a massive telephoto lens from right up in the top tier of the stadium, and you can see that the only parts of the swimmer that are out of the water are her nose and the top of her head. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G AF-S , 1/640th at f5.6 100iso
I went to Switzerland to shoot beautiful balloons in front of snowy mountains,
but when I arrived there was no snow. Even the grass was
brown. I found some colour by getting inside this balloon as it was being inflated. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
In 16 years at the French Open this is the darkest sky
I have ever seen, and to have sunshine at the same time makes this a once in a
lifetime picture. Everything about it is just perfect the position, the fact that there are no empty seats, the wind in the flags, and of course the fact that it’s Federer in the foreground. I was working from the
pit on Suzanne Lenglen court, which is level with the clay, and as the sky darkened I managed to squeeze myself into the most central position. I put on a wide-angle lens to get both the towers in the picture and just waited for the right
moment, which came just before it started to rain. Timed to perfection. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 14mm=24mm f2.8G ED 1/160th at f2.8 2500iso
I wanted to get a picture of the Wimbledon men’s finalists in 2008 walking under the famous Rudyard Kipling quote inside the members' reception at Centre Court, and this was the first time anyone has ever been given this access to shoot stills. As Rafa came to the bottom of the stairs he heard the crowd cheering through the main entrance of Centre Court and turned, meaning I was able to get a frame that included both players' faces. But what I really remember about taking this shot was that I had to wear a suit on a really hot day! Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin
Shot on a D4 with a Nikon 800mm f5.6E FL ED VR with the matched convertor
1/1000th at f7.1 at 3200iso
The matched convertor gave me a 1000mm lens! Indoors at 3200iso is almost as good as daylight
I have always loved the way water distorts the shape of swimmers’ bodies, and this picture – taken after the start of a backstroke race just before the eventual gold medal winner surfaces – is a great example. I shot this on a massive telephoto lens from right up in the top tier of the stadium, and you can see that the only parts of the swimmer that are out of the water are her nose and the top of her head. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G AF-S , 1/640th at f5.6 100iso
I went to Switzerland to shoot beautiful balloons in front of snowy mountains,
but when I arrived there was no snow. Even the grass was
brown. I found some colour by getting inside this balloon as it was being inflated. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
In 16 years at the French Open this is the darkest sky
I have ever seen, and to have sunshine at the same time makes this a once in a
lifetime picture. Everything about it is just perfect the position, the fact that there are no empty seats, the wind in the flags, and of course the fact that it’s Federer in the foreground. I was working from the
pit on Suzanne Lenglen court, which is level with the clay, and as the sky darkened I managed to squeeze myself into the most central position. I put on a wide-angle lens to get both the towers in the picture and just waited for the right
moment, which came just before it started to rain. Timed to perfection. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 14mm=24mm f2.8G ED 1/160th at f2.8 2500iso
I wanted to get a picture of the Wimbledon men’s finalists in 2008 walking under the famous Rudyard Kipling quote inside the members' reception at Centre Court, and this was the first time anyone has ever been given this access to shoot stills. As Rafa came to the bottom of the stairs he heard the crowd cheering through the main entrance of Centre Court and turned, meaning I was able to get a frame that included both players' faces. But what I really remember about taking this shot was that I had to wear a suit on a really hot day! Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin
Here, in his own eloquent words, is the fascinating and heartfelt story of how a teenage photo hobbyist morphed into one of today’s leading sports photographers, and the unique approaches he takes to capture brilliant, iconic sports images that stand the test of time:
“For me, photography started out as a hobby, mainly because I loved going into the darkroom and developing and printing film,” recalls Martin. “That experience taught me a lot about how to take good pictures and a lot about composition as well. After a while, I started to appreciate photography as a skill and as a means of expression. Indeed, getting started in analog photography is a big part of the photographer I am today—it came from printing and recomposing and cropping pictures, adjusting the tones and contrast, and in printing lots of other people’s work. This played a massive part in helping me learn to develop my compositional skills, and it’s also why I think it is so important to capture and convey a sense of place. Today’s young photographers struggle mightily to acquire these things, because they have to learn them in a different way. Yes, you can learn some of it in Photoshop or by using other image manipulation software, but it takes less skill than traditional darkroom work, and you tend to think less about each parameter and its range of possibilities. Unfortunately, you can’t always gain the visceral experience you get in a traditional darkroom by working at a picture desk. ”
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G AF-S
1/125h at f2.8 640iso
During the deciding Test Match of the series between India and Pakistan. I spent a number of days looking for street scenes. This tea room was quite daunting to enter, but strangely calm considering how much this match meant to the spectators. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Shot on a D4 with a Nikon 300mm f2.8 G AF-S VR
1/1600th at f2.8 3200iso
With the D4 I was able to shoot indoors at 3200asa impossible on film!
