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By Amy Boytz
Photo by Randall Scott
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Steve Line |
Steve Line, squash photographer extraordinaire, worked briefly for a golf magazine and had shot some tennis photos before coming to squash. Now, 20 years later, he is the official photographer of the men's and women's pro associations and the World Squash Federation. Thumb through any of six magazines devoted to squash and you'll find his work. His website, www.squashpics.com, houses more than 1500 ever-changing images. In the last decade, Line's name became household following his pictures of two incidents: The Head Butt and The Thong. The first capturing Mir Zaman Gul assaulting Anthony Hill on-court, the second blazing Vicky Botwright in all her glory.
Perusing Line's work, one might assume that photographing squash is 'easy.' His pictures are in focus, exciting, strategic. But 'easy' this profession is not. 'Squash is one of the toughest sports to photograph because of its low light level, fast action, and restricted photographic positions,' Line explains. A 21' x 32' room meant to hold only two frenetic players, their racquets, and a flying ball doesn't easily accommodate a photographer.
Line, behind the glass wall of the court, frequently hunkers on his knees below the tin, cranes his neck, and aims, hoping that the player in the frame doesn't move too quickly. 'I have frozen in the outside camera pit at Cardiff, laid on my stomach for hours in a broom cupboard in Bromley, and lost pounds of perspiration covering the World Teams in humid Singapore,' recounts Line.
No matter the travails, Line keenly journeys to tournaments far and away in seek of delivering the quintessential shots.
(To read more about Line and his work, please grab a copy of the October 2002 issue of Squash Magazine. Also, see Line's website at www.squashpics.com)
joan |
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Feb 2008
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