Photographer Mark Shearman hangs up his digicam

After a outstanding 62 years of capturing photographs of athletes, AW’s long-time snapper is transferring into retirement

At first look, Trevor Burton’s try on the British file for the lads’s pole vault in Might of 1962 may not look like it ought to rank too extremely when it comes to athletics’ landmark moments. Nonetheless, that day at Tooting Bec in London set in movement one other profession that has expertly captured and chronicled nearly the entire most vital performances within the sport’s current historical past. 

A picture of Burton in motion from that assembly graced the duvet of the Might 19 version of Athletics Weekly. The person who took the image? A sure Mark Shearman. It was the primary time the eager runner would see certainly one of his photographs grace the entrance of this journal, however it will definitely not be the final.

Now, after 62 years behind the lens, having lined 14 Olympic Video games, each single World Championships except for Eugene 2022 and numerous different occasions each worldwide and home in between, the world-renowned photographer has determined to name it a day.  

There are few high athletes, definitely from British shores, who haven’t had each stage of their careers caught on Shearman’s digicam and the 81-year-old whose work has appeared in publications all through the globe steps into retirement possessing an encyclopaedic archive of athletics photographs.

Receiving an MBE from the Queen for his providers to sports activities images ten years in the past is certainly one of his most treasured accomplishments, whereas the 2012 Olympics in his house metropolis of London is on the high of his record with regards to the exhaustive record of occasions he has lined. 

Shearman’s remaining project, because it turned out, was the English Cross Nation relays in Mansfield in direction of the tip of final 12 months. Going again to his first, as a part of an interview he did with AW in 2021, he informed me: “In 1962, my twin brother, who was fairly runner and ran for Wimbledon Athletics Membership, mentioned to me: ‘There’s a man making an attempt to interrupt the British file for the pole vault at Tooting Bec. Why don’t you come alongside and take some pictures?’

“The athlete’s title was Trevor Burton from Stoke AC. I went alongside and I took one or two footage, certainly one of which was a picture of him going over the bar. My brother mentioned: ‘There’s {a magazine} referred to as Athletics Weekly. Why don’t you ship it to them? They could be ’. It was the very first image I despatched to the journal they usually printed it on the duvet. 

“I assumed: ‘that was straightforward, let’s proceed down this street!’. In fact I discovered in a short time that it wasn’t at all times that straightforward however that’s the way it began. I didn’t look again.”

Shearman, a 2:48 marathon runner at his peak, set about honing his craft and have become a fixture by the aspect of tracks and within the subject of athletics stadia – to not point out his work at main street races. Having joined the Fox Pictures company after leaving faculty, he started working for himself in 1972. 

Tokyo 1964 was his first Olympics and, although he didn’t have any accreditation both there or at Mexico 1968, he nonetheless expertly photographed the motion from numerous factors within the stands. It was the Munich Video games of 1972 when he first formally obtained behind the ropes. 

“It may be like a battle plan,” he mentioned of how he approached the job at hand. “You’re employed out the place you’re going to be for one occasion after which the way you’ll go into one other. I at all times undergo the timetable beforehand and pick what occasions are a very powerful.”

As Shearman places it, when it got here to getting simply the shot he needed: “I didn’t get a second likelihood. Within the eight years working as much as London 2012, each time I drove previous the stadium being constructed I used to get actually a queasy abdomen. I felt bodily sick with fear, realizing that I used to be going to must carry out when the Video games happened. That’s the one Video games the place I’ve had this sense that ‘it’s the house video games, I’ve obtained to return away with set of images’. It was nervous rigidity and I suppose that clearly helped.

“I’ve obtained to carry out. Within the 100m they run 10 seconds and that’s it. I’ve obtained to carry out eight hours a day for seven, eight, ten consecutive days, so it’s fairly demanding and I don’t suppose lots of people recognize that.”

The appreciation for his work is widespread, nonetheless, and it’s the athletes and officers – lots of whom he got here to depend nearly as good buddies – plus the camaraderie of his fellow photographers that Shearman will miss most.

“It is extremely satisfying if you get the fitting shot,” he added. “It’s much more satisfying if you get a shot that you just plan to do.”

On that foundation, he’s retiring with a lifetime of job satisfaction to recollect.

Tributes…

Sebastian Coe – Two-time Olympic 1500m champion and World Athletics president

For me and each different main British athlete of the final 50 years, Mark Shearman has been a relentless – the person behind the digicam preserving lots of a very powerful moments of our lives. Mark has been there in good instances and dangerous, whether or not we had been sweating in anonymity or dancing beneath the lights, to paraphrase Muhammad Ali.

