Lacrosse is one of those sports you’ve kind of heard about, and probably know someone who plays. This was definitely the deal for me anyway. I’ve known Luke for several years though Crossfit, (will I mention that I do Crossfit and ultra runinng in every article? Stay tuned to find out...) I’ve even shot his portrait once before for a diferent project, but I don’t think it ever got finished... Sorry Luke...

So when I started going through my friends list to see if I had any Olympians or Olympic adjacent folk, I was happy to see that Luke was on board and happy for me to come along to a training session. As I was leaving the house my wife gave me a very brief lesson into some of the terminology involved, I assume it was so I didn’t look like a complete idiot if any of the players engaged me in conversation.

Thankfully, no one did. Luke had briefed them that I was coming, so everyone was aware of my history with Lacrosse (zero history...) What my wife failed to mention, which would have been more helpful is just how damn fast it is. It’s REALLY fast. So my plan to sit with a long lens on the sidelines and follow the action was immediately rendered useless. I spoke to Andy the assistant coach who was more than happy for me to be there, he actively encouraged me to get right into the action. He gave me a briefing of where to stay away from as well to avoid being hit by a flying ball. Top guy!

I started off by just watching. Watching how the drills unfolded, how the players moved and how I could stand any chance of catching a ball in motion. The team train in Manchester inside a big domed astroturf pitch, so it was dry at least. (score one for Lacrosse vs Volleyball so far...) The lighting meant I needed to shoot with a high ISO so that everything wasn’t a complete blur. (apart from the ones that are supposed to be blurred... its art darling...)

Then I started shooting. Trying to anticipate the way the players move, trying to figure out where they were going to be next. To the uninitiated, (me) it can just look like organised chaos. But the more I watched and tried to follow, the more it made sense. Imagine the scene from The Matrix where Neo suddenly see’s it all clearly. I wouldn’t say I got to that level, but I was in the ballpark. The drills changed from movement, to passing and then passing to shooting. And it was fascinating to watch.

Then after an hour of seemingly running themselves ragged in full gear, they headed over to the gym for another hour of streng

th and conditioning work. I was made to feel really welcome, and everyone that I spoke to from coaches to players and even Chris, the British Lacrosse Performance Lead, was really interested in my project. It’s safe to say Lacrosse will be one of those sports that I shoot on more than one occasion. The photos I took in this first session are typical of what I would expect from someone with no background going in cold. But I know there is more to unpick. Plus, we didnt get a chance to shoot the portraits yet, and seeing as they are so local, (10 minute drive vs 4.5 hours for Volleyball - 2-0 to Lacrosse...) I will definitely be back soon.

Check back next week to see some of Lukes interview...

My biggest take away / lesson from this shoot, (the first official one for this project) will be along the theme of preparedness. As in, I wasn’t.

I’ll explain. What made this shoot so completely perfect for this project, is the same thing that could have derailed it right at the beginning. When I start a new project, I like to plan things out as best I can, the angles to shoot, the dream shots to capture, how I want the portraits to look, you get the gist. But in doing that, and focussing on the creative side of things, some of the logistics get, shall we say, ‘forgotten’?

Like for instance, when the Bello Brothers, Javier and Joaquin, the UK’s top Beach Volleyball players, invite me along to a training session in Hammersmith. They took the time to explain that the place they train, 6 days a week, uses the same sand from the Beach Volleyball courts previously seen on Horse Guards parade during the London 2012 Olympics. At this point I made some assumptions, well, one assumption. I assumed this was an indoor setup. Easy mistake to make... How on earth could they train on an outdoor beach volleyball court 6 days a week in the UK? Have you seen the weather??

Now admittedly, the week before the shoot saw the UK in the grip of a heatwave. The kind of heatwave that encourages men to walk to the shops topless. It was THAT hot. And it was only May. This would have been a GREAT time to come and shoot the brothers. Sun shining, blue skies, perfect. But things don’t always work out like that. And when I arrived at the (now obvious) outdoor courts in driving wind and rain, I genuinely thought that the session would get bumped, and I’d end up shooting them in the gym.

