Welcome back, constant rain and gloomy skies.

Stoke City at home, and the forecast looked like it would be pouring for the entirety of the game, which I was actually happy about.

I love shooting football in the rain.

It’s a massive pain in the ass for ninety plus minutes. The rain gear, getting wet and cold, worrying about keeping thousands of pounds of camera equipment dry - it sucks.

But the reward afterwards is almost always worth it.

When I’m back at my laptop going through the photos, the rain adds so much drama. Beautiful bokeh, regular moments that feel more intense, it’s almost impossible to not get really nice frames during a miserable weather day.

There was just one pretty big issue:

I forgot my rain cover for the 400mm.

I did have a solution though. I tied together two smaller covers meant for my other lenses, basically MacGyvering a rain jacket for my 400mm.

It wasn’t exactly elegant. I would have to wrap it around the lens and the camera body, and either hand hold it in place the entire time or tape it together. Technically, it would work. But emotionally, it’s a disaster.

I check my phone again thirty minutes before kickoff: 100% rain.

I double check to make sure my improvised rain jacket for my 400mm will be up to the task, and prepare mentally to be cold, wet, and mildly terrified for my equipment, and head out for warmups.

And then kick off happens….nothing. It’s completely dry. And it stayed that way for the entire match. Talk about an absolute tease. I was looking forward to a rain day, but I’m actually pretty relieved my MacGyver rain jacket didn’t need to be tested after all.

But, the lack of rain did give me something else to think about. This is my second season now photographing in this stadium.

The same stands. The same warmups. The same throw-ins.

If you’ve been following along for a while now, you know I hate complacency. And the challenge of finding unique ways to shoot the same stuff over and over again is very real.

So lately, I’ve been experimenting a little more.

What I’m Experimenting With

I’ve always been pretty reluctant with the slow shutter photos. It has never really been my kind of vibe or cup of tea, but recently I’ve made a conscious effort to play around with it more.

My verdict?

Still not my cup of tea. But I did make one in Portugal that I actually really enjoy:

Most of the slow shutter stuff I’ve seen is action based, so I decided to play around with it in the dressing room instead. I’m cheating a bit here, I made these for the Blackburn match, not this most recent one versus Stoke, but I forgot to include it in that issue so it will get a second chance at life here.

Here are a few I like:

For these, I strapped on my speedlight, dropped the shutter, increased the aperture, and motioned up and down and side by side as I hit the shutter, creating the motion blur. It was actually quite fun mixing it up, especially for dressing room photos which I’ve found to be quite difficult getting something new and different for.

Utilising Negative Space

Another way I’ve been trying to mix things up is through negative space.

Now this is something I’ve always naturally implemented into my work. But there’s so many different ways to go about it, I’m constantly learning new ways to use this style.

I’ve shot Hugo throwing the ball in a million times. So instead of filling Hugo dead in the frame, I framed the players near the bottom to let the supporters dominate the background. It makes the players feel smaller and the stadium feel much bigger. For example:

RAW

EDIT

This also gives you a ton of flexibility when it comes to cropping. Say you wanted to go portrait:

I like both options, but I personally prefer the portrait option. Having the two sections of supporters separated by the staircase makes the frame more interesting, and the negative space above the action gives the frame more gravity.

Your cropping decision also changes what the photo is about. The landscape version is more Hugo throwing the ball in front of the crowd, while the portrait version makes it feel like Hugo being surrounded by 30,000+ fans. It’s a small compositional decision, but it changes the story.

A couple other examples from this match:

Both of these experiments are basically solving the same problem. I’ve photographed these moments thousands of times. The challenge isn’t finding something to photograph.

It’s finding a different way to do it.

Sometimes that means changing the shutter speed, rethinking composition, whatever it may be. The goal isn’t necessarily to make a better photograph.

It’s to make a different one.

And occasionally, that different one turns out to be better.

My Favourite Frame

Another penalty means another Raul goal. This time, to put us up 3-1. He gave me plenty of really nice celebration photos, but this one has to be my favourite:

The slide. The goal LED in the background. The expression on his face. Everything just comes together. It’s the kind of celebration photo that just feels timeless. Here are a couple others I like:

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

A really interesting article by a fellow Substacker on here called Photography heals the brain

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Preston away, we’re up 1-0 late in the second half. Armstrong scores to put us up 2-0, and moments later I see an object flying through the air in the supporter stand, followed by an eruption of orange smoke.

RAW:

EDIT:

I loved the emotion in this frame, but the RAW wasn’t giving me the atmosphere I remembered from the moment. The orange smoke was what really added to this frame, so I wanted to exaggerate that feeling rather than let it get lost in the flatness of the RAW. In Lightroom, I reduce the dehaze, because I want that smoke to feel hazy and dramatic, not crisp. I add a background layer and increase the highlights and temperature to make it a bit more bright and colourful. Lastly, I increase the overall exposure and shadows as the screaming mans face is a bit dark and underexposed.

Below is another scene from the goal:

RAW:

I love this fans screaming expression with the rest of the frame completely engulfed in bokeh. Unlike the previous photo where the subject is dead center and completely in focus, this one feels like I caught him accidentally during the abrupt chaos of the moment. Less “perfect” than the previous.

There are a variety of different routes I could go here for this one, but I knew it would ultimately be a black and white. The highlights were too blown out and when I added some warmth and vibrance, it just didn’t look or feel right:

Parts of his face were too red, and it just felt a bit off intuitively. It doesn’t evoke enough emotion just as it is, which brings me to my next decision: cropping. With very little intentional negative space in the frame, it feels a bit messy. So I opted to go tight and portrait orientation, and black and white to fix the colour problem entirely. To me, that just feels more intimate. You’re no longer watching this guy celebrate.

You’re in it with him.

EDIT:

Let’s switch it up a bit with an action shot from the first half.

RAW:

For this one, I’m too tight and the Preston player is cut out of frame, but I love the extension of his arm near Hugo’s face and the light catching Hugo while he’s making an athletic move. I crop in tight to portrait orientation so there’s a real emphasis on the stretched out hand desperately reaching out to try and stop Hugo. It makes the frame feel intense and it’s a small but powerful storytelling detail that I really enjoy.

EDIT:

Next week I’m breaking down one of my most asked about photos. So I’m looking forward to sharing that one with you.

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

If you’re a Wolves fan, Liam Keen and Nathan Judah are journalists who cover the club, and have launched their very own substack called . Check them out for Wolves insights and exclusive access!

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

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But you’re never actually sure you’re going to get it.

Wolves vs Blackburn, the opening match of the Championship season. Before the match, me and a co-worker were talking about huddle scenes and how the supporters were going to have a tifo raised in the South Bank prior to kickoff for the clubs 150th anniversary.

The goal was to grab a wide shot of the squad huddled up, with the tifo and South Bank in the background right before kick.

After the handshakes, I run out and start snapping away. Meanwhile, the stadium is buzzing. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it this loud before, aside from maybe when we scored the go ahead goal to beat Villa last year.

These moments are so fun and chaotic, but also so challenging. So much is going on in your brain, and add 30,000+ fans singing and chanting, it’s a difficult experience to describe. On one hand, there’s so much going on with the players moving around, talking with each other, dapping each other up - there’s so many photos to make, but you can only be one place at a time. So you have to try and anticipate the best moments, while also thinking about making sure you’re being professional.

From the outside, it probably looks like I’m just running around with a camera. In reality, my brain is doing about 17 different things at once.

“Will I be too close if I move up any further?” “Am I being too distracting?” “Should I move to the other side to get this angle instead?” “Am I out of the videographers shot?” “Where’s Sky Sports?” “What about…” the list goes on and on.

All the while, you have about a 30 second window to get these moments.

Me and Tom (Video Manager), cross paths and Tom just goes “It’s quite loud.” We both smile, then shortly after we head towards the coin toss, knowing that after that, when Toti gets back to the huddle, this will be our moment to get the shot.

I look back, and there’s the tifo: Out of Darkness Cometh Light.

The clubs famous slogan paired with the first match of the season entering its 150th anniversary.

We don’t get long to sit with it. Toti rushes passed us, and it’s go time.

And voila:

It went about as well as it could have been.

“Hell yes.” is all I was thinking when it was all happening. That feeling of knowing you’re getting the shot you’ve been anticipating and prepared for is a feeling I chase constantly but rarely catch.

I won this time around.

