The Guardian sport photographer selects his favourite images he has taken this year and recalls the stories behind them
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his is a selection of some of my favourite pictures taken at events I’ve covered this year, quite a few of which haven’t been published before. Several have been chosen for their news value, others purely for their aesthetic value, while some are here just because there’s a nice story behind them.
Lens 30mm, 1/1600 f4.5, ISO 5000
I’m starting off with a bit of chaos caused by one of Arsenal’s famous attacking corner routines, this time at the north London Derby early in the year. As a photographer I can plan around these, knowing with a fair level of certainty where the ball is going to be played. This image is taken on a remote camera tucked low down behind one of the poles holding the net up. I’ve angled it and fixed the focus on exactly the area I think a corner would be aimed. The Emirates could well be my favourite place to photograph football, with its clean, dark backgrounds (especially at night) and perfect low-down shooting angles.