During the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, when the TV people on the edge of the pool were interviewing competitors who had been knocked out of the synchronised swimming competition, they switched on their interview lights which illuminated the water droplets in the air for this picture. Luckily the best teams went last so when the Russian team came on to win, it all came together. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Shot with a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8
1/1600th at f8 200iso
I shot this from one of the lighting pods in the roof of the stadium. I’d watched
the shadows the day before and knew exactly where I had to be to get the shot. The hard part was the negotiation to get up there. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G AF-S
1/125h at f2.8 640iso
During the deciding Test Match of the series between India and Pakistan. I spent a number of days looking for street scenes. This tea room was quite daunting to enter, but strangely calm considering how much this match meant to the spectators. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Shot on a D4 with a Nikon 300mm f2.8 G AF-S VR
1/1600th at f2.8 3200iso
With the D4 I was able to shoot indoors at 3200asa impossible on film!
During the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, when the TV people on the edge of the pool were interviewing competitors who had been knocked out of the synchronised swimming competition, they switched on their interview lights which illuminated the water droplets in the air for this picture. Luckily the best teams went last so when the Russian team came on to win, it all came together. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Shot with a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8
1/1600th at f8 200iso
I shot this from one of the lighting pods in the roof of the stadium. I’d watched
the shadows the day before and knew exactly where I had to be to get the shot. The hard part was the negotiation to get up there. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
“When I started taking pictures I wasn’t even particularly interested in sport,” observes Martin, “But I was fascinated by photography, especially the technical side of things. In fact, the main reason I started taking pictures was to have something to process in the school darkroom! However, I would take my camera wherever I went, and I soon began to realize how exciting it was to photograph sports. I was drawn to the action I could get in a frame, even if I was only taking pictures for my mates at a school sports day. Then I started going to motorbike scrambles in the Surrey Hills near where I lived, and it was like, ‘Wow! Look at this; they’re flying through the air! What a shot!’ Indeed, my first-ever published picture was taken at one of these events and was printed in the local Surrey Comet. After a brief stint as a photo technician at Imperial College, at the age of 20 I got as job in the photo lab at Allsport, a sports picture agency. It was a small company, and they gave me the opportunity to shoot sports like gymnastics and football on the weekends. I eventually became a junior photographer and wound up staying with Allsport—on and off—for about 15 years.”
“By the mid-’90s, my eyes gave out, making it hard to follow-focus. I was thinking of switching to another kind of photography entirely, but then along came autofocus and everything changed. When this technology arrived, along with all the other wonderful things that today’s cameras can do, sports photography became less about capturing the moment –because that was relatively easy now—and more about being a ‘proper’ photographer. And that’s when I blossomed. Suddenly I had time to think about the picture, the background, the context, the colors—and I began to plan everything in minute detail to get in the best positions for shooting interesting and unique pictures. It was around this time I started working for the legendary Sports Illustrated magazine in the States.
Picture is on page 132 of the book 1/1000th featuring the Sports Photography of Bob Martin published by Vision Sports Publishing
The Williams Sisters
Picture by Bob Martin
Copyright of Bob Martin
Only to be used to editorially publicise the publication of 1/1000th all other rights and usage are reserved and will require a reproduction fee.
