By Camilla Tait Robb
As photographer Ross Kinnaird covers his final event on the DP World Tour, we speak to him about his career capturing some of the most iconic moments in golf and sport over the past 40 years.
There’s an image of Ronaldo in 1998, running so fast he looked as if he were dragging the game behind him at the World Cup. Another of David Beckham in his prime, shaping a free kick that defined a generation. Australia running out South Africa in the most chaotic instant of the Cricket World Cup. Martin Kaymer turning toward the lens after holing the winning putt during the Miracle of Medinah. Tiger in 2008, winning the U.S. Open on a broken body. Rory McIlroy’s first professional win. Italia ’90. Barcelona ’92. The Rugby World Cup in ’99. Linford Christie. Steve Redgrave. Steffi Graf. Sally Gunnell. Mike Tyson.
Ross Kinnaird’s career has placed him at the centre of the most iconic sporting moments and events of the last forty years, helping to capture the emotion of memories that will outlive all of us. Four Olympics. Five football World Cups. Rugby World Cups. Ryder Cups. Major championships. And through all of it, he’s maintained a competitive fire to get the perfect frame every time he steps onto a course, a pitch, a track that makes him one of the most respected photographers in sport.
Yet it’s none of these iconic moments that he’ll hang in his house when he puts the camera down. Right now, the only pictures he has at home are old clippings in a box in his attic. But he’s earmarked one. And like Kinnaird himself — a man whose portfolio would give him every right to an ego he’s never once shown — the image he’s chosen is humble, understated, and entirely unlike the moments he’s known for.
He’s taken more than 157,000 images for Getty. He’s known for freezing emotion in 1/1000th of a second. But the photograph he’d choose to live with is one he loves precisely because it goes against his usual instincts.
It’s an image of Tiger Woods, rendered in black and white, taken during the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive. Tiger stands with his back to the camera, shoulders squared, the club hanging loosely in his right hand. The crowd behind him is a soft blur as Tiger stands still and statuesque, the figure of a man who has been at the forefront of the sport for two decades. Kinnaird has taken almost 4,000 photographs of Woods, but this quiet portrait of focus and solitude, is the one he calls beautiful.
“I’ve earmarked one,” he tells me. “It's literally just a picture of Tiger Woods standing with his back to me, but that picture means a lot to me. It went against my skill sets really. I had quite a nice reputation for being able to capture a moment — the winning putt, the goal, the this, the that, the other, 100 metres, whatever. And we’ve got a number of guys (at Getty Images) who are super artistic and talented. And it’s one of the prettiest pictures I’ve taken. Quite simple.
“I genuinely like it, which is nice. A lot of the moments are tremendous — they really are. I can still remember Sally Gunnell’s 400 metres at the Sydney Olympics. I was so pleased I was there. I didn’t do many Wimbledons, but I did a few. Steffi Graf in her prime is a magnificent athlete, a champion. There’s a lot of things. When football had Beckham, you couldn’t take your eyes off him. But it’s this Tiger one that’s got a chance of making it home. The others, I’m super proud of them, but I’m not really sure I want them dotted around the house.”
This week marks his final event as a Getty photographer on the DP World Tour, and fittingly, it’s another image of Woods that first captures my attention when we look back at his career. It’s an entirely different landscape, but it’s Dubai, with Woods standing on a platform on the Burj al Arab.
“I think Dubai and Shanghai set the standards with previews and getting the star players to do strange things,” he laughs as he recalls the memory. “This one is tremendous.
“Dave (Cannon) was up in a helicopter doing a wider shot and I went up to the top of that verge, out on a little staircase, sitting on the thing, no harness. It was ridiculous, but it really made a great frame. That was surreal. It really was surreal, yeah.
“You can see how much Dubai has changed too. When we were just coming here once a year, always in January, you'd come back around this part of the city and there would be 50 skyscrapers that weren't there last year.”
Those changing landscapes are just one of many talking points, and as we sit overlooking the 18th green at Emirates Golf Club, Kinnaird takes in the surroundings with the same quiet appreciation he brings to his work. The morning is overcast but quiet, while the earliest groups filter through in front of us. It feels like the right moment to look back on a life spent behind the lens.
His colleague and good friend Andrew Reddington sent a montage of eight photos, and it’s there we start, looking at Ronaldo, at Kaymer, at all 11 members of Australia’s cricket team.
When you look back at all of this, the moments, the travel, the events you’ve been to, what is the feeling that comes to you first?
