Russian bobsleigh team, Konigssee, Germany – 17 January

20mm lens 1/2000 f4 ISO 3200

In the middle of January I found myself in deepest Bavaria shooting a small film about the British bobsleigher Mica McNeill, who was crowdfunding her way to the Winter Olympics after the British Bobsleigh Association had decided to maintain funding for their male teams only. It was the final World Cup race of the season and I thought I would also take the chance to photograph the Russian bobsleigh team in action. They were banned from the Olympics but were allowed to compete in the World Cup competition. Watched by a single spectator, on a snowy afternoon, it seemed a million miles away from the fervour and razzmatazz of the Games. The colour of this photo has been achieved by shooting at the time of day when the the ambient daylight has faded but equals the light levels of the track floodlights. Also I adjusted the white balance of my camera to suit the slightly warm lights of the track- this made the snowy landscape go a pleasing inky, purple tone.

Bloodied Dylan Hartley, Twickenham – 10 February

400mm lens 1/1600 f3.5 ISO 4000

England played Wales in a tight, tense Six Nations match at Twickenham. Eventually the home side triumphed 12-6 but not before their captain Dylan Hartley had suffered a nastily cut face. It just goes to underline what a tough sport it is and how the top players are willing to put their heads into dangerous situations.

Bryony Frost wins at Ascot – 17 February

400mm lens 1/4000 f4 ISO 400

In February I made a film about two jockeys, one coming to the end of his career, Paddy Brennan, the other just starting off. Bryony Frost was in her first year as a professional but had already got a string of top victories including a Grade One success with Black Corton. The pairing went on to win seven races in the season including this one, the Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot. Frost is a superstar in the making, a wonderful, natural jockey who seems so at home in the saddle. Here she is patting her horse, with fingernails painted to match her silks, even before crossing the winning line as they cruise to victory.

Jacob Stockdale dives to score a try, Twickenham – 17 March

400mm lens 1/1600 f4 ISO 3200

The Irish rugby team came to Twickenham on the final day of the Six Nations knowing that victory would hand them a grand slam. For some tactical reason, on the morning of the match, England decided to extend the dead-ball area. It was ironic then that Jacob Stockdale, a rising star in world rugby, would touch down and score a crucial try for the Irish in this bigger zone that England had created. The lines had been painted blue so they could be seen clearly in the wintry conditions.

Gymnastics World Cup Birmingham – 21 March

200mm lens 1/1000 f2.8 ISO 4000

Arena Birmingham is a great indoor venue to shoot at, one which has an easily accessible catwalk in the roof. With a bit of forward planning I managed to get permission to shoot the gymnastics from up there. It’s always a little scary at first, leaning out directly above the athletes performing below you. But it can be worth it as it gives a unique perspective, a different angle that works especially well when the athlete looks up.

Tackling the Chair, Grand National, Aintree – 14 April

165mm lens 1/1600 f5.6 ISO 500

Before this year’s race, there was a lot of talk about whether we would finally see a female jockey winning as there were three ladies competing. As part of my plan for the race, I headed to the biggest obstacle on the course, The Chair. Luckily for me, but obviously unlucky for her, Rachael Blackmore took a crashing fall from her horse Alpha Des Obeaux. The eventual winner, Tiger Roll, seen here jumping just behind the falling horse, somehow manages to avoid being caught up. The other two female jockeys finished 5th and 12th. Thankfully, Alpha Des Obeaux was uninjured and has had three races since, winning at Thurles in November.

Liverpool fans, Anfield – 24 April

24mm lens 1/1600 f5 ISO 2000

It was the night of the Champions League semi-final first leg between Liverpool and Roma. Thousands of home fans were on the streets surrounding the ground, trying to build up the atmosphere for the game. Outside a large pub some fans were lighting flares and climbing on top of parked police vans. Conditions for taking decent pictures were not good. The weather was appalling and it was a constant battle keeping the camera lens clear of moisture from the teeming rain. Plus my equipment kept steaming up because of the heat created by the flares and proximity to many hot bodies. This was the best frame where you could actually make out what was actually happening.

