Guests gathered beside the rugby pitch at Allianz Stadium, with the tiers of seating and stadium roof surrounding them.
This was a shoot I’d been looking forward to for ages, and it didn’t disappoint. I was at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham to photograph a pitchside BBQ with the England rugby squad, joining hundreds of guests for an event supporting the RFU Injured Players Foundation.
It certainly wasn’t a booking I took for granted. Standing pitchside, with those huge stands surrounding us, was quite something before the players had even arrived. I enjoyed every second of being there.
A BBQ with the England squad
Once the guests had settled in and drinks had been served, the England team were introduced and the mingling began. For the supporters, this was a chance to have a BBQ and a beer with their sporting heroes, chat casually and ask some of the questions they’d always wanted to ask.
What struck me was how relaxed it all felt. Everyone seemed on the same level, enjoying the food and the company. Rugby has a special way of connecting supporters with players, and this was a lovely example of it.
There were plenty of photographs together and rugby balls being signed, but the conversations were just as important to photograph. The smiles and reactions gave a much better sense of the event than a set made up entirely of posed groups.
Food, wine and a rather good parking spot
The BBQ food was cooked on Big Green Egg equipment, with guests gathering around the serving tables between conversations. There was plenty to cover here too, from the cooking itself to people collecting their food, all with the pitch and stands in the background.
Nyetimber supplied the English sparkling wine and brought along a very cool branded Land Rover, parked pitchside. I couldn’t leave that out of the photographs. Alongside the people and the wider views, details like these helped show what made this particular event different.
Live music was part of the event as well. Photographing the musicians against the stadium backdrop added another part of the occasion to the coverage, beyond the conversations and group photographs.
Stories from the players
Partway through the event, a few of the players took part in a Q&A. Rugby players know how to tell a good story, and these sessions are often one of my favourite parts of photographing rugby events. This one was a lot of fun.
For the photographs, I wanted both the wider view of the speakers in that setting and the expressions between answers. The reactions of the players listening could be just as good as the person holding the microphone.
An event I was pleased to be part of
For me, the appeal of photographing this event was the combination of an impressive venue and a very relaxed gathering. I could step back to show the scale of the stadium, then move closer to photograph a conversation or a laugh between guests and players.
The event supported the RFU Injured Players Foundation, giving the gathering another important purpose. It was a privilege to be hired to photograph it, and a shoot I’ll remember for a long time.