Picture is on page 128 of the book 1/1000th featuring the Sports Photography of Bob Martin published by Vision Sports Publishing
Klitschko Brothers
Picture by Bob Martin
Copyright of Bob Martin
Only to be used to editorially publicise the publication of 1/1000th all other rights and usage are reserved and will require a reproduction fee.
In 16 years at the French Open this is the darkest sky
I have ever seen, and to have sunshine at the same time makes this a once in a
lifetime picture. Everything about it is just perfect the position, the fact that there are no empty seats, the wind in the flags, and of course the fact that it’s Federer in the foreground. I was working from the
pit on Suzanne Lenglen court, which is level with the clay, and as the sky darkened I managed to squeeze myself into the most central position. I put on a wide-angle lens to get both the towers in the picture and just waited for the right
moment, which came just before it started to rain. Timed to perfection. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Picture is on page 68 of the book 1/1000th featuring the Sports Photography of Bob Martin published by Vision Sports Publishing
Shot on a D3S with a Nikon 200-400mm f2.8 G AF-S VR
1/1250th at f8 1600iso
Caption from the book was: "US Bobsleigh Team,
I had to crawl under the bob track to get this picture, trying to find a nice, contrasting background on a dull, grey day. Then it started to snow and, with a big telephoto lens picking up the flakes in the foreground, it just all came together."
Picture by Bob Martin
Copyright of Bob Martin
Only to be used to editorially publicise the publication of 1/1000th all other rights and usage are reserved and will require a reproduction fee.
Picture is on page 57 of the book 1/1000th featuring the Sports Photography of Bob Martin published by Vision Sports Publishing
Shot on a D3S with a Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G AF-S
1/2000th at f2.8 200iso
Caption from the book was "CHAMPIONS
HURDLE,
CHELTENHAM
I never used to take pics of
hurdle races until I realised
just how much debris is
thrown into the air when
the horses jump. This
shot – taken from a remote
camera in 2011 – is a real
‘in the heart of it’ picture
which I am very proud of.
It won ‘Sports Picture of
the Year’ in America."
Picture by Bob Martin
Copyright of Bob Martin
Only to be used to editorially publicise the publication of 1/1000th all other rights and usage are reserved and will require a reproduction fee.
Picture is on page 132 of the book 1/1000th featuring the Sports Photography of Bob Martin published by Vision Sports Publishing
The Williams Sisters
Picture by Bob Martin
Copyright of Bob Martin
Only to be used to editorially publicise the publication of 1/1000th all other rights and usage are reserved and will require a reproduction fee.
Picture is on page 128 of the book 1/1000th featuring the Sports Photography of Bob Martin published by Vision Sports Publishing
Klitschko Brothers
Picture by Bob Martin
Copyright of Bob Martin
Only to be used to editorially publicise the publication of 1/1000th all other rights and usage are reserved and will require a reproduction fee.
In 16 years at the French Open this is the darkest sky
I have ever seen, and to have sunshine at the same time makes this a once in a
lifetime picture. Everything about it is just perfect the position, the fact that there are no empty seats, the wind in the flags, and of course the fact that it’s Federer in the foreground. I was working from the
pit on Suzanne Lenglen court, which is level with the clay, and as the sky darkened I managed to squeeze myself into the most central position. I put on a wide-angle lens to get both the towers in the picture and just waited for the right
moment, which came just before it started to rain. Timed to perfection. Picture by Bob Martin/Copyright of Bob Martin.
Picture is on page 68 of the book 1/1000th featuring the Sports Photography of Bob Martin published by Vision Sports Publishing
Shot on a D3S with a Nikon 200-400mm f2.8 G AF-S VR
1/1250th at f8 1600iso
Caption from the book was: "US Bobsleigh Team,
I had to crawl under the bob track to get this picture, trying to find a nice, contrasting background on a dull, grey day. Then it started to snow and, with a big telephoto lens picking up the flakes in the foreground, it just all came together."
Picture by Bob Martin
Copyright of Bob Martin
Only to be used to editorially publicise the publication of 1/1000th all other rights and usage are reserved and will require a reproduction fee.