David Haye is knocked down by Tony Bellew, O2 Arena – 5 May

400mm lens 1/1600 f2.8 ISO 5000

David Haye was taking on Tony Bellew in a rematch of their fight the previous year, which Bellew won. This was seen as the last chance for Haye, a great boxer who once claimed the heavyweight title of the world. But the result was the same. Haye was knocked over several times, being completely out-boxed by his Liverpudlian opponent. It was to be the final fight of Haye’s career as he announced his inevitable retirement shortly after. It was a shock for me seeing him sprawled over the canvas like this as I had been lucky enough to see him fight and be successful at the very top of the game.

Arsène Wenger’s farewell, Emirates Stadium – 6 May

560mm lens 1/2500 f4 ISO 2500

After 22 years, Wenger waves goodbye to the Arsenal fans after his final home match in charge. Some had waged a campaign for many months to get rid of him but most of the Arsenal faithful had wanted him to leave with dignity intact. This was achieved and it was fitting that he got the send-off he deserved. After Arsenal had dispatched Burnley 5-0, he walked on to the shaded pitch to receive the applause and the sun lit up a section of the crowd, most of whom were dressed in red T-shirts given away free by the club.

Gareth Bale’s wonder goal in the Champions League final, Kiev – 26 May

560mm lens 1/2000 f4 ISO 4000

A frustrated Gareth Bale had been left out of Real Madrid’s starting line-up for their final with Liverpool. After just over an hour, with the game tied at 1-1, the Welshman was summoned from the bench. Within two minutes he had scored one of the greatest goals of all time, an amazing overhead kick that was a masterpiece of technique and athleticism. I was particularly pleased to capture it but what also makes the picture for me is the look on Cristiano Ronaldo’s face. You can just imagine him saying: “Hang on, I’m the one who’s supposed to score goals like that.” Ronaldo was completely overshadowed on what was to be his final appearance for Madrid.

Matabeleland’s trophy, Conifa World Football Cup, Enfield – 9 June

16mm lens 1/15 f8 ISO 400

In early June, exactly a week before the Fifa World Cup kicked off in Russia, an alternative version was held at various non-league grounds in and around London. This was the World Football Cup. Competing were countries, de facto states, self-declared regions and “sportingly isolated territories” that are not recognised by Fifa. One of these, Matabeleland, come from Western Zimbabwe and this was their first ever tournament. Indeed many of their players had never been abroad before. They eventually finished 13th. After the final was played in Enfield every team was given a trophy for participating. The Matabeleland players were overjoyed.

Gold Cup finish, Royal Ascot – 21 June

20mm lens 1/2500 f4.5 ISO 800

The showcase race of Royal Ascot week is the Gold Cup held every year on Ladies’ Day. This year saw a thrilling finish with Frankie Dettori winning on board Stradivarius, just pipping Varizabad and Torcedor. It was Dettori’s 60th Royal Ascot winner. For these sort of races the runners always tend to finish on the rails. This gives a nice opportunity to set up a remote camera under the rail and set it off from my position on the other side of the track. Thus I have two angles of the finish, doubling my chances of a decent frame.

Rafael Nadal serves at Wimbledon – 5 July

700mm lens 1/1600 f5.6 ISO 400

Nadal has always been a dream to photograph. I love his attitude and commitment which make for great images. He also has a wonderfully expressive face when he tosses the ball up in his service action. I found an angle on Centre Court that meant one hand was covering an eye, thus concentrating the viewer on the other. For this picture I also put on a converter onto my 500mm lens, making it into a 700mm. It enabled me to get very tight on his face with a tiny depth of field, thus throwing out of focus the hand and background.

England lose the World Cup semi-final – 11 July

200mm lens 1/1600 f4 ISO 3200

I had this nasty feeling that I was England’s unlucky mascot in Russia. I only went out for the final week of the World Cup. So my first England game happened to be their loss to Croatia in the semi-final. After the game the desperation on the players’ faces was clear to see, a golden chance to make the final had passed them by. At times like these it is sometimes hard to push away any personal emotions you feel and get on with recording the scenes in front of you.