But no. As they happily explained, this was pretty normal for them. They train outdoors, in the UK, 6 days a week, come rain (more often than not) or shine (like last week...) And today was no different.

I quickly recalculated all previous plans in my head, although in truth, nothing much changed. I just had to get to grips with the fact that I would be getting wet. Of course as I assumed it was indoors, I came in jeans, Jordans 4’s and a hoody. No shorts, no sliders, no towel... The shooting in the rain part was fine, my camera, Sony A9iii is weather proof, this has been proven time and again by covering many ultra running events in the same British summer time. (Rain)

The brothers started by setting up a massive tarpaulin, rigged to a picnic bench at the back of the court. The Volleyball court was situated on an old tennis court, so had a flat paved area at the back. This provided us with a *slightly* drier place to sit and chat while we waited for their training partners to arrive. It was perfect. Exactly what I want to show with this project. Javi gave me a great line, unprompted, he said ‘Everyone sees beach volleyball as sexy, you’re the first person to want to show the real side of it’ Like I said. Perfect.

With this project, I want to show the side of sport that people don’t normally get to see. The grind, the struggle, the fighting with a soaking wet tarpualin and garden chairs before a training session can even start. And once the other had arrived, we forgot about the rain completely. They got straight on with prepping the court, it first needed to be raked, the courts are available for anyone to hire, but no-one else ever bothers!

Then it was time to go. I removed my shoes and socks, rolled up my skinny ripped jeans (so many lessons learnt...) and stepped foot onto the sand. The one thing that both worries and excites me about shooting so many new sports with this project, is not knowing the sport inside out. When I shoot running, Crossfit or weightlifitng, I know exactly when to press the shutter, I know what are the crucial moments. With this, and so many of the other sports I’m lined up to shoot, I’m clueless.

But this also gives me an advantage. It means I get to document it my way. The last thing I want to do is come away with a bunch of shots that anyone could have taken. I want this project to sit together as a body of work that people will (hopefully) look at and see my finger prints all over.

I spent the next two hours shooting, chatting, laughing and joking about the good old British summertime, and the time flew by. I shot a lot, I always do when I’m nervous, but I knew that I had some incredible shots. So we headed inside to set up for the portraits. The brothers have been training here for years and they pretty much have the run of the place! So we were ushered into a perfect studio space to get set up.

They were both completely at ease in front of the camera and we got some great mean and moody shots, but also, some far more relaxed and smiling ones, showing off their magnetic personalities. We packed up and just like that, it was over. 4 hours of driving to get to the shoot, 3 hours shooting, and then the trudge back up north through some truly biblical weather.

The Bello Brothers are the epitome of what I want to show in this project. Just regular, down to earth guys, who work tirelessly to make their dreams a reality. Despite having just a few days earlier, won the Copa del Rey tournament in the Marbella sun, they were back in grey South London, in the wind and rain, going through drills, practicing every aspect of their game. I want to say a huge public thank you to them both for being so welcoming and open with me. I wish them all the best on their own Long Road to LA.

You can find out more about the Bello Brothers next week in their Q&A post.

I talk a lot about personal work. Work that, as a creative, we should all be doing. Work that gets you excited. Work that you are doing because it’s something you believe in, not because a focus group says it will sell more products.

Every year, I try to shoot one of these projects, some of them turn out great and lead on to new commercial opportunities, some of them even win awards, and some of them never get published. But they are all just as important to me.

This project has the potential to be big. Really big. Huge. (yes that’s a pretty woman reference, good catch...) And as such, when I start reaching out to athletes I need to be able to sell them on the idea, right from day 1.

That’s why a great test shoot is crucial. And for a great test shoot, you need a great subject. Enter Joseph Saville Cowen, a GREAT subject.

I’ve known Joseph for several years through Crossfit and Weightlifting circles and he now coaches his PSYCH club from my local gym, M Squared Fitness in Manchester.

