Today we are sitting down with photographer Vijay. Vijay has personally helped me with an array of questions I have fired over to him and has kindly helped me out with free use of his entire albums whenever I need them. When you see some of his shots you'll understand why I went to Vijay to ask questions and why I am so happy I have access to his photos.
An amazing eye for capturing the shot, twinned with being an overall good guy who is loved by those he works with, it is clear to see a bright future is ahead for him.
Anyway, let's get stuck into his back story and look over what the future holds.
Name – Vijay Singh Bedesha
Age – 39
Favourite team – Liverpool FC
Occupation – IT Specialist
Thing I love about football – The build up to a big game.
My football pet hate - Fans that hate on other fans for enjoying the game and think they can judge how others support their team.
What first got you into sports and football photography?
By day I work in IT consultancy so it can be a very process driven day and week. Photography was a creative outlet which I started off as a hobby to escape those process driven stresses for an evening or afternoon. It turned into something a lot more regular and has grown since!
How did you go from starting out to photographing live football matches?
One summer I went from snapping photos of Rochester Castle and various statues around London to seeing my local team Punjab United looking for a volunteer photographer to help out capturing games. I sent a reply in (keep in mind I’d never taken a photo of a man or woman running in my whole life) and then dauntingly got a reply from them asking me to come down! The rest is history I guess.
What do you enjoy most about photographing football compared to other types of photography?
It’s the passion. I do cover both corporate and leisure events but nothing beats a thousand fans behind you pushing for a winner in the 86th minute.
What’s the best football moment you’ve ever captured on camera?
It would have to be when we (Chatham Town) won at Tonbridge Angels in the FA Cup and we qualified for the First Round Proper. Absolutely incredible day, you just knew you were part of something special and that afternoon will live with me for a very long time.
Do you prefer photographing match action or the moments around the game?
A mixture really! I love building a connection with fans as well as players. Nothing beats a good catchup with a few fan, the physio, the coaches before a game. All those intricate moments around the ground can mean so much more 90 minutes later, so I pride myself on seeing those things that wouldn’t normally have been thought twice about.
What makes non-league football such a great subject to photograph?
I know a few people who won’t agree, but the quality and the atmosphere. It’s not scripted; fans don’t only cheer when we’re winning and to me it feels alot more personal. Similar to my answer on the previous question, players and fans are connected not just by badge but a lot more and that transcends not to the corners of the ground but to everyone including us photographers on our stools.
What’s the hardest thing to capture during a live football match?
Celebrations… I’ve been fortunate this season that I’ve had a good library of celebrations collected by my lens but there have been moments where I’m the other side of the goal and miss a backflip! I feel with everything else you always get a second chance of snapping, but celebrations are the moments to capture.
How do you try to tell a story through your football photos?
I pride myself on buildup up the story of the day. Whether it’s the ticket office, the cafe, the kids waiting in expectation for an autograph, a fan ducking a stray shot in the warm up, it’s all important and shapes the essence of that day. I believe it’s a lot more than just 90 minutes; it starts the moment someone steps foot into the ground.
Is there a type of player or position you enjoy photographing most?
Absolutely the forwards. During my time photographing I’ve always said ‘there’s no stronger connection between a goal scorer and the photographer in the celebration’. Obviously not exclusive to forwards; but more often than not it can turn into a bit of banter such as my collection of Stanley Oldfield celebration folder from this season!
Do you prefer shooting in daylight, rain, or under floodlights?
You might think it’s weird; but I love shooting in the rain and night. I’m not one of those photographers that takes photos at odd angles or upside down etc, I’m just a standard photographer who has build his own brand along the way, so capturing the elements like floodlights, rain etc bring those moments intimately together add to the scene. Also! I’m a big fan of clouds and backgrounds, so you’ll see a big amount of orange and pink skies in my photos.
Which football photo you’ve taken are you most proud of?
Recently Punjab United progressed into the Last 16 of the FA Vase. There was a moment at the end when Punjab forward William Johnson Cole fell to his knees at the full time whistle infront of the scoreboard reading Benfleet 0 - 2 Punjab. As a man who has covered Punjab for 3 years and love the club deeply, it was a really moving moment and a photo which will no doubt be hung up on various walls!
How do you handle the pressure of one-chance moments in live sport?
It’s all about confidence. Everyone who will know me and see’s me around at games; I’m always laughing, chatting and enjoying myself. Believe me, I am focused but the advice I’d give is don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you are human, enjoy the game, enjoy the build up and your quality will shine through and capture that one moment and many others.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in football photography?
Don’t limit yourself. Go out and do those Sunday morning under 8’s games, do those under 16’s games, do a few training sessions, get comfortable with that camera and also build your matchday routine up - where will you sit? Where do you position yourself during the walkout? How fast can you move from the huddle to the sideline (yes you’ve seen me dash at Chatham home games), and above all remember that you can master anything if you put enough time in it. The fact you’ve stepped into the photography world is the hardest step; let yourself become embraced into your team and enjoy those moments.
What’s the best atmosphere you’ve experienced at a football ground?
Oh it has to be the Buxton FA Cup first round game with Chatham. I travelled up and spent the weekend with the team at the hotel and coach up and it’s incredible how you are in a bubble until that moment when you walk out onto the pitch greeted by hundreds and hundreds of Chatham fans travelled all the way from Kent supporting their team. Atmospheres like that make you feel untouchable like nothing could beat us that day. Sadly it took a wonder goal on the day; but it absolutely did not feel like an away game. The Chatham fans never disappoint.
How important is emotion compared to action in football photography?
I think you need a bit of both. I know some people that are quite set in the type of shots they take, whereas I let myself be guided by the moment. It’s hard to keep emotion out of it in football; and whether you support the team or just work there, you will become immersed in that fan base, you will fall in love with that club and everyone connected to it. In my view it’ll take a strong person to escape the emotion!
What’s your background before getting into football photography?
I studied graphic design at uni before it became apparent that ANYBODY can jump into Google and make a website for free and minimal effort. So I changed direction slightly and went into IT Project management and adoption of new tools in organisations. I’ve always had a creative side to me, so I guess the photography side of it naturally came together eventually.
Where would you like your football photography to take you in the future?
Every step I’ve got to has been a bonus til now. I started with no expectation. One of the coolest things has been about meeting some great people along the way (I’m quite a people person if you can’t tell) but I’m not about ‘oh I want to shoot at that level’ etc. I just want to carry on and enjoy my photography, and if it takes me leagues above that’s totally cool; but if I’m still doing non league a few years from now it’ll mean that I’m still seeing some pretty cool people every week!
Are there any clubs, competitions, or levels of football you’d love to work in one day?
Again, I’m quite open and haven’t really thought about that too much. I’m a Liverpool fan, so to shoot at Anfield would be a bucket list moment; but more for the little Vijay that always dreamt to be standing at the same level as his heroes.
What would your advice be to someone looking to do what you do?
Take the step, you’ll enjoy it. Also don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you are human. You will miss shots; everyone does no matter how long they have been doing it. But the main thing is to enjoy the day, enjoy the moment and enjoy the game!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Hopefully still enjoying my photography but also enjoying my day job. It’s hard to see myself being just one or the other, so hopefully I’m still juggling both and having a full head of hair 🙂
If you feel inspired like Vijay has to pick up a camera and head out there to enjoy a passion of his own in photography, just do it! You can see from this interview the kind of opportunities he has already been presented and enjoyed so go do it!
And if you want to get in touch with Vijay and book him to cover your event or invite him along to cover your matchday, you can reach out to him via his Instagram page right here.
Until next time!
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