Vladimir Putin’s World Cup final, Moscow – 15 July

142mm lens 1/1600 f4.5 ISO 3200

The full–time whistle blew at the Luzhniki Stadium and France had won the World Cup. Nothing had gone right for me during the game, none of the meaningful action had happened near me. So I thought I had to make up for it and made sure I got a prime spot for the trophy lift, one of the biggest moments in world sport. However, there then was a long delay before President Putin and the rest of the presentation party emerged to hand over the cup. Rumours were spreading that Putin wasn’t happy with the security organisation considering members of Pussy Riot had run on the pitch during the second half. Eventually they emerged but just as the medals were being handed out, the heavens opened. The rain was almost of biblical proportions- so bad that one of my contact lenses was washed straight out of my eye. Then to round a bad day off, just as France were about to lift the trophy, Putin and his umbrella-wielding flunkies walked off and stopped right in front of us, the amassed photographers. You can just imagine the colourful language as we cursed the Russian president,who was a few yards away. I can’t imagine many people get to swear at Vladimir like I did that day. I think I got away with it … or have I?

12 hour lawn mower racing – 4 August

150mm lens 1/10 f4 ISO 1600

It’s mid-summer, about midnight, and I’m standing in the middle of a field in deepest west Sussex. All around me are various incarnations of the lawn mower, racing each other. It’s the 12-hour, through-the-night, endurance race which marks the pinnacle of the lawn mower racing season. It’s the sort of event that we in Britain seem to excel at. As it was pitch-dark, the only lights came from the machines themselves and the temporary pit-lane. This meant the only action picture possible at that time was a silhouette, pan-blurred to show the speed of the tiny but powerful mowers. It was just a case of getting a colourful background to blur and the right shutter speed to achieve it.

Alastair Cook’s farewell innings, The Oval – 10 September

22mm lens 1/1600 f8 ISO 500

This day at the Oval was fantastic. Alastair Cook had declared before the fifth Test against India that he was going to retire after the match. England’s highest ever Test scoring batsman was bowing out. He emerged for his final innings with everyone willing him on to a big score. Eventually he scored a memorable century. It’s not often that such fairytale endings happen in top-level sport. When he was out for 147, I made sure I was right by the exit off the pitch as he waved his bat to the crowd, every one of whom was on their feet applauding. I love this background at The Oval, there is something quite unique and timeless about it.

James Anderson’s record wicket, The Oval – 11 September

140mm lens 1/1600 f5.6 ISO 1600

It was quite amazing that, following the day after Cook’s final Test innings, the end of this Test match went perfectly to script: James Anderson taking the final wicket of the match, giving England the victory, but at the same time becoming the highest Test match wicket-taking fast bowler. Before play started that day, I mounted a camera on a part of the pavilion which gave me a completely different angle to where I would be sat. Anderson needed one more wicket for the record and had bowled towards the pavilion throughout the Test. So I thought having the two angles I would be well covered for the big moment. I really didn’t think it would take until the final action of the day before Anderson knocked out Mohammed Shami’s middle stump and the remote camera set up over seven hours earlier would come into play.

Anthony Joshua versus Alexander Povetkin, Wembley – 22 September

50mm lens 1/200 f4 ISO 5000

Wembley was packed again to see Joshua defend his title against his Russian challenger. My allocated position was a long way back from the action. Between rounds spotlights were turned on and dry-ice machines pumped out smoke to create visual effects around the ring. This made it a nightmare to focus on a long lens through the haze. However, I decided to create something a little unusual with these effects and shot a couple of frames while the spotlights were still operating with a tilt and shift lens. As the fighters met in the ring the spotlights were turned off and I would go back to trying to shoot and focus the action with a long lens.

Sergio García celebrates a birdie, Ryder Cup – 29 September

90mm lens 1/1600 f5.6 ISO 400

It was the middle day of three at this year’s Ryder Cup near Paris. Sergio García of Europe holes a birdie putt on the 17th green that gave him and his partner Rory McIlroy victory in their morning fourball match against Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau of USA. This was a big moment as it gave García the point that made him the equal highest point scorer in Ryder Cup history. Earlier in the day I noticed how he had celebrated a birdie, by crouching very low and facing away from the hole. So I gambled that he might do the same – fortunately for me he did.

