Basketball player raises both arms after a score on a London park court, backlit by low autumn sun.
Player in a white T shirt holds a patterned Yinka Ilori basketball at his shoulder in golden afternoon light.
Two players crouch face to face in a one on one on a London park basketball court, park grass behind them.
Profile of a basketball player in a dark team shirt, his hair rim lit by the sun through the trees.
Two players talk between games, the number three on the back of a navy basketball shirt in the foreground.
Two basketball players watch a shot drop, the green court fence and evening sky behind them.
The ball drops through a worn red rim and frayed net on a public basketball court, photographed from below.
A basketball player looks up towards the hoop, park trees falling out of focus behind him.
Player sits on a graffitied courtside bench with a patterned basketball resting on his knees.
Basket Ball at Community Park

Finding Light and Creativity on a London Basketball Court

Street Basketball Photography on a London Park Court

Embracing the power of play has been a game changer in my creative journey. It is a chance for uninhibited self expression, where creativity flows freely and nothing is owed to anyone. Sometimes the best work comes out of the unexpected, and this series is proof of that. A client let me down, the frustration lingered, and the light outside was too good to waste. So I picked up a camera and went out with no brief and no shot list, just the urge to make something. That is when I found them: two players on a London park court, deep in their own rhythm, working on their handles in the last good hour of an October afternoon.

I stayed back and worked long, shooting into the sun so the edge of a shoulder or a head of hair burned out and the trees behind went soft. I went low for the shooting form, tight for the hands on the Yinka Ilori basketball, and straight on for the portrait on the bench once the light had dropped. No lights, no reflectors, no assistant, nothing but what was already on the court.

This is how I photograph sport for brands and editorial clients: available light, real players, no staging beyond asking someone to run it again. The same approach runs through my skateboarding and BMX work, and through commissions like the Red Bull Half Court campaign. If you are planning a street or grassroots sport shoot, start with the sport portfolio or the commissions page, and get in touch.