When the Moments Find You

One of the most fascinating parts of my job is how differently I view a match than how fans see the game. Fans see the entire pitch, I see everything through my lens, which, depending on how close the action is, can be very tight frames. I’m locked in on Fer as he’s driving with the ball, I see him look up, notice Munetsi in my frame off to the right, Fer makes a strong pass towards him, and very shortly after this moment, the crescendo of the fans grows louder. Which only means one thing and I have one goal: find Munetsi. Luckily, I find him, focus just as he strikes, and then the roar.

Munetsi officially scored the very first goal of the EFL Championship season, as Wolves vs Blackburn was the first match of the season. And thankfully, I was able to snag some pretty nice celebration shots.

Since Munetsi celebrated away from me towards his teammates for the most part, I didn’t really have any shots of him directly. Thankfully, as the players were walking back, Fer clocked me in the corner, and turned Munetsi around to give me a nice celebration pose directly at my camera.

There’s nothing more important than having the players trust you to capture these moments for them.

These relationships truly start creating photographs you simply wouldn’t get otherwise.

Raul Magic

I was shocked by how different the Championship felt compared to the Premier League. In the Prem, from the little insight I was truly able to gather as an American who doesn’t know this game nearly as much as the majority of people here, so much of it is technique and finesse, or “quality,” as the Brits love to say.

This first game, by contrast, was incredibly physical. Scrappy. Aggressive. It felt like a different sport.

It was a tough game, especially during the second half, and we found ourselves down 2-1 late at Molineux on opening day. We went into extra time when we got a bit of a break. There was a handball in the box, so we got a chance to take a penalty shot, and who else other than…Raul Jimenez.

Raul’s back with the club after enjoying a very successful earlier stint in the Wolves shirt. He had a move to Fulham, and now a return - to a side that had just been relegated and was facing a likely defeat on opening day in the Championship. And here he is with a chance to save it.

Si, Senor erupts from the entire stadium as Raul heads over to take the pen.

No pressure, Raul.

He buries it.

Raul runs back, faces the South Bank, pointing at the badge, and we salvage a point.

Not entirely how we wanted the first match of the season to play out, but that’s football.

It’s going to be quite a season.

Up the Wolves.

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

Me and the wifey went and saw The Odyssey last week and I was blown away. The cinematography is ridiculous. Pair that with the incredible original music, the film was truly a work of art.

I selfishly walked out of the theatre and immediately started thinking about what I could take and try to apply to my own work.

One thing that really stood out to me was the proximity to the characters. The lenses felt incredibly close yet still had a wide enough picture to tell the whole story around them. I love my telephotos, but I need to start whipping out my 15-35mm and get a lot closer to the players to get that more immersive perspective. Less of a spectator, and more of a participant.

That’s the best part about watching great films. There is always something you can steal. Which actually brings me to a second recommendation. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon has an entire book on this idea. Taking little pieces here and there from something that inspires you and remake it into something of your own.

It’s a very quick read and highly recommend if you’re interested in being more intentional about where your creative influences come from.

And for The Odyssey, highly recommend even if greek mythology isn’t really your thing.

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Welcome back to Pitchside, I’ve missed you guys.

Our final preseason match at Molineux was against Port Vale, and for the first time in a long time, I got to do my job the way I used to.

When I was at FC Dallas, I had complete access. I’m talking full creative freedom to really do as I please. On the grass for warmups, in the huddle right before kick off, on the pitch for celebrations after a victory, in the dressing room before the whistle. Anything. That kind of access spoils you, and you start to think that’s just life as a club photographer anywhere.

Then I landed with Wolves in the Premier League, and I found out real quick that the access I’d taken for granted in the MLS wasn’t going to be the same in the Prem. No pitch access - not for warmups, arrivals, anything. If you’ve been reading Pitchside for a while, you already know about a certain story between me and a Chelsea groundsman. We have a bit of a beef. And if you’re new here, let’s just say that if even your pinky toe may have grazed the hallowed grass, you will be scolded. Basically, it was this scene from Ted Lasso, but the groundsman was not nearly as kind as Nathan was:

Ted Lasso Vid

So when I jogged onto the pitch at Molineux for the huddle, camera in hand, something immediately clicked.

I was back in the middle of it. On the grass, right by the players. Free to move around (to an extent) and actually chase the moments instead of waiting for them to come to me.

I felt reinvigorated creatively almost instantly.

Championship football turns out to be the trade I didn’t know I wanted. Less prestige. But more access. Now don’t get me wrong - I absolutely want Wolves back in the Prem where we belong. But for now, having that creative freedom back has me incredibly excited.

Bring on the Championship.

The Frame I Almost Threw Away

The light was tough.

It was that time of day where the majority of the pitch was covered in shade, but the rest gets these hard slivers of light cutting through the stands. Great for drama and you can create really cool images from this. But brutal for when your subject goes in and out of a pocket of light too quickly, for example during a celebration shot, where you simply don’t have enough time to adjust your settings in camera. In this instance, my ISO was set way too high since I needed more light in due to the shaded areas of the pitch. So when Andre and company sprinted through that light, I was left with this:

Disgustingly overexposed and objectively not a good photo.

I recall clocking the mistake in real time and making a mental note to double check this frame out later anyways to see if I could save it. I’ve gotten into a habit where if I screw up a photo, I want to see if there’s any way I can save it rather than just toss it. The bones were here in this photo: the expressions, the dramatic shadow behind him, the defeated number 15 in the background. So maybe, just maybe, we can actually turn this frame into something.

Back at my computer after the match, I started where you’d expect: drop the exposure and highlights, adjust the colour balance, and see how it would look from there. It helped, but it wasn’t good enough. Andre’s skin tones were far too cooked. But instead of scraping it all together, I went with black & white. The classic fix for photographers when the colour isn’t right. Here’s where we landed:

It looks almost as if it was taken with a strobe, which is really cool to me. Now obviously it’s not a technically sound photo. Not even close. But I just like it. And sometimes that matters more.

In portrait mode as well:

The goal isn’t to convince yourself that every bad frame is secretly good. Because most aren’t. Believe me, I have plenty of evidence.

But if there’s something in a frame that makes you stop for a second, don’t immediately throw it away. Play around with it. Crop it. Convert it to black & white. Experiment.

Often times you’ll still end up with garbage, but sometimes you’ll find something.

Some of my best frames have come from the ones that weren’t the most obvious.

On a different note, thankfully Andre blessed me with many other celebration photos so the one above wasn’t the only option:

The Return of Raul

The roar of the crowd when they saw Raul in the dugout take off his warm-up shirt was electric. I’ve never seen such a strong connection between a player and a club in my entire life. They sang Si, Senor numerous times throughout the match, but when he finally stepped onto the pitch, that song could have been heard 50 miles away.

I just remember thinking, if he scores…

This stadium might not have a roof by the end of the night.

And he came close.

Getting to document his return - and actually be able to be on the grass, and feel the connection between Raul and the supporters was something very cool to witness.

And this is the kind of stuff you miss when you’re stuck behind the barrier.

Somewhere, a certain Chelsea groundsman is having a stress dream about me being on the grass.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

The new vertical tabs feature on Chrome is absolutely marvellous. It’s more functional and keeps everything clean. Give it a try if you fancy.

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Dripping in sweat, basically blind, forgot the suncream, and crouching under a 400mm lens for shade like I’m some kind of desperate wildlife photographer.

That was the first half at Burnley.

The forecast for the match said 90 degrees and everyone was basically telling me that I was going to melt. My response was that I moved to a flat in 115 degree Texas heat in the dead of summer, so I’d be fine. Turns out the Brits weren’t being dramatic. I stand corrected.

The final match of the season, so I decided to switch it up a bit. Away matches are always a guessing game for the first half since you have no idea which end the players will end up celebrating towards. You just hope they spot you at some point and make a mental note to celebrate towards my corner, but it’s mostly luck at the end of the day. This time the luck landed right.

The best part about the first half was knowing that the second half light was going to reward me.

First half, the sun was directly behind them, which basically means blown out highlights and loss of detail. But, one of my favorite ways to edit these type of scenarios is to drop the exposure and you get something else entirely - rim-lit silhouettes. Shapes instead of faces. A quick before and after:

RAW:

EDIT:

Second half, they’re now facing the sun. Now we have really clean and harsh light to work with, mixed with incredible shadows and contrast. Completely different photographs from the same afternoon.

That’s what makes difficult light addictive once you stop fighting it. It forces you to actually make photos instead of taking them. You’re constantly asking where you want the shadows to fall, whether to keep the background or kill it entirely, what the finished frame looks like before you even press the shutter. It’s a slow and deliberate process in a sport that is anything but.