Tommy Fleetwood, Ryder Cup – 30 September

16mm lens 1/1250 f5.6 ISO 800

Fleetwood was one of the stars of the European team at the Ryder Cup. He forged a tremendous partnership with Francesco Molinari as they won all four of the matches they played together. They became cult figures. So it was no surprise to see Fleetwood carried on the shoulders of adoring fans when they invaded the course as Europe clinched victory. I’ve always loved the Ryder Cup. I know it’s still golf but at times it seems like a different sport when it’s Europe v USA. There are sights that you simply don’t see at “normal” golf tournaments. As a photographer you are faced with a couple of choices when approaching scenes like these. Do you stand back from the crowd and try and shoot it with a long lens or take a deep breath, put on a wide angle and wade in? I went for the latter.

Lionel Messi celebrates, Wembley – 3 October

560mm lens 1/1250 f4 ISO 5000

In my mind, Messi is probably the great footballer I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. When Barcelona played Spurs in the Champions League this October, he was at his brilliant best. This picture was taken after his second goal of the night, celebrating by blowing kisses to a TV camera.

Pardubice steeplechase, Czech Republic – 14 October

I had been invited by the Czech Tourist Board to take pictures at this year’s Velka Pardubicka, or Pardubice Steeplechase. To many, including me, it’s the hardest horse race in the world, think of it as the Grand National on steroids. It also features probably the most dangerous fence in racing, the brutal Taxis ditch. Sure enough it lived up to its billing, with several horses coming down. It was a beautiful autumnal afternoon and the backlighting from the low sun helped show off the dust and flying debris as the horses and jockeys hit the turf.

José Mourinho, Stamford Bridge – 20 October

560mm lens 1/5000 f4 ISO 800

Oh José, what will we do without you? The recently sacked manager has been a photographers dream, always creating images on the sidelines. When he is around there never is a dull moment, one of sport’s characters that can’t seem to help himself but get into scrapes. He was on the brink of victory, about to lead his United team to success at his old club Chelsea. So I moved into a different position from the one I had occupied most of the game, ready to see what he did at the final whistle. I also put on a converter to get him bigger in the frame. Then Chelsea scored a last-gasp equaliser, one of the Chelsea assistant coaches celebrated in front of Mourinho and, José being José, a melee ensued. The next day I saw a tweet from an Irish follower of mine, comparing this image to Caravaggio’s painting “The Taking of Christ”. It really made me laugh.

England versus South Africa, Twickenham – 3 November

400mm lens 1/2000 f3.5 ISO 4000

I suppose this is quite a straightforward rugby picture. Two men jump on the back of another. But I particularly like the way little Sbu Nkosi almost comically is trying to stop Maro Itoje in his tracks. For most games at Twickenham I prefer to run up and down the touchline, following the action, carrying a 400mm lens as my main camera with a 70-200mm zoom for close action and tries.

Streaker versus steward, Twickenham – 24 November

400mm lens 1/1600 f3.5 ISO 4000

Thank goodness for this guy’s pants! For obvious reasons a fully naked streaker would never get published. It was a hilarious moment in the middle of the England v Australia match when this spectator decide to strip off and run on the pitch. The pursuing steward gave chase, managing to grab him by the underpants and yank him to the floor. A comedy moment, something very unusual at a top sporting event.

Lucas Torreira celebrates, Emirates Stadium – 2 December

90mm lens 1/1600 f3.5 ISO 4000

The little Uruguayan has been one of the best players of the current Premier League season and an instant hit since joining Arsenal. He rounded off a brilliant, feisty north London derby against Spurs by scoring the Gunners’ fourth and final goal. It was his first for the club and he couldn’t contain himself, ripping off his shirt and running around screaming his head off. Luckily for me it was straight down my lens. I’m all in favour of these passionate sorts of celebration and think referees are party-poopers for booking players who do this.