The measure of a fantastic sports activities photographer is not only the flexibility to seize the second, but additionally the emotion, and Mark mastered that artwork. Our sport is extraordinarily fortunate that he has chosen to maintain his lens firmly focussed on us.

Mark, I congratulate you on an impressive profession, I’m most grateful on your contribution to my very own profession and our sport.

Paula Radcliffe – Former marathon world record-holder and broadcaster

Mark photographed my wedding ceremony. I’m positive it was a unique problem for him than the same old motion ones! It was good, although, to have a pleasant face we knew behind the digicam. I’m making an attempt to recollect after I first met Mark and I can’t as a result of it looks like he was at all times there. It was at all times nice to see his reassuring presence on the infield or press truck as I progress from English Faculties to European and World Juniors and on to Senior World Championships and the Olympics. If I look again via my scrapbook his title comes up on a regular basis within the picture credit! 

In fact I treasure the race photographs but additionally these beautiful photographs Mark shared of post-race instances with my coach Alex and his spouse, my team-mates and naturally my dad and mom and household.

Katharine Merry – Olympic medallist and broadcaster

It’s going to be a really completely different atmosphere to not have Mark strolling round along with his digicam, as a result of I simply don’t know an athletics stadium with out him. He’ll be significantly missed.

A few of the most treasured photographs from my athletics profession had been taken by him and what he’s given to the game, to not point out the best way he’s informed so many tales via his lens, has simply been phenomenal.

Geoff Wightman – Coach, broadcaster and former worldwide marathon runner

There’ll by no means be one other like ‘The Shearmanator’. His retirement from our sport leaves a void that may’t be crammed. No-one will ever once more cowl 14 Olympics behind the lens. 

Mark is now on to his third technology of photographing some households in athletics and has been a well-known and well-liked determine trackside, roadside and particularly at moist and windy cross-country end traces for seven many years.

After some time, you get to recognise a Shearman picture. They’re at all times well-framed, capturing the essential cut up second of motion clearly and at all times exhibiting the spirit and power of our sport. That’s true from lengthy earlier than the appearance of motor drives on cameras and digital imagery re-touches. Mark was at all times the one to get the shot.

His picture archive will serve the game nicely for a few years to return and we stay up for seeing him socially at athletics occasions and for a glass of one thing fruity to accompany lunch at Denbies winery. Cheers and thanks, previous boy. It’s your spherical. 

Wendy Sly – Olympic medallist and managing director of AW

Mark has been current in my life on and off for the 50-odd years that I’ve been concerned in athletics. Firstly as a younger athlete working cross nation, a global and Olympic athlete on the monitor, then in my time with UK Athletics working as a crew supervisor and now on the board. We have now additionally labored collectively for a very long time within the publishing world, first at Athletics As we speak and extra not too long ago in my function as MD of AW.

At AW we always look to Mark and his again catalogue for footage, whether or not they be of present athletes once they had been younger, iconic photographs from days passed by or sadly footage that seize a passing athlete’s best moments.

A well-known determine on the infield and at end traces within the mud, rain, wind and solar, Mark will likely be sorely missed by so many within the sport previous and current.

Have an exquisite retirement Mark, particularly relish the additional time you’ll must get pleasure from your favorite espresso and cake. It’s nicely deserved!

Jack Buckner – Former European 5000m champion and UKA chief government

Mark Shearman has been an exquisite ever-present determine in athletic stadiums my complete athletics life. Like generations of athletes, Mark Shearman pictures are on my wall and in my picture album. He has photographed nearly each second of athletics significance for extra years than I can keep in mind. Extra importantly he’s a stunning man with an enormous ardour and affection for our sport. His images library is a treasure trove of athletics and helps us promote the game immediately. Get pleasure from your retirement Mark – we will miss you dashing throughout the stadium however your many buddies within the sport will keep up a correspondence.

Dave Moorcroft – Former 5000m world record-holder and former UKA chief government 

Mark is, and at all times will likely be, a star of our sport. For a lot of, a few years his ardour for athletics at each stage has shone via in his images. His photographs have helped seize the drama and feelings of athletes and athletics over the many years however it isn’t solely his persevering with presence at main championships that will likely be missed, he has additionally been equally dedicated to native and grassroot competitions in any respect ranges.

Thanks, Mark. You’ve got helped inform the story of hundreds and hundreds of athletes for a few years and we’ll at all times treasure your work.

» The above function was first printed within the December subject of AW journal, which is out now. Subscribe to AW journal right here, take a look at our new podcast right here or signal as much as our digital archive of again points from 1945 to the current day right here