A Birmingham Photographers Dream Job: Aston Villa Vs Bayern Munich!
As a Birmingham Photographer, there is one client who I had always dreamed of working with but one that will completely divide the locals reading this. For my sins, I’m a football fan. I have been an Aston Villa fan from a very early age. I’m aware that this sentence alone may just have cost me half of my Photography and Videography clients in the second city but sometimes, it’s worth the risk. This is one of those occasions and this is my experience of working with my dream client.
When I started my photography career, I never imagined that I could end up working with a club that I had supported for years. I just assumed that as I wasn’t a ‘sports’ photographer, I would never get the chance. However, life sometimes works in your favour and as luck would have it, a family member ended up working in the marketing team at Aston Villa. As much as I would love to believe that this played no part in it and of course they chose me based on my incredible ability, I’ll hazard a guess that my name was mentioned more out of familiarity than technical ability.
Either way, a few years ago I was asked to produce some marketing photos and videos showcasing the hospitality areas at Villa Park. It may not have been hanging out with the players and giving the manager tips on which team I would pick, but it still felt amazing to add ‘Aston Villa’ to my list of clients. The work was enjoyable enough and I was asked to do more, which gave me some encouragement that they liked my work - that or the previously mentioned family member was forcing them to use me, still no complaints from me.
Fast forward to 2024 and I’m not sure which comes as more of a shock, but Villa are now a Champions League club and I’m still doing work for them! Furthermore, I received an email asking if I could photograph the pre-match display before our first game against none other than Bayern Munich! It didn’t take me long to type ‘Yes’ and hit send! Of course I would. I had already planned to be at the game anyway, albeit in probably a slightly more drunken state but what did I care, photography and Aston Villa are two of my favourite things!
I still get nervous before jobs and I see this as a good thing as it shows that the work cares. However, I felt particularly nervous about this job as the timings were very tight. The majority of the critical shots were in the build up to kick off with the climax being a light display in the ground, flame throwers on the pitch, a firework display and rounded off with the ‘Champions League’ theme tune being played out. I went through my usual pre-visualizations of how I would get the shots, packed all my gear and made my way off to the ground.
There was an absolutely electric atmosphere at Villa Park. The crowd was even more excitable than usual and maybe it was a mix of nerves and apprehensions (plus beer!) but everybody seemed giddy with excitement. I had a fellow photographer, Paul, who was helping me with a second angle but that didn’t seem to calm my nerves any - I knew what shot I wanted to get and that was all I could focus on. Well, that and praying that somehow, this little team from Aston could overcome one of the giants of European football (again!).
The shot that I really wanted to capture was a long exposure of the fireworks going off above the ground as the tifo (larger banner) was raised in front of the Holte End. I already knew that this would be a challenge as I wasn’t exactly sure when the fireworks would go off and in truth, all of the elements would be happening at slightly different times and each one posed their own challenges. I was determined to get ‘the’ shot that as an Aston Villa fan, would mark Champions League football returning to our beloved club.
Around ten minutes before kick off and the atmosphere really starts to build. A mix of things are happening on the pitch and in the stands. I had found my spot in the upper tier of the North Stand and had set two cameras up, both on tripods with the aim of having a wide angle and something a bit more focused on the banner. I’d spoken to the fans around me, everyone knew what I was doing and I was set, now it was just time to focus on what was unfolding in front of me and make sure I was primed to capture all of the action!
Just a couple of minutes before kick-off in arguably one of our most important matches, certainly in my living history, my fingers are primed on the shutter buttons - a camera for each hand and I could feel the sweat building on my neck, despite the chilly autumnal conditions. The lights around the ground start to flash and just as Jeff Beck starts blaring out of the speakers - it’s go time! I started shooting and praying that all elements of the image could come together.
The flamethrowers at the side of the pitch start blasting out huge jets of fire and I know that at any minute, the two most challenging aspects of the image will need to be captured. Just as I start to see the banner being raised and I know the fireworks will soon make their brief appearance, I feel a push in the back! Not just a light tap, a fan had started pushing me, knocking my camera and absolutely ruining my chance of making the image that I had planned! The next few seconds felt like an eternity as I decided what to do - start crying, start punching - I think everything crossed my mind.
Paul Hadley
The first bang of the firework snapped my attention back and I desperately grabbed my camera, adjusted the tripod and started blasting out photos. For those who are unaware, any kind of additional motion in a long exposure basically ruins the image - and there was a lot of additional motion! The ‘fan’ started putting his hand in front of my camera and despite my protestations, he seemed to find it amusing that I was clearly distraught at ruining my attempts to take what I had hoped would be a great image.
Paul Hadley
The next two minutes were a complete blur. I desperately tried to capture images and just prayed that something had worked. As I packed my gear up and left the ‘fan’ shouted back to me ‘It was only a joke mate’ - neither of those things were true. I was neither amused nor feeling particularly friendly towards the guy. I had to hand my memory cards over to the marketing team before returning to my seat so I didn’t even have time to check to see what I had captured. I even missed the Champions League music in my feverish state and spent most of the first half of the game in a state of stress, panicking that I missed my shot.
During the second half, after calming down somewhat and finally returning my attention to the on pitch action - Villa did the unbelievable, and scored. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a noise quite like it, the ground erupted. At least some of my anxieties had been vanquished and by the time the final whistle went and we had won, I think I was a bit of an emotional wreck - I had been through just about every emotion I could handle for one day.
My final image…
The next day, I loaded up my images onto the computer and decided to see what I could make of what I was sure was a complete wreck of a shoot. To my surprise, I’d actually managed to salvage some shots and after a bit of ‘Photoshopping’ I managed to piece together something that resembled what I had envisaged in my head. Furthermore, Paul had grabbed loads of great shots as well and later that day an email pinged up saying how happy the club were with the images.
I got invited back for the Bologna match, but that’s a story for another day…
Looking back, I think I probably learned two things. Firstly, for all the planning you can never account for every single eventuality. There was no real need for the fans' actions but I guess I should have been more aware of the potential of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Secondly, it just goes to show that even when the dream jobs come along and you’re so wrapped up in the excitement, you just have to keep a cool head and get the job done. This is not something that comes to me naturally but it certainly paid to persevere and get the shot! As for working with Aston Villa? I hope I get the chance again and more importantly, at plenty more Champions League matches.
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About the Author - Ross Jukes is a professional Photographer and Videographer with over a decade of experience. Working in both Digital and Analogue formats, Ross has worked with international clients, had his worked published numerous times and exhibited his work extensively. With a passion for all things photographic, Ross combines his experience, enthusiasm and dedication to his art form to create engaging and educational content for the photographic community.
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