Veteran photographer to capture ’sense’ of Daegu

Paralympic swimmer Xavier Torres of Spain dives into the pool at the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004. Martin received the Sports Picture of the Year award in 2005. / Courtesy of Bob Martin

By Yoon Chul

DAEGU — The IAAF World Championships saw the world’s top athletics head to Daegu, South Korea for exciting and unexpected tests of endurance and excellence.

To capture all of these moments, it was also the opportunity for many great photographers to visit the peninsula.

Bob Martin, a veteran Sport Illustrated photographer, returned to Korea and was reminded of his wonderful memories.

“That was my first Olympics,” Marin told The Korea Times while talking about the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

“Many things have changed,”

“The 100 meter final was spectacular.It was a big moment from the apst,” the 52-year-old said, speaking of the battle between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis in 1988.

But for him he explained the bicycle race was the most special because the organizing committee planted flowers all the way along the course through the country which generated great harmony between the cyclists.

Martin has taken pictures for over 30 years and he has been recognized by more than 53 national as well as international awards. Most notably the Englishman won the “Sports Picture of the Year” award in 2005.

For the Daegu worlds, the esteemed photographer picked Usain Bolt’s disqualification as a significant incident since starting.

“So far the funny thing is the 100-meter gave us a lot of drama, Bolt going out by being disqualified,” Martin said.

Ironically for photographers, they were all waiting at the finish line to capture what would have been the biggest moment. But the moment of truth instead came at the starting line.

“I was one of those that ran down the inside (of the field)” he said.

As soon as Bolt was disqualified, photographers ran to the starting line with their heavy equipment.

Along with Martin’s career, the technology of the camera has also improved.

“In Seoul (in 1988) everything was manual but now we have auto everything, auto focus, auto flash,” Martin said.

He explained the best action photos came from the best technicians at that time but he emphasized that now it is different.

“We get so much help from the camera. A good photographer is more than just a technician.”

Martin focuses on getting the “sense of the place”in his photos.

For example in Daegu, he took photos of Koreans who hold up signs written in Korean to cheer their favorite athletes. He doesn’t know what the Korean letters mean but he said it could capture “the moment” or the “sense of the place” more appropriately.

“The equipment makes it easy for action pictures but it is not enough now to just have a good action picture. You have to get something else, mood, style. It helps your picture,” added veteran photographer.

Martin picked Seoul as the best circumstances for a photographer; he evaluated Daegu is better than the Berlin worlds.

But he also had advice for the organizing committee.

“A still photographer is second to TV obviously. But I think the balance is a little wrong, you have to also give good facilities (for the still photographer),”he said.

Martin has covered most sporting events and picked golf and football as the toughest sports to photograph.

“Golf is the toughest for a photographer because we have to walk the whole course with all the heavy equipment. If you are doing it properly you are walking many, many miles each day, so golf is the toughest sport to photograph physically,” Martin said.

According to him, football, on the other hand, is difficult to catch the moment.

“It is very tough sport to get a big moment to take a big picture.”

Today Martin, who came with his son, will again go out hoping to capture the memorable “sense” of the Daegu worlds and the athletes through his lens.

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