I’m very proud. It’s really been a privilege. I have had a long career, and I always felt that if you are still out here when it is time to retire, you have done a pretty good job. Barcelona 92, Italia 90, those World Cups were incredible. Some fans were not even born and they still know what Italia 90 is. Gazza, Nessun Dorma, the whole thing.
My first World Cup was unbelievable. I think I did 26 out of 28 games. A lot of work, a lot of travel, criss-crossing Italy, but great fun. You get on a real roll when you are working every day.
And with golf, most people think that is all I have done, but I have been fortunate. Four Olympics, five World Cups, Rugby World Cups. The travel has been tremendous, every continent, new experiences.I am proud. Someone has paid me to do this for a long time, so I must be doing something right.
You’ve been there for Rory’s first win, Tommy’s first win, Kaymer at Medinah. These are images that help define careers. How does it feel, to have your legacy intertwined with theirs?
It is very cool. I did not realise that event here in 2009 was Rory’s first win. I knew Shane’s, because that was a big one. Shane winning as an amateur, that four hole play-off in the rain, that was incredible. Andy Reddington and I were drenched. But the reward was a great frame. That moment lasted seconds. If you did not get it in three or four seconds, it was gone. At the time you do not really think “this is the start of something huge”. You are just trying to get the picture. Who would have known he would go on to have the career he has had.
I did not realise Tommy’s either. That is the thing. At the start of a career you do not always realise how significant those pictures are. You look back later and think that was pretty cool, being there for their first wins.
We look at these moments, and I wonder, is there a photograph where you thought, I am glad I was there for that one?
Medinah is the one for me. That was the best, personally. There have been some great ones, but that one felt different. The whole place was buzzing, the tension was ridiculous, and you knew something special was happening even before the putt dropped.
We had a team covering everything, so most people were focused on the captain and the rest of the players. I did not want that big white background dominating my frame, so I went a little bit off piste to find something cleaner. You are always trying to think one step ahead, because if you stand where everyone else is standing, you will get the same picture as everyone else.
Fortunately, the way Martin putts helped me. He putts side on. A lot of golfers follow the line of the putt with their celebration, but he did not. He just stood up, turned straight ninety degrees from the putt, and looked right at me. It was one of those moments where you think, “yes, that is the one”. You do not get many of those in a career.
On to another of those iconic images. You won awards for the picture of Australia running out South Africa at the Cricket World Cup. What is it like to look back at something so important to your career?
There are moments that stay with you, and that one is right up there. The logistics were pretty difficult. It was film in those days, thirty six frames, that is all you had. No digital, no continuous shooting.
I had set up a remote camera at Edgbaston in the members pavilion. I was sitting near it, but I had given one of the members a cable release and said “right, when I tell you, press that button and do not stop”. So I am watching the play, watching him, waiting for the moment, and then I just shout now.
To be fair to him, he hit the button and the whole thirty six went. And luckily, and it really was luck, every Australian ran into frame. All eleven. The run out was chaotic, bodies everywhere, and the last man just makes it into the picture. If it had been ten, it would have annoyed me forever.
You did not know what you had until the editor processed it. That is the thing with film. Once you have shot it, it is out of your hands. But when I saw it, I thought “yes, that has worked”. Even now, Getty’s editors make our work better. They can make the slightest change and elevate it. But that one was a good day.
Has there ever been a moment where the photo almost did not happen, but you are glad you captured it?
Carnoustie, the Open that Paul Lawrie won, there’s a photo of Van de Velde in the Barry Burn. We had been told very clearly that we were going to be forty yards back from the Barry Burn, do not go anywhere near it.
I remember watching that ball go in and thinking I am just going to have to run. I knew I would get told off, but golf could not not have that picture. It had to be taken. So I just went, blow it, I am off, and two or three others followed. We were not knocking people over, but to get that frame you had to be somewhere you technically should not be. I’m sure the R&A and The Open are pleased they have it now.
Is there a place or event that feels particularly special to you? Or a picture that’s special that no one will ever see?
Definitely the Ryder Cups. Working with the Tour and Ryder Cup Europe, we have incredible privilege, being inside the team, producing material for their albums. The public never sees those. Being in the locker room after a long day, they are exhausted, and we are trying not to intrude, but they want those pictures down the line.
Some celebrations at Medinah were wild. Poulter with the American police security guards. Nobody will see that. And Hazeltine, Darren Clarke’s Ryder Cup, we were invited into the team room. Niall Horan was there. Everyone wanted him to sing. He said he would, but no phones or cameras. It was just for the team.