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My Favorite Frame

Andre rocking a new hairdo in this frame. The timing of this photo is nearly perfect. The light is absolutely doing its thing, and the gold kit is popping beautifully.

“We’re going down, who gives a fuck, we’re winning the league and coming right back up.”

The supporters showing their undying support once again as the players come towards them and start singing.

As the season wraps up, I’m already thinking about next season in the Championship. New grounds to discover, new clubs, more access. I’m excited, it’s going to be a fun next chapter.

After the match, I met Carlos - who’d been in the stands, following the newsletter and my work all season. We talked for a few minutes and it was a cool moment. Sometimes it feels like I’m writing into a void here but there are actual people on the end of these letters. And to put a face to someone who follows along was awesome.

Appreciate you Carlos, and everyone else who continues to follow along.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

This is an insane read. So many little nuggets of wisdom packed in here as well.

The Greatest Investor You've Never Heard Of

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“Photographer for a football club.”

“Which one?”

“Wolverhampton Wanderers. In England.”

He smiles. “Yes, I know Wolves.”

He wasn’t exactly the friendliest guy before this topic came up. Immediately, his colleague leaned over and has now entered the chat.

“Saiss - you know him? Moroccan?”

Both of them eagerly pull out their phones, and start pulling up photos of Romain Saiss in Old Gold.

I’m standing in passport control in Marrakech, Morocco, and two locals are showing me Wolves photos. My wife is patiently waiting for me on the other side, wondering what we could possibly be talking about. Football is big. Obviously. But knowing it and standing in the middle of it are two different things. It’s still crazy to me that Wolves has a reach that extends to an airport in another continent - to people I’ll never see again, who light up at the mention of it. We chatted a bit more before he waved me through.

“Wolves will be back up. Welcome to Morocco.”

We get back from holiday, the next morning I’m off to the stadium for our match, and guess who does a lap around Molineux.

Romain Saiss.

I don’t know what to do with that other than appreciate it.

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The Photo I Missed

Final home match of the season. I set up a remote behind the goal for the second half. Camera on the ground, pointed up, wide angle. The set up that, when it works, can create some really unique looking images.

There was a moment when Rodrigo went full steam ahead for a loose ball. The goalkeeper got there just before he did, and the momentum carried Rodrigo into the back of the net, where he stood for a moment with both hands resting on the net. Exhausted and disappointed.

In my head, I was screaming YEEEEESSSSSSS! I could see the frame perfectly. Low angle, wide, dramatic shot of Rodrigo filling the net with North Bank in the background. My camera was in the perfect location. And then I had a haunting realization.

It’s not going to work. I was too zoomed in. And not angled up high enough.

That specific dread - knowing before you’ve even checked - hit immediately. I knew he’d be cut out of frame, and I was right. I was in a rush setting up. I had to capture something at half time so I couldn’t spend as much time on it as I would have liked. It’s one of those hindsight is 20/20 moments, and another learning lesson for remote photography:

Stay as wide as possible - you can always crop in later. Tilt up, give yourself more room than you think you need.

Remote photography is still very much humbling me.

Here are a couple successful ones that I liked from this match:

My Favorite Frame

For some of these players, this will be their last time playing at Molineux.

Joao did his lap with his son next to him - mimicking his every move. Clapping at the fans the same way his dad was. I always love capturing these types of photos because more often than not, these are the types of photos the players really appreciate.

The action photos are cool. Goal celebrations, moments of chaos, freak athleticism - I love making those. But this job isn’t really about that, at least not at its core. Joao and his son, fifteen, twenty years from now, aren’t pulling out the action frames first. They’re pulling out this one. The quiet one. Where it’s just the two of them on the pitch together at Molineux, applauding together.

That’s what I’m actually here to make.

My final match at Molineux for the season. And I already cannot wait to hear Molineux buzzing again next season.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

A few photos from Marrakech - which I highly, highly recommend visiting. The coolest place I’ve ever been to.

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You hit a wall creatively somewhere around March.

Every photographer or creative in sports hits it. You cannot escape it. The matches blur together, the routines solidify, and somewhere along the way you stop creating and start executing. You’re simply more reluctant to pick up the camera.

That’s where I’ve been lately.

The thing is, and it’s very annoying, the fix is never dramatic or instant. It’s a slow burn. There’s no grand creative reset. It’s small, tedious and intentional tasks you place on yourself - just enough friction to make your brain engage again and get out of autopilot mode. For me, that’s meant bringing my Ricoh out for scene setters and warmups instead of defaulting to the usual set up. There’s just something about a smaller, less professional camera that makes you feel more like a kid again. The constraint it gives you forces you to shoot differently too, which makes the monotonous task of scene setters feel new again.

Showing up to training with only one lens and leaving everything else in the bag. It’s a challenge operating only with one prime lens. But focusing on only one focal length requires you to move. You have to be more intentional. And I’ve learned intentionality is often a lot more interesting than having options. It’s orchestrating these small experiments with low stakes, manufacturing momentum when the season has stopped providing it for you. You find what works to get you reinvigorated again.

And then I got a day where I could operate completely differently.

Our women’s team made the play-off final where the winner earned promotion to the next level. We have a freelancer who has covered them most of the season, so my role was purely supplemental. No real-time delivery responsibilities or shooting from the usual spot near the corner - I was able to just roam.

I opted to only shoot with my 85mm and 15-35, since I knew our main shooter was in the corner with her 400mm, and I just kind of bounced around. You forget what that feels like sometimes. Since this is my job, people are counting on me to deliver photos at a high level, quickly, every single time. Your work is seen by millions of people, and eventually a kind of weight settles in that becomes so normal you kind of forget it’s even there. The stakes sharpen everything - your instincts, your positioning, your decision-making under pressure. But they also change your relationship with the camera. It stops being play and becomes performance and pure execution.

For one afternoon, that weight was gone.

It brought me back to Friday night high school football. And pickup basketball at the YMCA. The early days when I was just starting out with photography and when nobody was counting on me. I was just some kid running around with a camera shooting things that interested him. That freedom is genuinely hard to replicate once you turn it into your career. But it’s worth chasing when things start to feel too heavy.

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And then the final whistle went.

Our manager turned to the fans, arms out, and screamed. He broke down and started crying tears of joy. Hugs staff, players. You could just see how much it meant to everyone involved.

Here’s the thing about spending a season mostly documenting defeat - and I’m sure plenty of you know this feeling even outside of sport. When loss becomes your usual backdrop, you adjust. You show up, you do your job, you send the photos. You make peace with it. That’s sports. It’s how it goes sometimes. But even though you do your best to stay professional, it does get to you emotionally. It takes something out of you that you don’t fully account for until you’re standing in a room that feels completely different.

Same badge, same old gold, but a completely different ending to the season.

The dressing room afterwards was absolute scenes. Music blasting, players singing, beer bottles being passed around. I was just smiling behind the camera, shooting everything that was going on around me. Some of the most fun I’ve had with a camera in months - and I wasn’t even really supposed to be there.

I’m still tired. Burnout doesn’t dissolve overnight.

But here’s what a long season teaches you if you let it: you can never wait for the inspiration to come back to you on its own. You dig out the Ricoh, give yourself one lens challenges at training, and you work a supplemental role on a bank holiday even when you’re tired and just want a day off, where you end up standing in a dressing room full of joy you didn’t expect to need.

You manufacture the momentum. And eventually, it starts to feel real again.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

Tim never disappoints. Found this very useful and provided some much needed refreshers.

An article on How to Keep Your Brain Sharp: A Practical Playbook Beyond the Basics

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I open up my hard drive. Cough - two hard drives. And immediately question if this is actually worth it.

20,000+ frames to dig through, and somewhere in there, apparently, is a photobook.

I pour a scotch, seems appropriate.

I’ve watched the videos, read the posts, everyone makes this look effortless and romantic. The photographer in flow state, seamlessly curating their magnum opus with ease and passion. I’m sitting here staring at a folder called “August” wondering when that feeling will decide to show up.

Maybe it will. But right now, a years worth of work is staring back at me and my inner critic is already chirping. S**t photographer. None of these are good enough. The usual.

But regardless, here we are. The hard drives are hummin’, the scotch is poured, let’s get this show on the road.

The First Folder

The first folder I open is the opener versus Manchester City. My first game with my new club.

