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Russ Ellis, a self-taught sports photographer from the UK, likes to look at things differently. The result is a portfolio of beautiful and compelling images; photographs that surpass genre expectations, delving into the lives of his human subjects and the cities they compete in.
Russ explains the story behind one of his unique shots – a pristine photo of a lone cyclist against the towering backdrop of Abu Dhabi…
“This photograph was shot in Abu Dhabi at the Tour of Abu Dhabi bike race. It was shot on the A9 with the 16-35mm G Master Lens. I'm primarily a cycling photographer but I have always tried to shoot the sport in a non-traditional "sports photography" way. I like to try and tell stories with my photographs and create images that are more artistic and interesting than standard action shots.
Bike racing in Abu Dhabi is still very much in its infancy and there aren't many spectators that come to watch the event, so I wanted to try and show that in the image. I found a spot that had no people in but had great views of the huge city; I wanted the juxtaposition of the emptiness against the vast architecture to tell the story of what the racing is currently like in the UAE. I went up high onto some steps and shot the image wide to keep the rider small in the frame – again, to portray the small amount of interest in the race. The image also works as an urban landscape photograph, which I think adds more interest than if it had been a traditional sports image, where the rider would have filled most of the frame.”
Camera: Sony α9
Lens: FE 16-35mm F2.8 G Master
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