In this issue of Within Our Borders, Yello chats with Haron Forteau, one of Grenada’s top sports photographers. Several of Haron’s vivid images of Olympian Lindon Victor appear in the editorial Face Behind the Cover article in the Grenada 2025 Telephone Directory. The photographer graciously discussed the thrills of capturing some of Grenada’s most notable athletes, his most memorable moments, his professional heroes, and more.

Sports in the Caribbean is a ‘big deal’, especially as the region is home to many of the world’s top athletes in several disciplines. Popular championships like the FIFA World Cup, the CARIFTA Games, the Pan American Games and the Olympics draw thousands. Therefore, we’re excited to share this discussion, as sports photography is somewhat of an unconventional vocation in the Caribbean.

Although the profession holds much allure internationally, it fails to get the same recognition in our territory. Also, it requires significant, ongoing financial investment. For many, especially freelance photographers like Haron Forteau of Haron Forteau Media, it’s the passion for it that continues to drive them despite the challenges. Behind their cameras, all is suspended as they skillfully capture outstanding victories or crushing defeats.

Read on as Haron shares his love of sports photography and his experiences capturing some of the most pivotal moments in Grenadian sports.

With a surname like ‘Forteau’ it seems you were destined for your craft. How did you first get involved with photography?

I first got involved back in 2005 when my sister bought a digital camera. It was my first time using one, and it captivated me. Although I don’t draw or paint, I’m always fascinated by art and creativity. I love information technology and art, and found digital photography provided a unique way to merge the two. I mainly do photography but intend to add documentaries and short-form videos to my repertoire.

What other types of photography do you provide?

In addition to sports photography, I do corporate, real estate/landscape, event and portraiture photography. I am also working on having photography workshops and showcasing the importance of authentic photography in the space of AI-generated information. I have many plans in the pipeline, but photography is my main medium for the present.

What drew you to the sports aspect, and how long have you been doing sports photography?

The sports aspect resulted from an appreciation that developed while working as a graphic designer. I noticed many international magazines had quality images of athletes, and I was curious about how they were captured.

To a great extent, I felt the genre was calling me. We had so many local athletes, and I wondered why we weren’t capturing them on the same level. So, I decided to do some research to figure out what I needed to do and learn. At the time, Kirani was on the rise and Alleyne Francique and a few others were competing internationally. It was an interesting time to be around sports, and the level of access I had was significant. I realised I could show the narrative of what our athletes were doing. It felt like it was a story that needed to be told.

Ultimately, the ethos of what I love doing is capturing moments, and I’m a big fan of sports. So, the niche pretty much opened up itself. In 2011, I got my first digital camera, a Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera and started.

Do you focus on a specific athlete, all sporting events locally, or Grenadian athletes performing regionally?

I’m focusing on sports locally, such as track and field, football, cricket, and rugby. I cover major events like secondary schools’ Intercol Championships, international meets, and World Cup qualifiers. I enjoy covering the larger meets. For cricket, I’ve also covered tournaments like the Spice Isle T-10 and a few West Indies versus England T-20 and ODIs. Additionally, I’ve photographed Rugby Sevens for the past three years. It’s such an action-packed sport. I love it!

Regarding regional and international meets coverage, it’s a challenge. Sometimes, a client will pay to have images taken, but for the most part, it isn’t easy to get funding or sponsorship for the outside events. There have been years when I’ve had to absorb the cost. I’ve had to incur losses with the mindset that later, people may see the value in the pictures I’ve taken or the story I’ve told. That said, for the present, I continue to focus on local events. Hopefully, I can acquire sponsorship for events like CARIFTA 2025 in Trinidad & Tobago and the 2025 World Athletic Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

The 2024/2025 Grenada Telephone Directory features in the article Behind the Face images you took of Olympian Lindon Victor. Tell us how and when you captured those.

Those images were captured in 2017 at the World Athletic Championships in London, England. Once I heard about the game, I began doing the groundwork. Getting there was a challenge because it required a series of crowdfunding initiatives and personal loans. I had a lot of support from family and friends.

In terms of the images, the decathlon was a two-day event, which was great because there were many opportunities to capture the athletes. So, I was there for the majority of the races. Lindon and Kurt Felix were competing, though Kurt could not finish. However, I got to cover Lindon for the entire race.

In preparing, I did a lot of research. I also relied on pointers from great photographers about where to capture the event and where to shoot the athletes in their best light. Many of them were present, so I spoke to them and got a lot of advice. Several, like Kermit Taylor, Ridley Ingram, and Anthony Foster, were from the Caribbean, and they embraced me as we usually do when we meet others from our Caribbean community. I also had the opportunity to speak with and get tips from a photographer whose work I’ve admired for years, Jeff Cohen. Most of his images are all over the internet. It was very immersive to learn from these guys. They were very friendly. I took a lot of notes.

What sport have you not yet shot that you look forward to doing?

I would definitely be interested in cycling. Tennis and basketball would be other good ones. Swimming, too, but I have to invest in getting the proper equipment to get the best underwater shots. Yes, those four are on my radar.

What are your equipment essentials?