I remember walking around Molineux a few hours before kickoff genuinely amazed at how I was even there. An American now living in England, shooting Premier league football. It was my first real aha moment since moving across the pond - this is actually real. I was nervous as hell, but it felt right.

I didn’t even have my full kit yet. Still waiting on equipment to arrive, so I borrowed one of the video teams cameras and paired it with my personal Canon R5 & 100-300mm. A bit of a janky and underwhelming set up, but it was going to have to do.

There was also something significant to capture that day. As the players walked out for kickoff, the South Bank raised a Diogo Jota tifo. Jota was a beloved former Wolves player who tragically passed away in a car accident before the season started. It was a very emotional stadium. And a very real first look at how different football culture is here compared to the states.

And now I’m looking at those frames again months later.

That day felt enormous, uncertain, and surreal all at the same time. I add one frame to the photo book folder and keep it moving.

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The Reality of Looking Through All of Your Photos

Going back through all of these photos is a bit of emotional whiplash. A very strong reminder of how powerful photos actually are.

The Liverpool away folder stopped me completely. I was insanely late to Anfield that day, still nauseous from the worst Uber ride of my life, speed walking through the stadium hoping nobody got close enough to smell my puke breath. Literally had about two minutes to grab scene setters before the players arrived. Pure chaos. Looking at those frames now brings me right back.

Then there’s Newcastle. I have this frame of Tolu as the whole stadium was singing Hey Jude and I remember standing there with genuine goosebumps thinking - I cannot believe I am here.

And then you go through matches where there is not a single good photo. Fulham away, specifically, was one of the most difficult matches I’ve ever shot. There was just no action at my end. It was a very rough game for the squad, and I remember sitting in that little shed/press conference room afterwards watching Vitor come in for what turned out to be his last press conference as Wolves manager. No good photos, just a quiet, strange ending to a difficult day.

That range of emotions - goosebumps at Newcastle, hollow feeling at Fulham, and many more emotions throughout the season - is exactly why this photo book needs to exist. I want to relive these moments, whenever I decide to pick up the book and flip through the pages.

How I’m Selecting Photos

This first cull is to simply pick the ones that have potential. I’m not deciding what makes the book yet, I’m just pulling anything that has a chance. The real cuts come later. It’s also worth noting, I am not doing this all in one sitting. I’ve spread this out across multiple days, both for my sanity and for fresh eyes.

In terms of how I’m moving through these - I’m going fast. If a frame doesn’t stop me, it’s out. There’s a quote I love that I found very helpful in this process:

If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no.

Pure gut reaction. If it makes me feel something in the first two seconds, it’s going in the folder. If I have to think about it, or catch myself trying to talk myself into keeping it, it doesn’t make it.

Being ruthless is the objective. It has to be. I have to get from 20,000+ frames to a manageable pile I can actually work with. Gotta cut out the noise.

One thing that I wasn’t expecting is how differently I see some of these frames now. There have been a handful of photos that I deemed throwaway photos at the time, didn’t think there was anything special about them. Now, I love them. I think context shapes our perception of photos more than we think. Objectively, this handful of photos aren’t the most technically sound or perfect, but they make me feel a certain way. I just…like them. Even though they may break a specific rule or two. It’s the story behind them that matters.

Where We’re At

As I’m writing this, we have four matches left in the season. Holy hell, this season has flown by. I’ve gone through every single match up until this point. Training sessions included.

396 photos in the photo book folder.

I need to get somewhere between 50-80. Which is going to hurt.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Question: What's sitting on your hard drive right now that deserves more than that?

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Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

I just finished Will Smith’s autobiography called Will, and it was really, really good.

I’ve always been a Will Smith fan, but getting a better understanding of how he became Will Smith, was fascinating. Very honest and reflective.

I definitely recommend giving it a read. Especially if you’re in any kind of creative or ambitious pursuit and want a better understanding of what obsessive dedication to a craft really costs. It’s opened my eyes in a lot of different ways.

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There’s never a dull moment with away travel.

What I envisioned as a smooth, chill ride to Leeds on my favorite train - the Edinburgh service, always the nicest, half empty - turned out to be anything but. It was jam packed. People yelling at each other about assigned seats (which no one follows until times like these when people love to whip out their seat number if they can’t find a spot). I got there extra early to try and get a seat just in case it would be busy, and managed to find myself the last seat on the carriage.

Two minutes before departure, this lady storms on with her child.

Please don’t, please don’t, please don’t…

“Excuse me, you’re in my child’s seat.”

The Decision

Before the match, I made a choice.

In a direct boycott against my tight frames default - the habit that cost me at West Ham - I decided the 15-35mm wide angle would be the only lens with me until kickoff. Wide storytelling moments only.

It was freeing in a way I didn’t expect. Working with one lens forced me to think and compose differently. I was experiencing my surroundings more spatially - seeing the ground as a whole environment rather than a series of isolated subjects. Shooting wide lets you use natural elements to tell a story in a way tight frames can’t. Take this arrival shot:

I was able to get Welcome to Elland Road signage on the right with Bellegarde walking in on the left. Instantly you know what’s happening. If I were to have gotten a tight, iso of Bellegarde, it would have been fine. But this tells you where he is and what he’s walking into. More of a story.

Same idea here, but switching it up and providing a complete portrait view. Players walking from the bus towards me, fans to the right, the signage, the scene breathes. You feel the scale of it. So much more impactful than if I would have just gotten ground level shots as they’re coming in. Those are still great to get, but this shows such a stronger overview of the entire scene.

This turned out to be one of my favorite matches I’ve shot all season. My storytelling improved, almost entirely because of that one constraint.

Here are a few more frames from my 15-35mm before kickoff:

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Elland Road

There’s nothing I love more than an old school stadium.

Tottenham is an absolute masterpiece, sure. But it doesn’t feel the same as walking into a ground that has been standing for over a century. Elland Road gave me Crystal Palace and Craven Cottage vibes immediately. That same feeling of deeply rooted history pressed into every square inch of the place.

And then I found the dressing room area.

Nestled in the very back of the stadium, partly outside, is this little converted shed. Up those stairs? The coaches dressing room. I genuinely couldn’t help but laugh. There is something so hilarious about a Premier league club having the facilities of a high school. But I love it. Old school all the way.

This area also sets up beautifully for some unique BTS photos:

The Lighting

Similar to Palace, very tricky lighting. Dark pockets, constantly shifting harsh light. But the challenge is always welcomed. This is where you get to be creative.

During inconsistent lighting like this, I’m always on the look out for pockets of light hitting players faces with the rest of the frame in shadow. When it works, you get moody, dramatic images, something flat light never can produce.

Edit vs RAW

As soon as I snapped this one I could already see the edit in my head. Players driving away from the light, shadows running throughout their bodies, the physicality of grabbing and pulling, small slivers of light catching the kit and faces.

All I have to do is drop the exposure, darken the background, crop tight, and let the slivers of light do the rest of the work for me.

What seems like a complex edit at first is actually simple. You just have to know what to look for - and train yourself to recognize which RAWS have potential before you even open Lightroom.

My Favorite Frame

Hee-Chan Hwang pleading his case with the ref.

They were already deep in shadow, which normally creates problems. Here, it solved one. The background is exposed brightly by the sun, with of course the subjects darkened in the shade - this allows for an easy, clean silhouette. The pop of light and color bleeding in through the bokeh behind them pulls the whole thing together.

I love this photo because it takes a moment that happens dozens of times every match - a player appealing a decision, arms out in frustration, the ref telling them to back off - and makes it look completely different. The silhouette strips out all of the noise and leaves just the gesture. Money.

The Train Ride From Hell

Surely the ride home couldn’t be worse than the ride there, I thought.

I barely made it on.

Crammed into the entrance of the carriage with a crowd of others, packed in like sardines. To my left, a group of drunk Wolves and Leeds fans singing back and forth at each other. Directly in front of me, a very pregnant woman sweating profusely and does not seem to be doing okay. To my right, two men arguing - one sipping red wine straight from the bottle, the other double fisting M&S sandwiches and spitting food every time he opened his mouth to speak. Beyond them, an elderly lady is yelling at a train manager who got stuck trying to pass through the crowd about how they need to add more carriages to the trains (not wrong by the way).

I’ve never been more overstimulated in my entire life.

Two hours. I stood there for two hours.

But honestly, the chaos on that train was another reminder of how fortunate I am to be living such an interesting and crazy life. I would have never gotten that experience back home. And not that I wanted to stand in a hot, packed train carriage with all of my camera gear next to inebriated folks for two hours - but it gives me pride knowing that I’m actually living the life I set out to build.

