Coco Gauff, Australian Open: Heart of the Nation
Tennis’ teenage superstar and tonight’s AO semi-finalist liked this image so much she made sure her 1.6m Instagram followers got to see it too.
Scott Barbour is always looking for different perspectives as a sports photographer.
At the Australian Open, he’s afforded many. “It’s a really good event for photographers because we’re given access to all sorts of areas that you don’t get at other events,” he says.
One of his favourite spots is the gantry under the retractable roof of Margaret Court Arena. Known as the “catwalk”, it’s where powerful lights are rigged for concerts.
From this elevated perspective you can get “really dynamic, unusual images” in late afternoon when crisp shadows are thrown across the court, he says.
“It really allows you to play around as a photographer, to let those creative juices flow.”
This image of Coco Gauff – the 19-year-old American who won her first Major singles title, the US Open, in September – is a case in point.
Gauff is pictured playing a forehand from the baseline on a part of the court where bright, direct sunshine meets shade; Barbour deftly directs the viewer’s focus to her shadow by presenting the image on its side, rotated right through 90 degrees. Isn’t it lovely how it captures her athletic grace?
Barbour, a Kiwi who jumped the Ditch in 1999, is an official photographer at the Australian Open, where he spends three weeks shooting not only the on-court action but player portraits, practice sessions and behind-the-scenes stuff.
This particular image caught the eye of a rather special person – Coco Gauff herself. She messaged Barbour to ask if she could post it on her Instagram page. Sure, he said. Her 1.6 million followers loved it.
A few of them commented on the resemblance to the iconic “Jumpman” logo – a silhouette of basketball star Michael Jordan – that Nike uses to promote its Air Jordan shoes. Perhaps Barbour should patent it, quick.
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• Nine weeks in the Nullarbor: a photographer’s dream
• Mathew Newton’s Forest Wars series captures fight over Tasmania’s wilderness