With a new Liberty A-League season upon us, I travelled to Caroline Springs for an historic day. The latest addition to the league, Western United, went head-to-head with reigning champions Melbourne Victory.
My day starts waiting outside the player entrance. I’m always eager to try and capture the mood going into games, and Round 1 has a special feel to it. There are lots of smiles from new and returning faces at City Vista Recreation Reserve.
As I head through to the pitch, rain starts to fall and the wind has picked up. I’m hoping it will pass, but it doesn’t seem to have dampened the mood. As the gates open, the crowd builds quickly. Fans stand eagerly by the fence, phones in hand.
I wait by the tunnel, looking to capture the Western players as they walk out for the first time. Once they pass me, it’s a quick run across to the other side of the field to the benches. I listen to the Western huddle. Players are looking towards Chloe Logarzo, who’s urging her team-mates to work harder than their opponents.
I then head back to my position on the sideline for kick-off. The wind hasn’t died down at all – this factors into my decision of where to shoot from. The corner flags show that it’s strongly favouring the end I’m at. I look over to the middle, where Hannah Keane stands over the ball. I see that she’s smiling – she waits to get the match underway. She’ll be the first Western United player to ever kick the ball in a match.
As the historic fixture starts, it doesn’t take long to realise the impact the wind is having on the game. As players adjust to the conditions, I try to capture moments that reflect the tempo of the game. They don’t hold back. Challenges fly in from all angles.
In typical Melbourne fashion, the rain has disappeared and the sun is now shining brightly. Adapting to different lighting conditions can be challenging in photography, and this is no exception. Patchy clouds move across the sun at random, which means in the blink of an eye you go from light to dark.
As the whistle for half-time blows, I head towards the race. I’ll look to capture any reactions as the players return to the pitch, but I also have a shot in mind. Preparation is key as a photographer, and when I had some spare time pre-game, I used it to think about what might work well as a frame. Victory’s neon kit is one of the brightest I’ve shot, and I thought it’d stand out nicely in the dark tunnel. I snap this frame as captain Kayla Morrison – in her first game back after an ACL injury – walks out.
The match restarts and I stay in the same position. With Western United attacking towards me now, I’m focused on – hopefully – capturing their first ever goal. It takes less than 10 minutes for this to happen. Jess McDonald fires home and I track her as she runs towards the fans, and her team-mates follow. Ideally I would’ve liked to have captured her running towards the camera, but not much about goal celebrations is predictable.
As play continues, I know that teams will likely make substitutions soon. Having looked at the team sheets beforehand, I’m conscious of which players could make their debuts. I look over at the sideline as Aleks Sinclair waits to come on for her first A-Leagues game. Her smile says it all, and she receives the warmest reception from the crowd.
The minutes wind down, and I make sure I’m ready to capture the reactions after the final whistle. I’ll shoot the initial reactions from the sideline, and then make my way onto the pitch to get closer. I focus on Western United, who have just won their inaugural match. The joy is palpable.
Once the on-field celebrations subside, I head to the rooms. As the players file in to sing the club song for the first time, I position myself on a bench above the group. I want to capture their reactions, and from this angle I think I’ll be able to see more.
As they start to sing, the words of the song are displayed on a screen near me. I snap a frame of this, and can’t help but notice their supporters watching on. There’ll be no shortage of footage from the day, that’s for sure.
As the song reaches its peak, I ready myself for the inevitable Powerade shower. Somehow, I manage to avoid most of the spray, but the roof isn’t quite as lucky. The players find this amusing, as they look up and see the droplets falling towards them.
After a few more snaps, it’s time to head back to my laptop to start editing. As I move outside, the ground is mostly empty now. I allow myself a second to take it all in, and then my mind quickly shifts to sending imagery over. After such a momentous occasion, I have thousands of frames to sort through. Time to find the moments that best tell the story of the day.