I was not made to sit in a cubicle for an entire career.

I was made to create. And sometimes, the trade off is a wild and chaotic train ride home that feels like a fever dream.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

Something I have my eye on is another marathon for 2027. Stubble & Co, the brand that I bought my backpack from, put together a list of the best marathons in Europe for 2027.

If you’re a runner and are interested in running in Europe, this list is for you.

Check it out HERE

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This was our final London match of the season.

A strange thing to type. Time does something weird when you’re in the middle of it - it drags and flies simultaneously. About a year ago my wife and I stepped off the plane at London-Heathrow airport, hauling ten suitcases and a hundred pound german shepherd into a taxi headed to our new home in Birmingham.

But London feels a little more familiar now.

We jump in the Fun Bus from Molineux, stopping at a petrol station Gregg’s on the way out. It’s no secret that Gregg’s and I don’t have the greatest relationship. Everyone raves about the sausage rolls. They’re a 3/10 at best. Cold every single time. Something about that just doesn’t sit right with me. But I think I’ve finally found my order.

Ham & Cheese Toastie with some donuts go so hard.

Puts the sausage roll to shame.

London Stadium

Working at London stadium was a dream.

There’s just so much space. There’s literally a full media track running the length of the pitch, which made moving around and getting situated a breeze. Which is rarely the case. We arrived to the stadium pretty late too due to some crazy traffic, so the easy set up was very much appreciated.

The fans apparently hate the stadium, and I don’t blame them after seeing it first hand. It was designed to be an athletics arena for the Olympics that were held in London in 2012. Thus, the running track between the stands and the pitch.

Because of this, the fans are seated quite far from the actual pitch, which doesn’t lead to a very intimate or conducive atmosphere or viewing experience. But for the media, it’s the complete opposite. More room, less chaos, easier to work, I can’t think of a better set up.

The Bubbles

If you know English football, you know that bubbles and West Ham are pretty much synonymous.

I first saw them on television years ago when I was a teenager. I was killing time at a soccer tournament with some teammates watching Premier league on television, and I remember the bubbles appearing and thought it was the coolest thing. Photography wasn’t even a thought in my brain back then. It wasn’t on my radar at all.

And now here I was, in England, camera in hand, watching the bubbles fill the stadium in person. It was a pretty cool full circle moment.

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The Decision I’m Still Annoyed About

Before walkouts, I was deciding on which lenses to bring with me, knowing the bubbles were going to be in full force.

Ultimately, I decided on my 85mm - which I just got and is probably my favorite lens of all time, and my… 400mm. Opting to leave my 15-35mm behind.

This was really dumb.

I knew a wide shot with the bubbles would be something special. But I was so locked into my tight frames mindset - tight portraits, bokeh, compression, that I talked myself out of it. The moment the bubbles started to fill the stadium, I felt it immediately.

But that’s how it goes sometimes. You make the wrong call. It’s something I’ve been actively working against for probably half of the season. Breaking out of the tight frames default. Finding the balance between intimate portraits and action and wider, storytelling shots. Obviously, I still have some work to do.

With that said, here’s a few that I did get:

RAW vs Edit

As I scrolled through the walkout photos, this frame caught my eye at the last second. I noticed Jose on the far right, hugging our mascot, talking with her, and a big smile on her face.

I held my breath going for the crop, knowing this would be a very drastic crop, but it worked. Tight on them, still in focus, and the Premier League Live from London Stadium signage with the Wolves logo sitting above was the cherry on top.

RAW:

Edit:

With this frame below, there are a variety of different crops you can do. This is the safe version:

Still a nice shot, nothing wrong with it at all, but a small change in cropping completely changes how the frame breathes. I believe there’s always more than one way to crop a photo, and the safe version is rarely the most interesting one.

Alternative crops:

I left London stadium wishing I’d brought the wide lens out for the bubbles.

But with any creative work, you make hundreds of small decisions every match day, most of them in seconds. You’re never going to get all of them right.

That’s the job.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

What’s a shot you didn’t take that still annoys you?

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Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

Want something to do that doesn’t involve scrolling your phone or watching TV every night?

Start a puzzle.

My wife and I recently picked one up, and it’s been surprisingly awesome. It makes you feel like a kid again, forces you to slow down. And trust me, the dopamine hit when you get a piece correct is worth it every time.

It’s also a nice reset from screens. We look forward to working on it every time, and usually pair it with a favorite beverage. For me, a glass of scotch. But could be tea, wine, whatever you fancy.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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Three players are dancing in the dressing room, singing words to Titi me Pregunto. Yerson has three fingers in the air to signify a victory. We just beat Liverpool. We’re bottom of the league, staring relegation dead in the face.

I’m standing there with my camera documenting everything and remember thinking, I need to make sure I never forget this.

This was early March. We’re now towards the tail end of my first Premier League season shooting for Wolves. Genuinely, I had no idea what to expect when the season started. Me and my wife picked up our lives and moved from America to England, never setting foot here before, and didn’t fully understand what we were walking into. But somewhere between the first match and the dressing room, something shifted. Slowly but surely, I transitioned out of survival mode. I started to feel at home.

I have tens of thousands of frames sitting in my Lightroom from this season. And like everything else I’ve ever shot, the majority of them will just sit there. Slowly becoming invisible in the way digital work always does. This season deserves better than that.

I’m passionate about watches and enjoy collecting them. I’m pretty new all things considered in the watch game, but I am very deliberate in how I choose watches. Each one marks something. An anniversary, a career milestone, etc. When I glance at my wrist, I’m reminded of whatever it is that watch signifies. That’s what a physical object does that a photo on your phone or Instagram grid can never manage.

Pitchside will be that physical object for me. Something tangible, full of my favourite images from the season, that I can hold that says - you did this. First Premier League season. Five years in, and you clawed your way to the best league in the world. Not just a folder on a hard drive. An entire season of memories and moments that encompass one of the best, and most difficult years of my life.

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So yeah, I’m making Pitchside. A photo book of my first season with Wolves. Intentionally designed, structured, and curated. I’m going to document the whole process here. From deciding between thousands of images to holding the finished thing in my hands. The decisions, designs, how I want it to feel, all of it.

And when it’s done, I’m giving away one copy to a subscriber.

No contest or anything you will need to do, just someone who’s been here, reading and supporting, while I try and figure all this out in public. I’ll share more on how this works as we get closer.

But before any of that, hopefully this serves as a reminder to yourself. Go print something. Doesn’t have to be a full photo book. Just one image you love, printed and framed, and put it somewhere where you’ll actually see it. You made it. So it deserves to exist somewhere physically, rather than just existing on your phone.

I’ll see you on the other side of this.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

I always find myself learning something new whenever I listen to or read words of wisdom from Ryan Holiday. In the article below, he writes “5 Years of Lessons from Running My Own Bookstore.” Really great piece.

Here’s the LINK

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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I’ve avoided studio photography my entire career.

Not because I didn’t have access or time, but because I was intimidated by it.

I can set up a simple headshot station and get away with it. But if you asked me how or why the lighting works, I wouldn’t be able to give you an answer.

I’ve always told myself that it just “wasn’t my cup of tea.” And that I preferred natural light. And that I prefer capturing candid, non-posed moments. Ya-da-ya-da-ya-da.

To some degree, this is all true. But mostly an excuse.

Ultimately, I avoided studio work because it made me uncomfortable. And avoiding it was easier than admitting that I just didn’t know what I was doing.

But this way of thinking quietly caps your growth.

The best photographers I know understand light in any environment: controlled or natural.

I don’t.

It’s currently International break, where it’s a bit less chaotic since a lot of the players are off.

A perfect chance to spend a day or two really learning the insides and out of studio photography. To build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills.

Well, that was the plan at least.

Ironically, I was asked to take some studio portraits of one of our players for an article being written about him.

So much for easing into it.

I got in early to set up the space in the presser at our training ground in Compton.

Very limited space and time for the shoot so I decided to keep it simple:

• One light

• Split lighting technique for more dramatic, moody portraits.

• Rembrandt technique for a more classic, editorial look

• Back lighting technique simply because I’ve never tried this technique before, and you know I have to experiment at least a little bit.

I wrote down the plan and immediately thought..

Cool, sooo how do I actually accomplish these looks?

I know what they should look like, but how do I actually get there?

When in doubt, I head to YouTube University.

I go through each look with some trial and error.

Testing on myself with a combination of holding out the camera towards my face selfie style and setting up a tripod to set timers on the camera.

