Behind the Lens
Nathan Vaz
When 21-year-old photographer Luke Galati was first granted access to photograph Toronto FC as a professional, he didn’t know what to expect.
“I was like a kid in a candy store with my camera,” Galati said. “Everything was new to me. Everything was interesting. Everything was a picture.”
Galati recalls his first day on the job fondly.
“I remember it being a really tight game. It was Toronto’s home opener and everyone was tense. Toronto FC won 1-0 and Tsubasa Endoh scored the game-winning goal and he ran right by me in celebration. I’m glad that they ended up winning it because it made for some really great imagery,” Galati said.
Now with a whole season’s experience, Galati looks back at that first game as a revelation of something he could do for the rest of his life.
“I get the best seat in the house and get to enjoy the game while I’m working. It’s something that I would do, anyways – but I’m getting experience doing it,” Galati said.
Photos courtesy of Luke Galati
For Steve Russell, a sports photographer for the Toronto Star, there are many different aspects of sports photography that make it so interesting.
“To me it’s the ultimate thing. You go there to watch a game and within three or four hours, there’s a beginning, middle and an end. The story unfolds in front of you. You never see the same story twice and there’s always ways you can shoot it differently,” Russell said.
Russell added that although he aims to get specific photos of usual gameplay, it’s more often than not, the unusual pictures that tell a better story.
“Fans make for great pictures. I usually follow foul balls with my lens, just to see where it ends up,” Russell said.
Russell noted that an important aspect of sports photography is knowing that for every action there is a reaction. Russell explained that you have to make sure you know the tendencies of certain players and be able to analyze specific game situations before they actually happen.
Just like athletes, photographers have to practice. They must understand gameplay and analyze different situations of any given sport. They also have to find the best angles to shoot, just like an athlete would when shooting a basketball or hitting a baseball.
“I come from a background where I grew up playing sports. I have that competitive nature in me,” Galati said.
“Instead of the game being on the field, the game is on the sidelines in some regards. I always want to out shoot people. At the end of the day, it’s not a score you’re keeping - it’s the photograph you’re trying to capture. It’s definitely a sport, but that’s not to mean you shut out the love for the craft with other photographers.”
In addition, sports photographers not only have to be passionate about what they do but also have to do it well to make their work stand out.
Charlie Lindsay, a freelance photographer who has shot for the Toronto Raptors, believes that it’s all about being prepared for the unexpected.
“You can’t just go relaxed. You have to be prepared. Just like athletes have to react for quick moments, photographers have to do the same when capturing those moments,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay explained that photographers have to practice and prepare for the moment. Capturing sports is a difficult job because you never get the same moment twice. You have to make sure you get it right as it happens.
“You can’t really predict anything in sports – you know you can prepare yourself for certain things – but anything can happen,” Lindsay said.
Although each photographer has an individual style when it comes to framing a photograph in a sports environment, most agree that the setting is what defines the picture.
Toronto, home to some of Canada’s largest sport enterprises and the only Canadian city to have a team in every major North American sport is a perfect example of that.
“Toronto sports are on a pretty good wave right now. In sports, people feed off success. Success breeds passion and passion makes for better photographs,” Galati said.