Picture is on page 57 of the book 1/1000th featuring the Sports Photography of Bob Martin published by Vision Sports Publishing
Shot on a D3S with a Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G AF-S
1/2000th at f2.8 200iso
Caption from the book was "CHAMPIONS
HURDLE,
CHELTENHAM
I never used to take pics of
hurdle races until I realised
just how much debris is
thrown into the air when
the horses jump. This
shot – taken from a remote
camera in 2011 – is a real
‘in the heart of it’ picture
which I am very proud of.
It won ‘Sports Picture of
the Year’ in America."
Picture by Bob Martin
Copyright of Bob Martin
Only to be used to editorially publicise the publication of 1/1000th all other rights and usage are reserved and will require a reproduction fee.
“People always ask me how I come up with the ideas for some of my best shots,” continues Martin. “Well, I tend to plan and prepare more than most photographers. I always try to come up with something that will give me an edge, set my images apart from those captured by other photographers. I think this goes back to a seminal moment I had as young photographer, at the time the only Englishman shooting for Sports Illustrated (SI). After covering The Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia alongside some of SI’s veteran photographers I was very proud that some of my images were selected to run in the magazine, and I thought I had finally arrived. But when I mentioned this to Heinz Kluetmeier, then SI’s Picture Editor, he said drily, ‘Yeah, but you didn’t get the cover and you didn’t get the opener (opening spread of the article). Those little pictured don’t matter, You’ll have arrived when you get those.’ The message was clear: getting great shots, not merely very good shots, it what it takes. It was great advice and I took it and ran with it. Top tier sports photography is intensely competitive, and for me conveying a sense of place is an essential element for photographs made at big events. That’s why I try to find pictures with a sense of place that are full of sport, but are also telling the viewer about the specific venue you’re covering. For example, before covering the 2016 Rio Olympics I planned out where I’ll be fore the cycle race, the rowing event, etc. I’ve actually been there and done my research.”
“Since I often use assistants, “ remarks Martin, “people often ask me how I know if it’s my picture or theirs. Well, if I send a camera to a specific location and tell the assistant how to set up the camera, and give specific directions on how to take the shot, and they simply expose the frame, it’s my picture. On the other hand, if I ask an assistant stand in a certain area and take a picture it’s his picture because he composed it and decided when to press the shutter release. In short, if you determine the parameters it’s your picture; if you ask someone else to do it for you, it’s his or her picture. Since I set up the camera, determined all the parameters, and selected the best frame, the horse jumping picture is totally mine, and it would still be mine if had I told an assistant when to press the shutter release.”
Martin is a dedicated Nikon shooter and is grateful for the support Nikon has given him over the years. His phenomenal high-end Nikon outfit, something most photographers can only dream about, consists of 4 Nikon D5s, 5 D4s (“for remotes and spares”) and 2 Nikon D810s for portraits. His arsenal of 16 Nikkor lenses, all high-end Nikon glass, includes a 600mm f/4, 500mm f/4, 400mm f/2.8, 300mm f/2.8, 200mm f/2, 70-200mm f/2.8, 105mm f/2.8 Macro, 85mm f/1.4, 58mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, 24mm f/1.4, 20mm f/1.8, 16mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, 16-35mm f/4 and 14-24mm f/2.8! In addition, when on assignment, he packs 3 Nikon SB-5000 Speedlights, 2 LED panels, Profoto B2 and B1 heads and a set of 6 Hensel Expert 1000 monoblocks, Pocket Wizards for remotes, and a selection of Gitzo tripods and monopods. “I have really settled into the D5s and they’re now my go-to cameras. I typically use 4 bodies, each with a different lens because I don’t like to change lenses when I’m on a shoot. My favorite Nikon lenses are the 70-200mm f/2.8, and the 200mm f/2, which is great for shooting portraits and for handheld tennis action at Wimbledon. I also like the 400mm f/2.8, a standard lens for sports photography, which is great for capturing in your face sports images.”
Martin’s advice for aspiring sports photographers: “If you have the right equipment you can do it. Today’s tech will do the tech stuff for you, but that’s why you have to apply yourself as a creative photographer and create something different. Don’t just stand there with the other guys, because if your work doesn’t stand out you won’t go anywhere – you’re being paid for your eye, not your tech!”