This is a very slow and frustrating process but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Thankfully, my fellow American came in to say hello, so I had him step in for a couple tests as well.

Finally, things started to click. I dialed in the settings and wrote everything down: lighting power, camera settings, etc. so all I had to do was shoot. No guessing or figuring it out as I go, just focusing on execution.

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I used to think writing things down made you look unprofessional. Like if someone saw a “cheat sheet” they’d question your experience or talent.

I always associated this with waiters who could memorize an entire table’s order without writing any of it down.

This is incredibly impressive to me.

Until the food comes out wrong.

Same thing applies here. I’d forget a certain pose during a shoot, miss a set up, rush something, just because my ego had me avoiding something so basic for years.

Now I write everything down. Preparation matters more than pretending you have it all in your head.

Normally, studio shoots make me quite anxious.

This one didn’t.

I was prepared, and I felt comfortable.

Here are some frames from the shoot:

A good start but plenty to improve upon. My main takeaway from this shoot is how much the small details matter.

Move the light an inch and everything changes. Slightly wrong angle and you get a different photo. It forces a level of intention that’s easy to ignore in natural light.

I’m still going to have those studio days to properly experiment at Molineux.

It’s uncomfortable learning something new, but the feeling of getting better, even just a little bit, goes a long way.

And honestly, studio photography isn’t so scary after all.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

As someone who struggles with rest and always feels the need to be productive, this is a nice little read that I found helpful.

You can read the article HERE

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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I was looking back at some of my photos from our home opener against Manchester City and…

I barely recognise my own work.

Early in the season, I stopped trusting myself.

I made it to the Premier League. Biggest stage I’ve ever been on.

And instead of settling into that, my confidence took a tail dive. I started second guessing everything.

I was constantly looking at other peoples work, and even tried to start editing like them.

I was messing around more with unnatural colours, dropping clarity to an embarrassing level because I thought it looked “cinematic.” Cropping in ways that didn’t feel natural to how I shoot.

I convinced myself my work wasn’t enough as it was.

So I edited like someone who was enough.

But eventually, it clicked.

I wasn’t hired from across the world to imitate someone else. I was hired because of how I see the game.

But honestly, that phase was the most transformational period for me and my work. Ultimately over time, I stole little bits and pieces from others styles and blended it all together to create something that feels like me.

And I’m really happy with my current style and the look that I’ve cultivated into my photos.

To break this down more visually, here’s an example of how I edited a photo from the City game and then show you how I’d edit it today, with a side-by-side comparison.

Old Edit

-39 clarity, BRO WHAT ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH ARE YOU DOING

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How I’d Edit Today

Side-By-Side Comparison

The old edit isn’t necessarily bad…

well, yes it is.

But more-so, it’s just not me.

All this to say, there’s nothing wrong with studying other peoples work. Just don’t edit your work like you wish you were them. Trust your eye.

Some great advice I heard a while back that helped me get out of this rut was:

Create more than you consume.

Otherwise, the waters get muddy fast. I learned that the hard way.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

Nick Bare is one of my favourite people to watch for running/working out inspiration and consistently delivers value. This video is a really good reminder of what data you should be tracking during runs to maximise your effort and improve your running.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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Not every match gives you something as a photographer.

No big moment.

No celebration photos.

No frames you’re excited about.

This was one of those matches.

Now don’t get me wrong - the match itself was actually a really good one.

Down 0-2, we clawed back to score two unanswered, and nearly won it late with a header from Tolu that hit the cross bar. Plenty of drama. Just.. not much for me.

I did get yelled at by a groundsman again. Shout out to the London clubs.

You’d think I committed murder by accidentally stepping on a single blade of grass.

The saga between groundsmen and photographers continue.

There were a couple of younger kids near our away section who were talking back and forth with our supporters while Brentford was still winning, and our supporters decided they’d had enough.

“You’ve got school in the mooooorrrrrniiinnggg, you’ve got school in the moooorrrnnniinggg.”

Followed by:

“It’s past your bedtime, it’s past your bedtime, it’s past your bed time…..”

etc. etc.

I looked back towards them after we scored an equalizer, and you could just see them melting back in their seats. Hands over their faces, pulling their hair from frustration, cautiously looking over towards the away section as they knew what was coming from our supporters.

Pretty funny stuff.

The stadium itself is kind of a strange one.

Perched basically right in the city, surrounded by flats. Some of them were basically right inside the grounds.

One flat building literally had the Brentford superstore directly underneath them.

I cannot imagine how much paying for one of those flats are.

During the match, I started scanning windows to see if any one was casually watching the game from their window. Here’s a pretty cool shot of that:

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The Frames That Almost Worked

When the match doesn’t give you much, this is what you’re usually left with.

Frames that are close. But not good enough.

I desperately wanted this frame to work out. The player in the background doing a somersault after getting beat by Rodrigo is objectively funny. There’s a story there. But there are three main issues:

1. It’s not abhorrently clear that the player is upside down due to Rodrigo quite literally shaking him out of his boots.

2. The action itself (Rodrigo and the Brentford player) feels awkward, not clean.

3. The background is poor. The staircase basically cuts straight through the frame, which completely disproportions the frame. I like a clean, cohesive background. Right now, there’s too many things fighting for attention.

The composition is almost perfect here. What I don’t like:

1. Such a distracting background. The blatant gambling ad pulls your eye immediately, and then again, the split from the staircase just adds more noise. When you look at an image, your eye should land in one place. There’s too many distractions in this one.

2. As I noted, the composition in this one is good. We have two players fighting for the header, with a triage of other players surrounding them, all focused on the same moment. Even the two number 8’s right next to each other is a nice little detail. But Joao is just a tad too inside the frame and is cutting off Ladislav’s hand. It’s a small detail, but it hurts the overall composition of the frame.

Here’s a nice walkout frame of Jose and a young kid. But the one thing that kills it instantly? The kids eyes are closed and slightly out of focus. Gotta toss it.

I used to think that progressing in photography just meant taking better photos.

It doesn’t.

It’s about your ability to recognise the ones that are almost good, but just not quite there.

These frames are dangerous as they’re easy to justify and call “good enough.”

But those are the frames that are quietly holding you back.

Taste and discipline aren’t built in your best photos.

They’re built in the ones you choose to let go of.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

A pretty crazy article around finding the identity of Banksy, a famous unknown street artist that is worth the read.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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Friday night lights at Molineux vs Liverpool.

0-0 at half time. Not a ton of action to capture on my end from a photography standpoint.

Then Rodrigo comes on.

If you recall from my previous newsletter, Rodrigo came on late versus Villa and put the nail in the coffin.

Well…

Late in the match, Tolu threads a beautiful pass through and Rodrigo takes off down the side with a defender chasing.

It’s one of those moments where you see the pass, you see the run, and everything slows down.

Here we go.

I’m locked into my viewfinder as Rodrigo takes the shot. And for a split second it feels like the entire stadium goes completely silent.

Then…

The roar.

One of the most beautiful things you’ll ever hear.

Moments like this test you a bit as a photographer.

As a human, you want to explode with the crowd.

But you have to stay completely stoic and locked in to make sure you capture the moment properly.

I grab a couple of tight shots as he’s coming towards me, quickly switch to my wide lens, and then the slide…

Pure class.

No better feeling than when the celebration comes directly towards your corner.

Above is the aftermath of the pitch post slide/celebration….

I know the groundsmen are crying inside.

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1-0 late in the match, and we’re feeling good.

Until the equalizer by Mo Salah…

For a moment, Molineux goes quiet. But it doesn’t last long.

The South Bank quickly shakes it off, and start chanting and singing and cheering the squad on.

It’s been a tumultuous season, but the support here never really wavers.

Their support paid off. It seemed to genuinely re-energize the squad, and with about a minute left…

Andre scored.

Molineux went crazy.

I’m locked in on shooting Andre, when suddenly a huge gust of wind hits me. Something whistles past my ear like a car flying down the road. Then a massive thud, right next to me.

And I just remember thinking, “what the hell was that?”

Did a fan throw something down? No time to give it much thought. Gotta keep shooting.

The final whistle blew, and the celebrations commenced. Some fans genuinely looked like they were about to cry.

I fire off some selects to social, and run to the dressing room.

The tunnel is chaos in the best way. Staff hugging, high-fives everywhere. Smiles on everyones faces.

Then I enter the dressing room.

Again, chaos in the best way.

Music blasting, players dancing to Bad Bunny. This is what it’s all about right here.

