We talk to the British photographer and cinematographer about the art of capturing the key moments, as well as approaching the sport from a different angle
The job isn’t done when the race is over, the final jump has been taken or the last throw has been sent out into the arena. “You’ve got to see what’s going to happen, predict a lot, be ready and keep shooting,” says Dan Vernon. “Because a lot of what happens happens after the obvious moment.”
He is trying to distil the sort of alchemy that goes into the art of sports photography. In the age when artificial intelligence is threatening to eat anything creative in its path, and when camera equipment has never been of a higher quality or easier to use, it’s reassuring to hear that the process can still be hard to define and not easily packaged.
The 42-year-old Englishman, whose brother Steve competed internationally for Great Britain in cross country and mountain running, has his way of doing things and it has worked for a long time now. For over a decade, the photographer and cinematographer has been documenting many of the world’s most important events, moments and athletes.
If you have watched the recent Amazon documentary series about Faith Kipyegon’s attempt at breaking the four-minute mile, the coverage of Eliud Kipchoge’s successful sub two-hour marathon mission in Vienna from 2019, the AW film about Keely Hodgkinson’s attempt to break the world indoor 600m record, or if you are a regular reader of this magazine, then you will be familiar with Vernon’s work. Through talent, hard graft and the building of trust, he has been on a journey that has taken him well and truly behind the track and field curtain.
“I remember filming a short piece in the call room at the World Championships in Budapest [in 2023],” he says. “You’re stood there, the world’s greatest athletes are all around you and you think: ‘S***, this is a really privileged position to be in. Whatever I get now, I’m the only person that’s going to be able to get this at this moment’.”
Whether getting up close and personal to capture a quiet, reflective moment in training, or going full widescreen in search of the perfect shot from the infield of a pulsating stadium, Vernon is always reading the room, looking for clues that will tell him which direction to take.
A strong sense of responsibility to do a good job, a few pre-match nerves and a mind fizzing with creative…
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