Founded1879 chatted to Sunderland AFC fan and one of the club’s photographers, Ross Johnston (RJX Media) to discuss his pathway into photography and how he captures all of the passion, emotion and iconic moments of the Black Cats on and off the pitch.
F1879: You produce superb content. There has been some stunning shots recently, including the image of the father and his child walking down the ramp to the concourse which the club used in its season card promotion and the shot of Chris Rigg celebrating with his teammates/fans. What is your favourite Sunderland related photograph you have manage to capture and why?
RJX: Firstly, thank you, it’s very much appreciated. I suppose my main focus was wanting to be in a position to tell the story of the game through a Sunderland fan’s eyes. To capture that real emotion on the build-up to a game and throughout whatever the result.
As I cast my memory back, two images in particular stand out to me. First was the home leg play-off match against Sheffield Wednesday with the Cats Eyes display in the East Stand.
I had an idea of wanting to capture the panoramic image of the full pitch as the players arrived with the pyro going off. The window for opportunity was so small and it was going to be a one take shot of it and hope for the best. It wasn’t till after the game where I believe around 35 or so images were merged together to bring it to life. It was one of those where you sit back and think ‘I can’t actually believe I’ve managed to get it’ – As soon as I got round to posting it my social media blew up. The feedback alone was incredible and that alone was enough of a jab in the arm to be inspired and wanting to get more out of this.
Second image was from the Middlesbrough game where Amad Diallo had scored. Weirdly it felt like time stood still where Amad ran towards me celebrating scoring with his trademark celebration.
It was in the perfect frame where he looked straight down the lens dead centre to get it rather than most of the time you can be off shot getting celebration images on an angle. I held for burst images to hope I’d get at least one where I’d be happy with. Soon as play resumed and after looking back at what was on the camera, I was beaming from ear to ear knowing I nailed it. Like the panoramic image, soon as this was on social media for all to see again, it went crazy.
Out of the two, I’m more likely to go to the Sheff Wed image purely on the basis on it being a real pinch me moment captured in time and with having it framed at home. I see it daily and it reminds me of the clubs journey back to the championship.
F1879: How do you manage to capture all of the emotion and intensity of a match while keeping up with the fast pace of a game?
RJX: Every game is different. It’s an ongoing learning process this as you just never know what can happen. What I’ve had to do more of is separate being a supporter and think of it from a work point of view. As there’s been plenty of times where we’ve scored and the natural reaction is go mental like everyone else around you. Part of me still wants to do that but then you think those vital few seconds will miss that burst of emotion of all ages around you that could be captured in a photo. What I love is standing back in the stands feeding off the energy of the crowd looking to get what I can from behind the camera. As long as my settings are ready for the shot then I’m in a prime place to get what’s needed.
F1879: As a photographer, how do you anticipate key moments during a match, such as goals and tackles etc? Are celebrations easier to shoot? What is your process/technique to help with all of this?
RJX: It’s pretty much like as you’d watch a game but then remembering you’ve got two cameras to work with to get the shots. There’s times in the game where I’ve seen one of our players go in for a tackle and the crowd react to it. You know straight after this if another crunching tackle is going in to be ready for it and snap away.
With the anticipating of a goal coming it’s just being ready focusing around the goal mouth area should it go in the back of the net. Then there’s the madness of the few minutes should we score to be ready for it. Only downside to this is the let down if the players decide to run to the opposite side of the goal to celebrate ha! But then you just work with what you can and hope for the best that the photos you get can tell that story.
F1879: Do you choose your positioning around the pitch based on the same timings each match to try and get the best shots, or does it change throughout the game based on how its playing out?
RJX: Last season I was working alongside an agency where I was tasked just to get the in game action and I’d be stationed behind either goal during each half with no flexibility to move around as this was part of the conditions. So likely any images from last season would have been similar over the course of the season.
Now take this season where I’m doing things differently directly with the club where I’m given a list of things to capture on the day along with my own creativity thrown in the mix. With being part of the club setup, I have more freedom to walk around during the game to get it from all of the different viewpoints. It was something I wanted to do in the very early days of coming in a couple of years back. Now being able to do this going forward is so exciting as you just never know what you can get. It’ll all just depend to where I’m standing at the time and whether it all plays out in our favour. The more we win then the better the images are going to be showcased to show those amazing moments to look back on.
F1879: Can you describe a moment when you captured an unexpected shot that told a great, powerful story?
RJX: It was the night before the play off final at Wembley against Wycombe Wanderers. The fans took over Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square the night before. I knew I wasn’t doing the game with the camera, so the opportunity was there to capture the supporters enjoying themselves here instead. There was this young girl who stood on the edge of the fountain in amongst the crowd. She was standing there waving her Sunderland flag back and forth. The story behind it I’m not sure why but gave that level of confidence going into a game that we are Sunderland and we’re here to fight.