I head back out towards the pitch to send through some dressing room photos and I see Rob about to be interviewed by TNT.

A perfect final frame to tie a bow on this match.

After the match as I’m about to head home, I jump on Instagram and see a video of Rob after Andre’s goal.

He sprints down the touch line and boots a ball towards the supporters out of pure excitement.

And then it clicks.

That gust of wind.

The loud whistle past my ear.

The thud.

Probably was a foot away from getting absolutely battered.

Honestly, kind of wish it had hit me..

Would’ve been nice to get some TV time.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

This is an awesome podcast illustrating the complete history and rise of Rolex.

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The Derby vs Aston Villa.

It. Was. Pouring.

The type of rain where you worry about your gear, even with rain covers on everything.

For photography though, heavy rain is gold.

Rain adds drama. It makes everything feel heavier, more intense, more gritty.

And it always seems to bring a little extra edge out of the players too. There was constant back and forth chatter all match, plus sometimes a little extra.

Personally, I think football should follow in hockey’s footsteps and allow fist fighting when two players clearly want one.

The beautiful game would be slightly less beautiful, but in the best possible way.

Forget all the new VAR nonsense. Legalise fighting and watch the fans instantly become much happier.

RAW vs EDIT

I love a good monochrome opportunity, and this frame instantly felt like one.

I’m always chasing images where football almost looks like a different sport.

This one reminds me of two basketball players fighting for a rebound.

Moments that feel slightly unnatural to the sport stand out more. A defender wrestling someone down to stop a breakaway. Two players colliding mid-air. Something chaotic.

Those frames create tension and curiosity.

I always want people to pause or take a second glance at my photos. Look at them more deeply, rather than quickly scrolling past them.

When that happens consistently, you know your work is starting to stand out.

Wolves Disability Half-Time Match

One of my favourite moments from the day actually happened at half-time.

Across the league, clubs have disability teams. Kids with various disabilities represent their clubs and compete against other teams.

Once a year, our Wolves disability team plays a short match at Molineux during half time.

Earlier in the week, the kids were surprised with specially designed kits in the Wolves dressing room that they’d debut against Villa. I was there behind the scenes to capture their reactions.

It was a pretty special moment.

The kids loved them, and the parents did too.

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The half-time match stayed close for most of it.

Then we scored.

The South Bank erupted in cheers, and the player who scored celebrated directly towards the Villa supporters.

They responded with a combination of laughter and boos. He shushed them.

Absolute legend.

Second half.

Joao cracks one and suddenly we’re up 1-0.

Molineux. Is. Bumping.

Immediately, the broadcast crew gets in the way of the shot. There were a couple of beautiful moments I missed because they were standing right in front of me. Very frustrating.

But honestly, for at least this one above, the camera operator in the frame actually kind of gives it a cool BTS feel to it.

This is the loudest I’ve heard Molineux. I get goosebumps just thinking back to that moment. You can see what it means to these players.

Later on, Rob subs in Rodrigo Gomes and instantly makes an impact.

Rodrigo buries one home to make it 2-0 and immediately sprints towards my corner to celebrate.

Now the calculations begin.

He’s basically sprinting, so I know I don’t have much time at all. But his expression was so great, I needed a tight frame of that. I get a couple, know a slide celebration is coming quick, so I put down my long lens and grab the wide.

By the time I look up he’s already sliding towards me face-first. I have no time to look through the viewfinder. So I aim my lens and keep it ground level where he’s sliding and start firing.

At this point, I’m convinced I missed the moment. Either out of focus or framed horribly.

When the celebration ends, I check my photos. Somehow, I got one in focus.

It’s not perfect. I cut off his hands and wasn’t wide enough to get his full body in frame.

But that’s the game. Sometimes you take what you can get.

Teammates pile on top of him. All happening within feet of me.

A photographer’s dream.

Until, my card starts filling up.

When you’re firing bursts during moments like this, your camera basically starts choking on the amount of images its processing, so it starts to freeze up. Often, it needs a few seconds to start working again.

But in this job…a few seconds feels like an eternity.

I remember watching the pile celebration happening in front of me while my camera locked up and was constantly freezing up on me.

In my head, I’m going just relax, breeeaatthheee, trying to manifest positive energy back into my camera.

Over time, I’ve learned to give my camera little “breaks” during these big celebrations. Skipping a few frames here and there so your camera can catch up.

I did not do that here.

I got caught up in the moment and just kept firing.

Lesson re-learned.

“WHO ARE YA?” chants start flying, fans from both sides trading the usual hand gestures, Villa fans heading towards the exits. Bliss.

Derbies are different.

I head to the dressing room, and as you’d expect, it’s lit.

Rob storms in and screams, “TURN THE F*****G MUSIC UP LADS!”

The room explodes. And Rob goes around the room to celebrate with the guys.

You love to see it.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

Below are screenshots from The Know, a daily newsletter that I subscribe to that highlights news around the UK. It’s quick to read, easy to digest, and often tries to promote more positive stories than negative.

This month is Endometriosis Awareness Month.

This is an absolute b***h of a disease that still isn’t very widely understood, despite affecting far more women than most people realise. My wife suffers from it, so it’s something that’s close to home for me.

Women’s health is historically underfunded and under-researched. Progress has been made in recent years, but there’s still a long way to go.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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Growing up, this was a club that always stuck in my head.

Not because I knew anything at all about English football. I just thought the name was badass. And still do, to be honest.

Finally, a trip to South London.

Let’s dive in.

First Impressions

Walking up to the stadium reminded me a bit of Nottingham Forest.

In my head, these are big names. Big clubs. With that, you expect big stadiums, and glamour.

I’m learning that that is not English football. And I love that.

Everything is old. There’s tons of character. Run-down, I would even say. But it just feels different. It feels like you’re walking into history. Old school, proper football vibes.

Arrivals

The arrivals set up wasn’t giving much.

Here’s what we had to work with.

A lovely blue tent, blank background, and they immediately hook to their left to head to the dressing room.

The plan was to test the waters with my 28-70, and maybe get a few cool wide shots of the players coming down the stairs. At the time, and you can see it in the photo above, there was some nice light peeking in on one side of the staircase. So I wanted to see if I could make something nice out of it.

I also had my 400mm there with me for compression and variety. I knew I’d likely use the big boy more often given the uninspiring location.

The real opportunity though, was right outside the dressing room.

There’s a narrow alleyway players walk through before headed out to the pitch. Brick wall on one side, a coloured wall on the other.

I knew the colour would add some nice color and background if I went in real tight, thus my 400mm was my go to for this spot.

There was of course a match day steward who did his best to constantly be in my way as the players were coming out, but I tried to use it to my advantage. I used the colour from his bib and jacket as a foreground layer to add colour to some of the images to make them a bit more interesting.

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Playing with Light

2pm kick off.

Bright sun, then clouds, then sun again. And so on.

Most photographers don’t like when this happens. Simply put, it makes our job harder and requires more effort.

Constantly having to adjust settings based on the ever changing lighting conditions is an annoyance, and it’s difficult to get into a rhythm. But, if you play it right, you can use it to your advantage and get some interesting looks.

The way I see it is that harsh, inconsistent light gives you contrast. It allows you to create frames you wouldn’t typically get on a perfectly overcast day.

“How can I use these conditions to my advantage?”

“What can I create differently today based on the lighting?”

Asking myself questions and forcing myself to think differently during matches helps me get different frames because I’m being intentional about how I’m shooting.

If all you’re thinking is, “this lighting is s**t” the whole match, you’re likely not going to get anything different than you usually get.

Final Thoughts

Old stadium, fun and challenging lighting conditions, unexpected cheerleaders (?) at an English football match also was not on my bingo card.

And although we suffered another heart breaking last minute defeat, it was another positive performance from the squad.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

I’ve shared this brand here before, but I think it’s worth sharing again.

I am a massive fan of Cadence.

It’s a hydration beverage company and I drink these things religiously after my runs / workouts. There’s a ton of these brands out there, but this is by far my favourite hydration product.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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A comeback draw against top of the league Arsenal.

In the snow.

Not a bad night at the office.

And a pretty awesome story to go along with it.

Let’s dive in.

Arrivals - RAW vs EDIT

An 8pm kick meant arrivals after sun-down, which means tunnel photos.

Not my favourite location. Crammed, bad lighting, and not a ton of areas to set up.

But there’s one saving grace.

There’s a big, bright LED board near the dressing room entrance that the players walk past on arrival.

