A little more about Sportography
By now you'll have seen examples of our work and possibly read our introduction on the home page. We would however like to tell you a little bit more about how to work with us, and hopefully answer some of your questions.
Sportography was formed in February 2011 and our team consists of Mark Johnston and Steve Olive. We're both very keen photographers and Mark has been taking pictures professionally for many years.
To date our work has been published nationally in The Daily Mirror and The Racing Post, plus we've featured in plenty of other sports-related publications, both online and in print.
We came up with the idea for the business when invited to photograph a rugby tournament in Wellington, Somerset. Previously photographers had sold pictures at the event, and whilst we understood that people liked the immediacy of having prints to take away, we felt that we could deliver a better product for less money if printing was performed after the event. Better because we can use professional print labs, and better because we can spend some time making each shot as good as possible.
Whilst we don't spend hours with electronic 'trickery', we do give every picture some individual attention to get the best from it. That's usually just some cropping, colour correction and exposure adjustments. You can see what we mean by visiting our 'Before and After' page.
Now you know what we do, you'd probably like to know about our fees and how to book us. The booking bit is simple, just get in touch via our contact page and we'll let you know about our availability. If we can be there, we will be. The fees are simpler, there aren't any.
Sometimes, just one of us attends an event, sometimes both. Either way we'll take a LOT of pictures. Normally they're available to view right here on our website on the next day, and maybe even on the same day. From that point you can browse them and purchase any that you'd like.
The prints will then be delivered to your address by one of our print partners, and that's normally within 3 days of your order.
As we mentioned earlier, there's normally no charge for us to attend an event but we will discuss this in advance. We donate 20% of sales profits to the client but there is no obligation for anyone to purchase anything.
Sportography was formed in February 2011 and our team consists of Mark Johnston and Steve Olive. We're both very keen photographers and Mark has been taking pictures professionally for many years.
To date our work has been published nationally in The Daily Mirror and The Racing Post, plus we've featured in plenty of other sports-related publications, both online and in print.
We came up with the idea for the business when invited to photograph a rugby tournament in Wellington, Somerset. Previously photographers had sold pictures at the event, and whilst we understood that people liked the immediacy of having prints to take away, we felt that we could deliver a better product for less money if printing was performed after the event. Better because we can use professional print labs, and better because we can spend some time making each shot as good as possible.
Whilst we don't spend hours with electronic 'trickery', we do give every picture some individual attention to get the best from it. That's usually just some cropping, colour correction and exposure adjustments. You can see what we mean by visiting our 'Before and After' page.
Now you know what we do, you'd probably like to know about our fees and how to book us. The booking bit is simple, just get in touch via our contact page and we'll let you know about our availability. If we can be there, we will be. The fees are simpler, there aren't any.
Sometimes, just one of us attends an event, sometimes both. Either way we'll take a LOT of pictures. Normally they're available to view right here on our website on the next day, and maybe even on the same day. From that point you can browse them and purchase any that you'd like.
The prints will then be delivered to your address by one of our print partners, and that's normally within 3 days of your order.
As we mentioned earlier, there's normally no charge for us to attend an event but we will discuss this in advance. We donate 20% of sales profits to the client but there is no obligation for anyone to purchase anything.
Mark and Steve - "In the Frame"
Mark Johnston
Mark is passionate about equine photography and is currently the official photographer at Taunton Racecourse. He's also accredited to work at Cheltenham and Aintree Racecourses.Very keen on garden and wildlife photography, Mark has had various articles published in magazines such as Somerset Life. He has also exhibited at galleries in Torquay, Tavistock and Taunton.
You can view a few samples of Mark's press coverage and exhibition below.
Steve Olive
Although a decent photographer in his own right, Steve's the technical guru in the business.Whether it's photo processing, cataloguing, or website supervision and print delivery, Steve is in his element.
With 25 years in natural history film-making and a keen eye for sports photography, our digital imagery expert completes the team.
The Wharf Gallery - Tavistock
Exhibition by Mark Johnston
"An exhibition at The Wharf Gallery by Richard Johnston featured work from the world of horse racing and eventing, plus other examples of wildlife photography. Mark has a reportage style of photography and has been accredited at Gatcombe Park and Badmington as well as various racecourses.Mark is also a keen photographer of gardens, with both pictures and articles featuring in various magazines and other publications"
Taunton Library - Somerset
Mark's First Exhibition - Extract from Limited Edition Magazine
"Freelance photograper Mark Johnston held his first exhibition at Taunton Library for ten days last month. Mark, of Wellington is self-taught and started taking photographs as therapy following a riding accident.As well as specialising in equine photography, Mark is also very keen on photographing gardesn, quoting Hadspen and Forde Abbey amongst his favourites.
He likes all outdoor and informal photography and would like to add wildlife and rock concert pictures to his portfolio."
"Bred for Riding" - Somerset Life Magazine
A profile of Philip Hobbs, by Mark Johnston - Published in 2001
An interesting article by Mark, which featured in a 2001 edition of Somerset Life Magazine. "Bred for Riding" profiles Somerset trainer Philip Hobbs, discussing his career training facilities and racing success.The article is available to view as a PDF file, by clicking on the image.
"Rising to the Occasion" - Limited Edition Magazine
Bristol Balloon Fiesta
Mark Johnston captured the the action at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta. This yearly event takes place at at Ashton Court, with upwards of 100,000 people attending the event.
The spectacle is completed with the famous 'night glow' when hundreds of balloons ascend into the sky over Bristol. The images shown here represent are from a vast archive of Mark's work and they also represent the diverse range of sports that we're keen to be involved with.