You have covered Beckham, Tiger, Rory, so many athletes in their prime. What stands out from that part of your career? Do you often see your work in unexpected places? I noticed your picture of Victoria and Brooklyn Beckham on the news the other day…
You could not take your eyes off Beckham. He was iconic and I was heavily involved in football in those days. That picture was taken when England were based in Baden-Baden, a sleepy little retirement type of town in Germany. Beautiful area, they were up a mountain in a tremendous hotel, quite isolated. But all the wives and girlfriends that were soon to be known as wags, they were literally just walking around the city, the town, choreographing what was going on, pictures galore, they weren't hiding. And they became the story. They were on the front pages, the boys were on the back pages. And yeah, before kick-off you were just focusing on the crowd and where the families sit.
Then I moved into golf when the biggest star in the world was Tiger Woods. And now we have Rory and Tommy, number two and three in the world. Rory is brilliant to watch. He hands out pictures like confetti because he is so emotional. It is not difficult to get a picture of Rory.
What about places you’ve been to. Has your work ever taken you somewhere that surprised you?
I really enjoy Asia. I like a bit of chaos. Getting through an airport, getting to an event. I never panicked or saw it as a chore. It was carnage and good fun.
You go to places that are beautifully organised and it is pleasant, but not exciting. Asia, parts of America, brilliant. I have not seen enough of Africa. I have only really seen the golfy parts. There are big gaps left.
To sustain a career as long as you have, you’ve obviously got a lot of drive to get the right shot. Has it been easy to maintain that competitiveness, does it help working in the Getty team?
To self motivate is an attribute, and I enjoy that. I want the best picture. I remember a rugby shot at Twickenham. I got it and thought it was great, then the guy next to me got it and his was even better. I was sick. I went home kicking furniture. But I was pleased I was that angry. If I did not care, then maybe I really had lost it. You cannot get everything, but the minute it does not matter, you should not be doing this.
With the Getty team, we push each other. We all have different skill sets. If someone takes a clever frame, I think I need to try that. If I get the winning moment, they want a piece of it. I have enjoyed the competitive side and pushing and working with some, you know, you work alongside Warren (Little) who is so artistic in the way he can work, and I look and I think, how do you do that? I can't do that.
We are a good team. Getty have been supportive. The Tour has been a brilliant platform. Great venues, best players. I like a team. I could not have been freelance. I might have made more money, but I would not have enjoyed it.
How has golf been different to everything else you've done? And how does that tempo shape the way that you work?
You're in an event for a long time. If they've got a practice day, a pro-am, you're six days. And it's, without being too corny, you do sort of pace yourself.
And then when you get to the last three or four holes, if there's two or three guys in the mix, the adrenaline does kick in, your mind works quicker. Where are the other guys? Have I got to get from A to B? And even if we're working as a team of three, if it goes to a play-off, we're hyped. You just think, well, somebody's going back here, someone's there. And for quite a sedate sport, those two or three holes, and certainly the last hole, there's a buzz. You'll hear the crowd, there's an ooh and an aah with every shot. And we react to that. It pushes us along.
As technology has changed over your career, has it become easier to realise if you have ‘got the shot’?
It's easier now, no doubt about it, the technology with the cameras. You see quicker. And mirrorless means you can work without the players getting distracted. So that gives you a bit more freedom around the greens for portraits and things. But you can work a good session of the day and come in for coffee and you've got some hopes that “oh that should be nice”. You send it back to the editor and then you might look at it and say “mmm not quite as good as I thought” or you might say “mmm good yeah that's exactly what I wanted”.So you do still get a little bit because if you think the player has celebrated or thrown into club or done something and you may have just missed the club, started to come down a bit because that's all going on.
What is the plan for your final round at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic? Do you still feel pressure to capture a big moment, even in your last event?
Definitely. If it was a penalty late in a game, you size your options. You need the kicker, but what is he going to do next. What lens have you got. It is stressful in a nice way.
The final putt, there will be three of us from Getty. We all want the best picture. I want it, but if I have not got it, I want one of the others to have it. But you are stressed, watching, working it out.
My role on a Sunday is to get the players who are running around making low scores. I have to be in the right place at the right time. It is a lot of logistics, getting from A to B. It is a nice challenge.
Now that you are retiring, do you have any advice to pass on to aspiring photographers?
My advice to any youngster in any form of media, is that technology is easier but you still have to boss the cameras and the videos or whatever it may be. You can't just let that machine dominate you and think “I'm doing a good job”. You've still got to take over, take control of your camera or whatever you're trying to do. So that was a nice, it's always been a part of what I try to do.
