Welcome back to another TTTONLF meets, this time I sit down with an incredible volunteer for Coalville Town FC, Natasha Jackson who is their club photographer for both the men and women teams.

As always I am blown away by such talented people actively giving up their time to help support their local football teams with their skill set. As you’ll see below Natasha has taken some incredible shots and this all goes towards supporting the clubs digital efforts, a massive help and also great for the fans to see too!

Well let’s get stuck in !!!

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What made you first get interested in sports photography?

My sister is the captain of the Coalville town Ravenettes, we went to watch one Sunday and the man who took the photos for the team was moving away, I had a Nikon D3100 sat in the cupboard at home and thought about giving it a go. Now I have 2 cameras, 3 lenses a stool a monopod, and have been taking photos for around 2 years now, really enjoy it and seeing the joy on peoples faces.

Why Coalville, and how does it feel to volunteer and help the club out?

With my sister being the captain I kind of fell into Coalville, and it’s just blossomed from there in, volunteering Is a great feeling, taking photos of the fans and staff is just as important as the players themselves, the fans frequently shout, ‘Tash take a photo’.

When does your day start on a matchday, and what does it consist of?

Morning Coffee or a Tea, make sure the batteries are charged, and memory cards are in the cameras, if it’s a ladies game arrive early and get the shirts ready, at the men’s game mingle with the locals who love a good chat!

What’s the funniest or most unexpected moment you’ve ever captured while photographing Coalville Town?

Coalville town vs Clay Cross men had a game at home a couple of weeks back, around 70 mins into the game our goalkeeper injured his knee and was carried off the pitch, with no substitute goalkeeper it was down to one of the defenders to jump in goal, he put the green shirt and gloves on, ran to the goal and in his wisdom attempted to swing off the crossbar and ended up flat on his back, the crowd erupted!

Have you ever had a close call with a flying football while on the sidelines?

Weekly! but luckily no breakages yet!

Who’s the most photogenic player on the team—and who absolutely hates having their picture taken?

Holly Harper or Chloe Scott for the ladies, Cole McNulty, and Zac Smithson for the men. Nobody really dislikes photos in fact many ask to capture their good sides.

What’s the biggest challenge of shooting football matches that people wouldn’t expect?

Bad lighting and anticipating where the ball is going to land for the best shot.

Have you ever caught a moment on camera that made the team laugh (or cringe) when they saw it later?

Players landing in the goals after over running is a common occurrence, and always a laugh.

Is there a secret handshake, superstition, or pre-match ritual you’ve noticed among the players that nobody talks about?

Can’t say I have seen any, who knows what goes on in the tunnel!

What’s the wildest weather you’ve had to shoot in, and how did you manage to get decent photos?

Thunder lightning and gail force winds that bad that the floodlights cut out and the match was abandoned!

If you could mic up one player for a match and hear everything they say, who would it be and why?

Sophie Chapman for the ladies, she has no filter and says it how it is, for the men Pawel Osinski solely because he’s the nicest guy in the world and it would be good to hear him competitively.

Have you ever taken a photo so good that a player immediately asked for it as their profile picture?

There is several players who ask for pictures and a few of them use them as their profile pictures

What’s the difference in atmosphere when photographing the men’s team versus the women’s team?

The men’s game is much faster paced and easier to photograph and has a totally different dynamic, the women’s game normally has a bigger scoreline so plenty of celebration photos.

Is there a behind-the-scenes moment you’ve captured that perfectly sums up the spirit of Coalville Town?

Absolutely! The lads hadn’t been together that long, and they were playing so well and scored in the last 10 mins of the game to take the lead, the picture says it all.

What’s one photo you’re still chasing—the perfect shot you haven’t quite nailed yet?

Trying to get the striker, goalkeeper, and ball in the net at the same time in one frame is a tricky one! But It will happen soon im sure.

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Thanks to Natasha for her time and for her continued support of not only Coalville but Non-League football in general. Its people like Natasha who make the whole non-league scene so incredible, in my relatively short time covering Non-League Football I am continuously blown away by the sheer amount of good people and great stories.

Keep up the amazing work, ill be keeping an eye out to see if you grab the ultimate photo you are searching for, the keeper, striker and ball in the goal all at the same time!

Until next time!

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