Memories and inspiration behind Seve: His life through the Lens

David Cannon, the author of Seve: His life through the Lens, shares the inspiration and memories behind his stunning new book.

Featuring unseen images and exclusive family portraits, a stunning new book about the life of Severiano Ballesteros, Europe’s most charismatic golfer, is published on Friday May 7 to coincide with the tenth anniversary of his tragic passing.

The R&A and European Tour supported book Seve: His Life through the Lens has been compiled by Getty Images award-winning photographer David Cannon, doyen of golf photographers and long-time admirer and friend of the colourful Spaniard and former World Number One, who died aged 54 on 7 May 2011.

The book opens with a moving ‘Thank You’ letter written by Seve’s eldest son Javier and on behalf of his brother Miguel and sister Carmencita. The Ballesteros family have also generously supplied a number of previously unpublished ‘family portraits’ of them with their father.

Each chapter begins with a story by renowned golf writer Robert Green, author of two books about Seve, and includes a ‘Moment in Time’ piece by David where he reveals some of the background stories behind many of his favourite images of Seve.

We spoke to David in conjunction with the book release, where he reflected on how the book came to be, his relationship with Seve, and how important it was for him to celebrate every aspect of his life.

How would you describe the new book, and what was your inspiration behind putting it all together?

I very much hope that the book shows Seve's life and incredible legacy to the European Tour, The Ryder Cup and The Open Championship and to golf in Europe as a whole. In fact his legacy to golf around the globe. I wanted the book to showcase what I felt was a selection of the most iconic images of his career as well as those that told a story. I have taken probably only 50% of the pictures in the book I very much wanted to choose pictures I saw and loved by many great photographers who trained their lenses on Seve throughout his career.

I wanted to make a book that chronicled Seve's life in pictures. He was my sporting hero from the moment I first met him playing with him in a pro-am at The Leicestershire Golf Club two months before the world discovered Seve at The Open in 1976.

How long did it take you to complete?

We started designing the book over Christmas with a very loose idea of how it was going to be structured. I had a meeting with Robert Green who has written six essays for the start of each chapter in early December 2020 to go through 500+ images I had trawled from the Getty Archive that were in real order. The final pages were sent to press on March 19th 2021. I only met the designer Doug Cheeseman in person in late February. The whole book was effectively produced on line.

From the family’s help to essays and contributions from players like Olazabal, who else was involved?

Sir Nick Faldo wrote a great piece for the tribute section at the conclusion of the book as well as the lovely piece from Jose Maria Olazabal. Ian Poulter sent me a special quote - one great current Ryder Cup star about the greatest European player of all.

I had enormous help from Robert Green who helped with knowledge and his wonderful essays. I also had a huge amount of help from Nick Edmund, my great friend who polished my jumbled ramblings into fabulous captions and words.

The book really is a wonderful depiction of Seve’s life, and his career. How important was it to you to celebrate every aspect of him/get the tone right of the book?

This to me was hugely important. Seve was a very private man and loved more than anything to be left at home in Northern Spain. I think his smile to me as a photographer was almost ever present and the book shows this wonderfully. In all his family pictures the natural magnetic smile shines so brightly. By showing every aspect of his life it produced a natural balance to the book. Honestly though he was so fantastic to photograph.

You knew Seve for a long time, and being behind the camera gave you a unique perspective of his career. Do you have any stand-out memories that you could share about your relationship?

I think the February afternoon in 1992 I spent with Seve on Somo Beach near his home in Pedrena where he showed me how he dug the holes into the smooth rock hard sand with an old soup can, attached a handkerchief to a small branch and putted for hours imagining he was putting on the lightning fast greens of Augusta National has to be the most memorable day in my life as a sports photographer.

The sheer joy he showed when he said "you want to see where I learnt to putt" after a lunch in The Royal Pedrena Golf Club clubhouse was a moment I always treasure.

Seve: His life through the lense

Below, find a closer look at a selection of some of his favourite images from the book.

Ryder Cup 1991 Kiawah Island - I love this picture of the greatest Ryder Cup pairing in history with a record that is unlikely ever to be matched. The young Jose Maria Olazabal leapt onto Seve's shoulders just as the American pair were waiting to hit. Luckily I held my nerve and clicked away and did not put them off!

This picture of Seve was taken on my favourite photographic day of my career. We were on the beach near his home in Pedrena in Northern Spain, where he showed me how he would use a used soup can to cut a hole in the sand and tie a handkerchief to a stick to make the perfect hole - to practice for Augusta he said!

These two are two of my favourites.

On the left, my favorite action picture ever! Seve in full flow during the second round of The Open Championship at Royal Lytham in 1988 which he won.

On the right is the front cover of the book - what can I say it still send chills down my spine imagining if I had got this one out of focus!

The picture that accompanies Javier's beautiful words about his father at the start of the book.

From the family private collection - Seve as a young boy doing what young boys do jumping on a motor scooter and posing on his way to school! I just love the happiness etched all over his face.

From the PGA Championship at Wentworth in 1998 - I discovered how special this picture is whilst editing this book. On close inspection I spotted his elder brother standing at the back and then having sent this to the family for confirmation Miguel his youngest boy came back saying that you could just see him behind Seve's grip from a piggy-back on his mum' shoulders! Seve shot 65 that morning at Wentworth.

Published by Vision Sports Publishing, the award-winning specialist publisher that has produced acclaimed historic books across tennis, rugby and football, http://www.sevethebook.com/" target="_blank" >Seve: His Life through the Lens retails at a RRP of £35 per copy, or a Collectors’ boxed version which is only available through the official website, priced £95. This special limited run edition of just 1,000 sets includes a numbered art print (285mm x 210mm) of the front cover image of Seve winning The Open at St Andrews, signed by David Cannon.

For more details about the book and the Collectors’ edition, visit www.sevethebook.com