Having attained the pinnacle of his profession, where does Bob Martin go from here? “It’s sports forever for me. I’ve passed my sell-by date when it comes to embracing new genres. My son is a videographer, and many still guys have moved into video, but I think it’s a completely different skill set. I’m not a bad sports photographer,” he says with a twinkle in his eye, “and I guess I’ll keep at it for now.”
Short stories behind the images taken from Bob Martin’s latest book, “1/1000”
XAVI TORRES : “This picture from the 2004 Paralympics in Athens has won more awards than any other photo I have taken, including the highly prestigious World Press Photo of the Year. I was shooting the 200-meter freestyle heats from the catwalk above the water, where the floodlights are fixed, but when the competitors came out for this particular heat there was this one guy in a tracksuit who didn’t have any noticeable disability. Then I saw him start to take his large prosthetic legs off and put them next to his chair and I realized it would make a great picture. But I was half a pool length away so I had to rush over there as quick as I could along all these narrow, rickety catwalks. I didn’t quite make it in time for the start, but luckily for me there was a false start so they had to get out and line up again, which is when I got the shot. The picture had a huge impact all over the world and was widely considered to be the best sports picture of the year.”
Shot on a D3X with a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 G AF-S 1/80th at f13 100 iso
LINDSAY VONN: “Little did I know when I took this picture of Lindsey Vonn – it was actually done by the side of the road in Austria and then tilted to make it look as if she is going downhill – that it would cause an international controversy. When it was used on the cover of Sports Illustrated prior to the Vancouver Winter Olympics it provoked outcry with people saying it was sexually provocative and demeaning to women. It was in all the newspapers in the US, it was mentioned on the Jay Leno Show and when I flew into Vancouver for the Games there were TV crews waiting to interview me. I was told that Vonn herself loved the picture, although for the entire Games I was known as ‘The Pervert’ by my fellow photographers.” Shot on a Nikon D3X with a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 G AF-S 1/80th at f13, ISO 100.
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 G AF-S 1/800th at f2.8 400 iso
SKI JUMPING Before the Turin Olympics: There was a lot of controversy about the use of floodlights, which had basically been brought in to bring the event times into line with American time zones for television. The photographers were very worried about the lack of light, but in fact it made for some really interesting, contrasting pictures – especially at sunset on one foggy evening for the ski jump.” Shot on a Nikon D3 with a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 G AF-S 1/800th at f2.8, ISO 400.
Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 70mm-200mm f2.8 G AF-S VR 1/1250th at f2.8 2000 ISO
Usain Bolt, Fastest Man In The World “I noticed that whenever Usain Bolt was going for a record, as he crossed the line he would look straight at the timing clock. So I started sitting down right next to it. This is when he broke the world record in the 200 meter final in Beijing and it appears that he’s looking directly at me. In fact, every time he broke a world record I was always the first person he saw!” Shot on a D3 with a Nikon 70mm-200mm f2.8 G AF-S VR lens 1/1250th at f2.8, ISO 2000.
ABOUT THE BOOK: “1/1000” by Bob Martin
A spectacular retrospective, showcasing the breathtaking pictures of world-renowned sports photographer, Bob Martin, in all their glory. Recently the book won the “best-illustrated book” in the British Sports Book Awards.
From his famous and iconic shot of a diver, arched in the air above the Barcelona skyline that became the seminal shot of the 1992 Olympics to his multi-award winning overhead photograph of a Paralympic swimmer leaving his prosthetic legs behind as he dives into the pool, the book features page after page of stunning, awe-inspiring pictures from the world’s greatest sporting events.
Beautifully printed on 240 expansive pages, 1/1000th presents a collection of images that encapsulate Bob Martin’s unique ability to capture sporting moments in a millisecond but always with a sense of place that embraces the context of a particular stadium, venue, event or occasion – be it an Olympics, a Wimbledon, a World Cup or a world title fight. Beyond the photographs themselves, the book completes the picture by telling the stories behind how these amazing images were conceived, planned and finally executed, as well as providing fascinating technical insight into how they were taken.