Since the rest of the lighting in the tunnel is no good, I basically use the LED board as a key light.

Here’s a RAW vs Edit look at what I’m talking about:

RAW:

Edit:

If a player gets close enough, the LED leaves a soft glow on one side of the face. The opposite side falls into shadow naturally, creating a natural split light effect. I love the glow, so I really wanted to exaggerate it more by cropping in tight.

I wanted to make it feel a bit more dramatic so I darkened the other side of his face to have that stark contrast.

Lastly, the natural tunnel colour is a pretty gross murky green/blue that does nothing for the frame. So I darkened the background completely.

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The Come Back

Hugo hits an absolute rocket.

And I have no idea how it was even possible to do what he did, but Molineux immediately woke up after that one.

Immediately after he scores, he pulls up his shirt.

“Fuerza Hermano Te Quiero.”

I send the frames off to social, and immediately afterwards I go back to this photo to try and translate what the message was.

Finally, a moment to test my Spanish knowledge. (I’ve been teaching myself Spanish for a few months)

I knew two words.

That’s where my Spanish skills ended. Looks like I still have some studying to do.

“Stay strong brother, I love you.”

His brother recently suffered an ACL tear, so it was a nice tribute to him.

Makes the photo even better when there’s explicit meanings behind them.

94th Minute

Down 1-2, but we have some momentum. Rob makes some changes, and in comes Tom Edozie, making his Premier League debut.

In the 94th minute, the ball drops to him, and he finishes.

Molineux erupts.

He comes sprinting towards me, snow in the air. And I’m smiling ear to ear as I’m shooting.

My hands are completely numb at this point, but you almost don’t feel the cold in moments like this.

His teammates all run to celebrate with him, and this is the loudest Molineux has been in a while.

A special, special moment for the 19 year-old youngster.

I love this one of Tolu and Andre coming together. Each giving a look to the other with a “did this just really happen?” kind of telepathy moment between the two.

Post Match

Tom applauds the supporters and receives a well-deserved applause .

It’s been a tough season, and there haven’t been many highs.

But this was a fun one.

It was freezing cold, wet, and I couldn’t feel my fingers the majority of the time, but it was well worth it.

Up the Wolves.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

Just wrapped up reading Mind Over Miles by Russ Cook, AKA the Hardest Geezer. Fascinating read into the man who set off and accomplished running the entire length of Africa.

He tells crazy stories of being held at gun point, getting chased in the jungle, physical pains and injuries, and so on.

Really inspiring. Check it out HERE if you’re interested.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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The winter transfer window was quiet. Too quiet.

Then, Deadline Day hit.

Two new signings: Adam Armstrong & Angel Gomes.

In an ideal world, medicals are staggered. That way we can focus fully on one player at a time. But, that wasn’t the reality this time around.

Two last minute signings meant bouncing between two signings all day.

Medical Day

On medical days, we’re basically professional stalkers.

We follow them around everywhere. Cardio tests, strength sessions, meeting staff and players, doctor visits. Then once all that wraps, we get a short media window. For me, that means a quick studio photoshoot required by the league for broadcast and graphics.

Normally, we’d also get some creative portraits around the stadium. That to me is the fun part. You get a few minutes to actually connect with the player and make something with a little more personality.

But unfortunately, Deadline Day timing didn’t allow for that this time around.

Every pocket of downtime during capturing BTS means running back to my computer to start offloading cards and editing a handful of selects.

Social needs photos pretty quickly, and when things get even busier later on during the media shoots, you don’t get editing time. So you try and steal some minutes whenever you can to be prepared to deliver photos quickly later on.

Mini Heart Attack Moment

I was in the gym capturing Angel’s training tests when I got a call.

“Go ahead and stop with whatever BTS you’re doing. Adams is ready for the photoshoot in thirty minutes.”

I hadn’t set up the backdrop. Or the lights. And we were shooting in the small press room because we didn’t have time to shoot at Molineux.

Earlier, I was told that we wouldn’t have either of them until after 5pm, and at this point, it was like 2pm, so I thought I had some time.

Rookie mistake.

I know better to know that plans can change on a dime. And you have to be prepared for it.

I ran back, and we got it all sorted. But, I was frustrated with myself.

Set up early, be ready for plans changing, and assume nothing. Lesson reinforced.

Shooting BTS Differently

I genuinely love capturing BTS.

It forces you to think much differently than match day. There’s no peak action moments, or goal celebrations to anchor the story. No obvious climax.

You have to build the story.

Similar to training days, medical days follow a similar structure every time.

Same facilities, same tests, same process.

Which means your work can start to look identical, if you’re not careful.

That’s where structure matters.

My Storytelling Method

For BTS specifically, I’m always thinking about structure.

I try to leave every scene with three types of frames:

Wide, medium, and detail.

During something like a strength training test, the player might be repeating the same movement for a few minutes at a time. This gives me plenty of time to build a story:

• Wide establishes context. Where are we? What’s happening?

• Medium shows interaction. The athlete, the effort, the action.

• Detail creates texture and emotion. Hands gripping, sweat, focus in the eyes.

If I leave with all three, I can tell a complete story from a single exchange, and I’m a happy boy.

Even if the setting never changes.

Example below:

Wide:

Medium

Detail

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Layering Frames

Another way I avoid repetition and frames looking the same way is by layering.

Shooting through equipment, changing angles instead of standing in the obvious spot, or using items in the natural environment for foreground blur or colour.

Medical days can look repetitive, but the environment can help you break it up if you let it.

Using a weight rack to create a little bokeh effect.

Shooting through objects to frame your subject in a more unique way

Shooting at different angles, again using items in the environment in the foreground to make the image more interesting.

Final Thoughts

The transfer window is chaotic.

Plans shift, timelines move, pressure and stress builds.

These days humble you real quickly. You think you have things figured out, but one small oversight reminds you how quickly things can unravel. You have no choice but to adapt and figure it out. But that’s the game.

And what a blessing it is to be able to witness it all first hand, in the best league in the world.

Here are some more frames throughout the day:

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

I desperately want to get to Rio one day. If anyone has ever been, I’d love to hear about your experience.

Here are some photos from Rio’s famous Carnival festival that just took place.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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I’ve been talking a lot lately about creative balance.

This match was a real test of that.

Some things worked, some didn’t.

But I tried something completely brand new, and that alone made the day feel like a success.

Let’s dive in.

Remote Set-ups

I’ve been shooting sports professionally full-time now for three years.

Believe it or not, I’ve never actually set up a remote camera before.

I’ve always wanted to take a stab at it, but I never had enough gear at my previous club to make it happen.

I finally do now at Wolves, but instead of easing into it earlier in the season, I kept putting it off.

I told myself to first get comfortable in my new environment. New workflows, new expectations, new country. Get settled first and get some matches under my belt before I set out to do a brand new thing.

I think this was a fair thought process. For probably the first few months or so. But at a certain point, that logic expired.

Ultimately, I’ve realised recently that what I really was doing was avoiding discomfort. Not necessarily fear of failure, but mainly the quiet embarrassment of trying something new after being in this profession for years.

I justified it by telling myself that I was staying focused on doing one to two things extremely well, and that adding another layer could dilute my overall quality of work by trying to do too many things.

The truth is, and as I mentioned in my previous newsletter, I was sticking with what I was comfortable with. I didn’t want to take risks.

The funny thing is, trying new things instantly makes the job feel alive again.

I remember near the end of the match, I couldn’t wait to run over and check my remote behind the goal. I had no idea what I captured.

That feeling alone was worth it.

I was happy with a couple frames below:

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RAW vs Edit

This frame finally gave me something I’ve been chasing for a while.

A clean iso with the pyro going off directly behind the player.

I saw this RAW file below, and immediately knew I had something to work with.

A tight crop in, add in some warmth and color, and letting the eyes carry the frame to make everything feel more intentional. And voila. Edit below:

When possible for tight compositions, I like to make the eyes really anchor the image. It adds a bit of tension and seriousness.

The real win for this match weren’t any of the photos - it was breaking the pattern.

Doing something different and uncomfortable. Embracing failure. Even expecting it.

This craft rewards curiosity and bravery.

Just need to keep building the momentum.

Up the Wolves & see you next time.

-Brett

Off The Pitch:

A section where I share something that I’ve found useful, inspiring, educational, etc. - completely unrelated to photography or football (usually).

A shortlist of 24 images have been selected for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. Really great stuff. You can even vote for your favourite image HERE

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with someone you think might enjoy it.

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