STENHOUSEMUIR WFC
Stuart Williamson
I am a massive sports fan in general and football in particular. I am a season ticket holder and attend matches regularly. I attend the men's games a lot as a supporter and I have also recently attended the women's games. I used to play football. My twin sister Laura also played together with me at the same football club and after she was too old to play for the boys’ team, I asked myself what would happen? Where would she go? Would she still play? I've always been a massive fan of women's football and seeing the progression of it. I recently sent an email out to all the women's teams in the Scottish League from top to bottom with a link to my portfolio with the hope of an opportunity to photograph voluntarily at the women's games if any of the clubs needed a photographer to help capture moments from their games for them.
I was lucky that Stenhousemuir WFC got back in touch with me, in particular Kevin Candy who's one of the coaches in the team. Stenhousemuir WFC play in the Barclays Scottish Women's Championship. After a phone call with Kevin, I made my way to Stenhousemuir's stadium for their second league game of the season. I had a hi-vis vest and was able to access the pitch as well as the pitch side to get closer to the action. I was hooked instantly. I knew this was something I wanted to continue to do going forward. It was a sunny hot day, and I had an ND filter on my lens. I only had an 18- 35mm 1.8 lens with me. I hadn't purchased a longer lens yet. I guess that's something I should have done before the game, however I wanted to work with that one lens and see what I could achieve. Also, I didn't have the money for another lens just yet. I also had access to the full pitch, so I was able to walk around the pitch and capture moments from most of the game.
It was a challenge, having to get closer meant I could get hit with the ball a lot easier or else maybe miss certain moments in the centre circle. I was able to get shots of the actions in the warm-ups, the drills beforehand, the team talks. I had to get close because my lens didn't allow for it any other way. I enjoyed it. I almost felt part of the squad, like I was warming up too, like I was ready to get in amongst the action and do my best for the team. I found capturing these moments a challenge at times. Normally you’re watching the game as a fan, however this time you’re trying to capture critical moments of the game, and you don't want to miss it.
I got caught out behind the goal on one occasion. The striker Sarah MacLeod scored a wonderful goal, and I was able to capture the full thing however I ended up focusing on the net and didn't get the entire sequence of the goal in focus (however it did add a sort of artistic feel to it being blurry). It was also a good learning moment for me. I have enjoyed photographing the women's game. I enjoyed being back on the pitch and getting close to the action. The women's game is on the rise and it will continue to grow and thrive, and I'm delighted to be a part of it and showcase it. I've not had much of a chance to get to know the players. It’s hard to when you’re there photographing in the moments then pack up and head home, however I hope in the coming weeks and months to get to know each of them on a more personal level, capture those special moments and get to know their names rather than just look for squad numbers. I've ended up with over 500 photos per match.
High continuous shutter speeds, so that I don't miss a moment. Hopefully in the future I will be able to capture some video interviews with the players and get to add clips and footage from the match to accompany the players' interviews. This will also add an extra dimension to the Stenhousemuir WFC Instagram page and let fans of the team get to know the players on a more personal level and find out more about when they started, why they started, and what got them to where they are today playing for Stenhousemuir WFC. I hope to continue my photography journey within the women's game, gain more experience, and add value and quality to Stenhousemuir WFC, whilst showcasing the many talented players within the women's game.
This article first appeared in the PRISMA Issue 27.