Andrew Redington - Interview by Sean Harrison.

Getty Images’ sports photographer, Andrew Redington, has had a life-long passion for golf. He’s played since the age of 13 and plays off 7 on a good day. Having graduated from Reading University in 1991, he landed his dream job managing the golf department of Allsport.

At the time Allsport (subsequently bought by Getty) was the world’s leading sports photography agency. The job involved editing roll after roll of film, agreeing fees with clients and pulling pictures from the archives but it gave Andrew another passion, and that was for photography.

Under the tutelage of senior snappers at Allsport Andrew developed his skill. Now, one of the leading golf photographers at Getty Images, he has covered more than 250 tournaments including 19 Open Championships, 16 US Masters and every Ryder Cup since 1995.

He has won the prestigious Specialist Folio Award for the British Sports Council Awards and The Open Championship Photograph of the Year but some of his favourite moments include playing Augusta National on the Monday after the 2001 tournament, travelling on the Ryder Cup charter with the European Ryder Cup team in 2005 and 2009, and photographing Padraig Harrington with the Claret Jug at consecutive Open Championships.

What camera do you use?

Canon EOS 1D IV

Camera equipment must be changing all the time?

I have done a lot of instruction photography over the years including a number of shoots with Sir Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie. The cameras that I have are always the latest models and the best. The Cameras I currently have fire at 10 frames per second which produce excellent swing sequences.

From the pictures you have taken do you have any personal favourites?

I’m delighted with my folio but always looking to improve. The images shown in this article are some of my favourites.

Do the players accept your presence or are some camera shy or nervous?

I am a familiar face to the majority of the top players on the European Tour and they generally do not seem to worry about where I position myself - since they trust me not to move around or hit the shutter button at the wrong time.

Do you have any favourite players to work with on the tour?

The vast majority of the players are great to deal with and I am always rooting for a European or European Tour member at The Majors and World Golf Champs.

What do you consider to be the most beautiful course in the world you have visited and have taken photographs?

Augusta. It was always a dream to go there and it is sometimes hard to fathom that I have covered the event 16 times (so far) ……and I have even played the course!

How many miles do you have travel each year and how many weeks are you away from home?

Mileage is difficult to calculate but I am away for approx 20 weeks per year.

How many images do you take in a day and what ratio is kept to be used?

Approximately 2000 and I will send in a maximum of 10% off these. Nine times out of ten, I edit my own material in the tournament’s media centre - going through a process of embedding a detailed caption into the image which has been cropped and colour corrected. Getty Images will then receive these and the picture desk will send these out to the huge number of clients - placing the images on the electronic archive (www.gettyimages.com)

Certain golf events have 20 000 to 30 000 spectators a day lining the fairways. For taking pictures, is this difficult even though you are inside the ropes?

Any tournament with huge crowds does demand a different approach. The logistics of simple things like - What time to get to the course to avoid traffic, the ways to navigate the crowds so you can get to the first tee in time for the group you are covering. It is then reasonably simple once inside the ropes.

Have you had any extreme weather experiences at events?

The Alfred Dunhill Links held up at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns in October often throws up some challenges! – Strong winds, rain and sun can hit us at any time. The Maybank Malaysian Open earlier this year was one of the hottest and most humid ever staged on The European Tour and even some tough veteran caddies retired hurt! - I got through the week but was happy when it was over.

How do you adjust in extreme weather?

In rain the most important thing is to keep the camera equipment dry and working - so we have waterproof covers for the cameras and lenses. I also clothe myself in Goretex clothing and shoes.

For getting the pictures you need, what makes a good or bad tournament?

A lot of factors can determine whether a tournament is good or bad. Whether it is a good course for pictures - the quality of the field - the winner makes for some good pictures - the significance of the tournament.

Do you have any favourite events?

The Open Championship is, in my opinion, the best tournament in golf and is my favourite tournament. Next favourites are the other Majors.
My other favourites - The Omega European Masters because it is on a beautiful golf course with a fantastic feel to the whole tournament. Also the HSBC Champions in Shanghai is terrific.

Is it difficult not to get to involved in the event and distracted by your surroundings - such as the Ryder Cup?

That is a great question because the last three or four Ryder Cup teams have been full of players with whom I am quite friendly. I sometimes have to remind myself to concentrate on shooting the pictures rather than hoping they make the putt!!

The photo shoots for the celebrations and the prize giving must be fun?

These are quite chaotic at something like the Ryder Cup. The expression “bun fight” springs to mind but, at any event, the winner is delighted and co-operative and it is nice to witness first-hand what the victory means to them.

Do you sometimes get invited to join the victory parties?

I was lucky enough to be invited to Padraig Harrington’s party in Carnoustie which I went to and took a few pictures of him drinking John Smith’s from the Claret Jug. I was also invited to his party in Dublin the next day but I had another event to cover so was gutted I was not able to go.

Andrew Redington by Sean Harrison.

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