Firstly, a zoom lens. My favourite is the Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L, which allows me to get close to the action. Extra zoom lenses are equally important. I’m currently looking at a super-telephoto lens, which is between 300-400mm and can be used for something like cricket. Next, a DSLR or mirrorless camera is a must. Multiple fast memory cards are also needed—nothing under 32GB because you have to shoot quickly with sports. Also, with the rapid volume of images taken (one photo file is as much as 30MB). In the space of a minute, you can shoot over 100 photos depending on the action occurring on the field so that storage can fill up quickly. As I can be on the field for long periods, I need to move quickly and have a lot of capacity. Lastly, I always need to have extra batteries. I cannot go on the field without any of these four. These are the absolute bare minimum essentials! 

What do you hope viewers take away from your sports photography?

An image can say so much about a time, date or event without a caption. There are many photos that people can look at and immediately know what was going on because it was such a historical moment. I hope that my images do the same, that those looking at my photography can remember a moment—a person, and evoke an emotion.

What makes a ‘great’ sports photograph?

It can vary. However, it boils down to these five attributes: emotion, timing, preparation, a unique perspective and luck. I say luck because sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time. You may be in one area for another reason, and a moment occurs in front of you where you may have missed it entirely if everything had gone according to plan. With preparation, it’s having those essentials I mentioned earlier. All of those things contribute to having a great photo.

There is so much action during a sporting event. How do you determine what’s the perfect moment to capture?

It’s an ideal case of opportunity meeting preparation. Capturing these moments is a mixture of understanding the sport and specific event, as well as being prepared. For instance, if a particular athlete has a signature celebration after crossing the line, you’ll look out anticipating it. Another example is you know that a specific cricketer, when he catches the ball, usually does a back flip or gestures to a family member, the team, or the crowd. You look out for those kind of things. Sometimes, it happens. At other times, it may not, but you get ready either way. So, it takes a lot of research. There are also times when you’re just at the right place and time. A moment happens before you, and you’re fortunate enough to catch it. You get more historic photos that way.

What is something about sports photography that people might be surprised to know?

The amount of preparation and planning that goes into taking photos. You have to have a plan A, B and C. For example, ensure you have cameras A, B and C and that for each the equipment is ready, the camera is working, the memory cards are formatted, and the batteries are charged. If a remote setup is being done, you must consider whether it will rain or be dusty. These things are important because sometimes you’re waiting several hours for a moment that can pass in a second or less, and you can lose it. Someone can walk in front of your camera and get in your frame. So, it takes knowing the sport and doing background research on the key players, teams, and guests you want to capture. If it’s a big event, you may need to go ahead of time to see where the banners are located. You may also need to speak to officials to learn where the restriction zones are. It’s a lot of planning that goes into it.

What unique challenges do you experience as a sports photographer?

Cost is a major challenge. Many top photos by agencies like the Associated Press, Getty Images, and others are taken with quality equipment—their lenses cost between $5000 and $10000 US used, and the cameras over $4000US new. It’s also expensive to store and distribute photos. I have around 10-15 hard drives.

Another challenge is respecting the craft. We get some peer recognition for the work done, but that’s about it. People often downplay the requirements to capture high-quality images of our athletes, thinking they can snap a picture once they have a cellphone. In addition, copyright infringement occurs. People steal your work and credit it as their own, or someone may see your image on social media and use it for a corporate entity without permission. Then, lawyers must get involved to issue a ‘cease and desist’ letter, and a back-and-forth ensues. It’s pretty heartbreaking.

What are some skills people aspiring to be sports photographers are not aware are necessities?

You need a series of skills, not just capturing an image. Communication is an important one because you need to be able to converse with managers, sporting officials etc. For example, you need to know where to stand and where not because they’ll kick you out quickly if you don’t follow the rules. They’re very serious about things like that. Networking is a must. Sometimes, your next job may hinge on the people you interact with. So, ‘your network is your net worth’ is definitely a true saying.

No matter how skilled you are, when you go out, you’re always learning. Besides taking a photo and composing, you must learn to work quickly and edit efficiently. Social media management is also necessary because we, photographers, rely highly on social media. Often, if a print media don’t pick up our images, they may very well be a hit on social media. Overall, you need communication, networking and social media management skills.

What is your most memorable sport shooting moment?     

There are two moments. One is the 2017 World Athletics Championships, where I was capturing Usain Bolt’s final race. For me, it was just being in the moment and knowing such a record-breaking athlete was doing his final race. You could feel the atmosphere. It was electrifying!

The other was Kirani James’ first 400m race at the national stadium. That was iconic because it was his first time competing as a professional athlete in Grenada. The stadium was packed, and there was so much emotion. It was truly iconic.

Do you have any regional role models in the profession? If yes, please name them and why.

Within the sports ecosystem, there have been people who have inspired me. I mentioned a few earlier, such as Kermit Taylor. There’s also a photographer from the BVI, Dean Greenaway, who has covered many regional and international events. He has helped me out in a lot of ways. Also, Randy Brooks, the official photographer for the West Indies Cricket team, and Robertson S. Henry, sports journalist and photographer based in St. Vincent. I’ve learnt a lot from them both. Locally, Michael Bascombe because he does a lot in sports media and sports journalism. His work ethic is one that younger people should take note of and adopt.

What’s the process for contracting your services?

Those interested in making a booking can visit my website at www.haronforteau.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages.

***

Yello, thanks, Haron, for this very informative discussion. Be sure to browse the photographer’s vivid images at Haron Forteau Media.