Non League Ground Snapshots (1.7 Mb PDF)

I have never really been interested in taking what I would define as traditional action photographs, although to some extent this has been dictated by not having the funds to purchase the necessary camera and lenses of sufficient quality.

The 'snapshots' inspiration came from being sent photographs by other non-League enthusiasts for my Pyramid Passion website that were simply "snaps" taken on a small pocket camera or mobile phone that I then had to sift through and choose those that captured an aspect of the ground in the background. Some of these worked rather well and so I decided to adopt a similar approach to action photography, albeit a bit more pre-determined. Thus although there is action going on the foreground, the background is equally as important.

This 'book' contains some images of matches I attended during the 2006/07 season (apologies that three feature my beloved Eastbourne Borough).

Pyramid Passion (2 Mb PDF)

One of the joys of non-League football is that it is often possible - with the exception of some Conference games and big cup ties - to wander around the pitch, watching the match from different angles and of course, taking photographs... although not necessarily of the football.

As mentioned above, action photography doesn't particularly interest me; but I am passionate about the whole ambience of the non-League game that doesn't seem to exist higher up the Football Pyramid. One of the things that most appeals to be about non-League is its friendliness and some of the characters one invariably meets on a visit.

I hope this 'book' in some way captures the 'essence' and 'culture' of what non-League football is all about.

Dugouts (1.7 Mb PDF)

Oh dear, I suppose this is what I am (in)famous for. Of course, I didn't set out to take photographs of dugouts; it's just that at some grounds I visited there wasn't anything else to take a photograph of and I gradually developed a minor obsession about them.

This 'book' should more properly be titled 'More Dugouts' as the eponymous book has sold getting on for 10,000 copies since it was first published in September 2006. Despite that success for what was, now let's be honest, a rather 'niche' book the publishers decided not to commission a second edition. They were probably right in that, just like the "difficult second album", follow-ups are seldom as successful once the initial novelty has worn off.

Nevertheless, here are a few more of my favourites, discovered since the book was published.

Grass Roots (2.6 Mb PDF)

In addition to my 'fetish' for dugouts, I have become increasingly fascinated by the twilight world of the Groundsman. More often than not, when I turn up at a ground on a Friday or Saturday morning, one of these unsung (and at non-League, often unpaid) heroes will be hard at work, preparing his cherished turf for the onslaught of 23 pairs of boots (let's not forget the Referee). Even if just about everyone else has given up due to a waterlogged pitch or frost, he will persevere until the Referee makes the final decision. He will probably be blamed for a 'bobble' that causes a player to miss an open goal or deceives a goalkeeper and, when everyone is gone home he will be left to do it all over again.

Groundsmen are notoriously fastidious and immensely proud of their surfaces: walk in a goalmouth at your peril. Even when they are not around, the Groundman's presence is still felt by the copious amounts of machinery that is invariably found laying discarded around the pitch and in the undergrowth, some of which looks as if it hasn't been used for years.

Soccer Landscapes (944 Kb PDF)

I like the idea that the landscape can be transformed by the simple act of erecting a set of goalposts and have increasingly been stopping off at the occasional Recreation Ground to take a few photographs when I catch a glimpse of some posts in the corner of my eye when driving past.

This 'book' contains a small selection of photographs, mostly taken around East Sussex.