When I approached him with the idea, he was all in. No hesitation, he’s just that kind of guy. I wanted to structure the shoot around a normal training session, exactly how I will when I’m working with any of the athletes, and then finish off with a portrait shoot at the end.

I wanted it to be real, I wanted it be raw and I wanted it to be honest. Not a polished version of a training session, I’m not here to sell anything.

So Joe trained, and I watched. Looking for angles, looking for the details that tell the story of a training session. It’s not all about the hero shots, the big weights and the high fives (metaphorical high fives - he was training alone after all...), Its just as much about the quiet moments of reflection, the lacing up of lifters, adjusting your grip on the bar and so many more tiny parts that make up a training session.

I’ve been around Crossfit and weightlifting a lot for the last 10 years, both shooting (for some big brands) and training (to a solidly mediocre level), so I knew what to watch out for. This was, if you like, a soft opener, an easy pitch to get me started with the project. I’m under no illusions that it will get harder, harder to catch those moments that true followers of any given sport will know, and will be looking for. But I’m here for the challenge, and I’m looking forward to interpreting each sport in my own style.

Joe had a plan for the session, two max out sessions, snatch first, then clean & jerk, the two lifts featured in the Olympic program. Watching a true athlete doing what they do best is such a privilege. The fluidity of the motion, the determination, the grit. Seeing that up close and being able to document it in a way that feels authentic is something I will never take for granted. Watching Joe hit lift after lift, it seemed effortless, I know from personal experience that that is obviously not the case. (his third warm up weight was my 1 rep max, there are levels to this...) It wasn’t until his final snatch attempt that he revealed that this was the heaviest he had built to in several years.

And after no misses, he was done and onto the clean and jerk. A similar pattern followed, lift, sit, breathe, repeat. Calm and controlled, as I charged around looking for unique angles and good vantage points. All the time making sure to stay out of his eyeline and stay still just before a lift. When you’re locked in, the slightest move can throw you, (I’ve learnt this the hard way, but that’s a story for another day...). But once again, no misses, and a seasons best in both lifts. 121kg for the snatch, 165kg for the clean and jerk. Big numbers!

After a remarkably short recovery time, Joe was ready for his portrait. The only part of the session that is staged. This is where I get to do my thing. When possible in this project, the portrait will always be shot straight after the session. I want to show the athlete in the most real way possible, not the shiny and polished version that is so often presented to the world. The portraits will always be lit in the same way with the same background. But every person will be different, different shapes and sizes, different intensities, some serious, with full game face, some showing a little more of individualities. This will be down to the athlete themselves or in some cases their NGB (National Governing Body), I tend to prefer the intense focussed determination that Joe went for, but I’m looking forward to seeing how other athletes approach it.

And just like that, we were done. 1 hour all in. Some huge lifts, around 500 photos shot and some really strong portraits in the bag. Every session will be different, some athletes I will shoot several times over the next 18 months, some will be like Joe, 1 hour and done. But they will all have the same focus, LA28 Olympics or Paralympics. They are all at different points on their own long road. I will be there to capture a tiny portion of it, and help lift the lid on everything that comes before they get there, the bit most people don’t see.

Welcome to The Long Road.

Nobody sees the 5am starts.

Nobody sees the part-time job that funds the dream.

The injury that costs you a season. The relationships that take the strain. The years of your life quietly handed over to a goal most people around you will never fully understand.

They just see the podium.

I want to change that.

The Long Road to LA is a documentary photography project following British athletes as they begin their journey to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic & Paralympic Games, and I’m documenting it all, not the highlight reel, the reality. The whole, unfiltered story of what it actually takes.

If you’re an athlete who has felt invisible. If you’ve sacrificed more than anyone around you will ever understand. If you want people to finally see what this actually looks like, I want to hear from you.

And if you work with athletes, manage them, commission editorial work, or represent a brand that believes in telling real stories, let’s talk. This project is looking for the right partners.

Come and be part of it.

Drop me a message, I’d love to talk.