It was like a battle cry to roar us into the game to show no fear. I’ve never been as confident going into a game but when I got this particular shot it sent that wave across social media where you could see the feedback from the fan base being well up for the game. I’d say this has been one where it’s stood out and I still look back on this with fond memories. Even more so after that weekend the parents of the girl got in touch and talked about it more. They were over the moon.
F1879: How do you manage the technical aspects of photography, such as lighting and focus, in varying weather conditions and, given we are talking about a football stadium, a challenging environment?
RJX: You just have to adapt to what you’ve managed to learn along the way. Given it’s over a nine month period where the weather seasons change. It allows you to work under different enviroments. The night games can be a challenge as you’re having to rely heavily on the floodlights within the game to help out compared to a day game. There’s been many a time where I’ve questioned my sanity sitting there soaked in the rain wondering what am I doing and the game hasn’t gone the way I wanted it to be. But it’s all experience at the end of the day and you just continue to learn from it. Thankfully for this season should the weather turn, I have more freedom to make my way into the stands out of the way of being soaked, so that’s a bonus! But there’s also something special about getting the shots in the rain as they can make an image have even more story than just a generic sunny day.
F1879: What are you favourite type of shots – capturing the on-field action? Or candid moments of players, coaches, and fans? And why?
RJX: I love the story of the day from making the way to the stadium right up to the end of the game. There’s just something great about capturing a family… A kids first game.. Group of mates etc heading over and getting those shots. The feedback when I’ve been stopped outside has been amazing and more people come up each week asking to get a photo. I’m more wanting to get the natural shots without them knowing but I’m happy getting what I can on the day. In addition to this you can’t beat player celebration shots. When they’re happy the crowds happy. It makes the workflow process that better.
F1879: Your photography has a very unique look. What role does post-processing play in your work, and how do you ensure the images stay true to the atmosphere of the match whilst standing out?
RJX: I wanted to go down a different route than doing the usual straight out of the camera style shots. I get that they have a place for publications etc where that’s required. But I noticed a gap where it wasn’t what was being used for us. So I knew this would be ideal to make the most of this and put my own style on the images to make them stand out for all to see. As the weeks would pass it began to snowball where more eyes were on what I was doing and were enjoying the content coming out. Over time, I’ve created my own personal preset pack dedicated to the matchday imagery where I can quickly add on to a batch of images and make the fine adjustments where appropriate.
F1879: How do you approach photographing players – for example when the have just arrived at the club during a transfer window – to ensure you capture their personalities off the field?
RJX: No different really to how I’d approach anyone else in my current job. Just being polite and introducing yourself. Asking the general questions about the player and if they happy they’re here and other stuff just to make the conversation comfortable. I’ve found that this is all built on a trust basis as you’re there to showcase the players in the best way. The more you’re around the place you then become a familiar face where there’s been times when I’ve got time to keep the camera aside and have a chat about stuff away from football. All of that helps build a rapport with them where if ever you end up in a situation where you need to be called in to cover something. They already know who you are and you get on with what’s needed, rather than being unsure going into it.
F1879: And finally, how did you first get into photography and how did you become Sunderland AFC’s official Photographer?
RJX: It was around October 2021 where I thought about getting into this properly and purchased my first camera. The initial plan was to focus fully on automotive photography as at the time I was running an Italian Car Club called Abarth Club North East. I wanted to increase the look on our club social media rather than going down the easy route of using a phone. Camera images just add that bit extra and can make your content stand out.
Once Covid hit the nation, our events like everything else got cancelled and I had to move my thought process into other genres to get up to speed using the camera. Over time when things were beginning to return to a normal state, I had built up my following from the amount of landscape imagery I did around the city and wider North East. As a result, I thought about attending an U21 game at the time just to give it a go while not expecting anything more than just getting some experience. After feeding back images to the club just to show what I’ve done and if they wanted to use them, they could do. The club put forward an offer where they could use my landscape images of the city for their socials.
All I asked at the time was just an opportunity to cover an actual league game at the stadium in return if it was at all possible. I got the green light for it and then it sparked the full focus onto this and promoting the city where I can through photography itself. As the years have passed getting more games under my belt, I’ve been fortunate to be asked to come in and cover the 24/25 season with the club alongside their current media team with their in-house photographers. It’s something I’d have never expected would happen but to be able to cover the team you love is a real honour.
Thanks to Ross. Follow him on X.
All photos by Ross Johnston, RJX Media/Sunderland AFC
