Part 1/2:
At Toledo area sporting events, particularly college games, we local photogs can spot an unfamiliar face in the press box pretty quickly. We assume the 'other' guy is from the opposing team. But remember what happens when you assume...
At Toledo area sporting events, particularly college games, we local photogs can spot an unfamiliar face in the press box pretty quickly. We assume the 'other' guy is from the opposing team. But remember what happens when you assume...
I was shooting a BGSU football game last month and there was a young guy I didn't recognize, so I asked him where he was from. In a very distinguishable French accent, Thomas Savoja said he was from France. I then asked him why he was at BGSU. Turns out he's an engineer traveling in the United States for a few weeks to document American sports.
Interesting, right? So I got his business card and shot him an email with a few questions that my inquiring mind wanted to know.
Because his responses were a bit lengthy, I will break the interview up into two parts. He also agreed to send a few of his photos, and I will share them when I get them.
I hope you find his verbatim answers as enlightening as I did.
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| Paris sports photographer and engineer Thomas Savoja. (Photo by Lori King) |
A: Well, you always have to be careful with what the business cards says ;-) As far as I am concerned, my initial background is actually engineering and even if photography has always been part of my life, I never consider it as a real business. This means this is not my primary job but more an additional activity. You know, this is very challenging in France to start a serious business from photography itself so I have tried to develop a more global approach where photo is just a side.
My
father brought me my first camera when I was eight and since that
time, I never really stopped shooting. Urban landscapes were my primary
focus. Then I fell in love with Asia, which offers so many picturesque
places! This has given me many opportunities to spend time wandering
out there with a backpack and a camera. My best souvenirs are
probably the Bagan plain in Myanmar, the Thar Desert in Rajasthan and
the Silk Road in Uzbekistan.
I
came to action shooting relatively late and even if the material has
a predominant role there, this is really an area where I enjoy
permanently improving my skills. Why this sudden interest for
shooting sport? This is mainly because I am myself a sport fanatic. I
was a tennis player for 30 years and I am still playing soccer in a
French Federation League each Saturday. I started shooting my team
and step by step I come to shoot more important events.
My
focus when I shoot sports is obviously to be able to catch the
ultimate moment of action. This is a nice quest but to be honest, I
am always frustrated to miss nice shoot opportunities because of a
bad choice of positioning or a lack of concentration. Luck is also a
key factor in this area.
In
Europe, I shoot every kind of sports even if I tend to specialize
myself in American sports (Yes US Football is also played in Europe).
Otherwise, it goes from soccer to rugby, handball, volley ball, ice
and field hockey but also tennis, boxing, fencing, track and field,
and so many others.
Each
year in France I am organizing a contest for the Best Football
picture of the year. The winner is announced at the halftime of the
French championship final and I have the chance to get some nice
jurors coming from Sport Photojournalism in the US. Maybe you can be
a member of the Jury for this year's contest!
Q: How do you
compare European sports to American sports? What are a few major
differences and similarities?
A: That’s a good question. I think that the main difference is the position sport occupies in the society. If I look at the way French society approaches sport, it is actually very far from a center of interest. I would even say that a certain elite has traditionally contempt for Sport in my country. Here in the US, this is really something central in people’s life. For instance, I am absolutely fascinated by the way sport is treated in High School. This is so impressive compared to what we are doing in France. I would have loved to be part of this!
A: That’s a good question. I think that the main difference is the position sport occupies in the society. If I look at the way French society approaches sport, it is actually very far from a center of interest. I would even say that a certain elite has traditionally contempt for Sport in my country. Here in the US, this is really something central in people’s life. For instance, I am absolutely fascinated by the way sport is treated in High School. This is so impressive compared to what we are doing in France. I would have loved to be part of this!
I
am also very enthusiastic about college sports despite recent
scandals that may have tarnished a little bit the model. I had the
opportunity to discover many campuses through the country and I have
been very excited about the spirit there and values behind sport.
On
the other end, sport seems also one of the main entertainment drivers
for people here. In the US, when you are an adult, it seems almost
exclusively considered as an entertainment or a business. In Europe
this is more an activity than many people want to practice by
themselves on top of looking at it on the TV. My impression is that
in the US, when you are an adult it is very difficult to play sport
as an amateur but maybe I am wrong.
The
most popular sport in France is obviously soccer, even if the current
image of the national team is extremely bad because of the behavior
of some players which have been very selfish and unprofessional these
recent years. This is there a difference with the American sports
where college is often a mandatory step before turning pro. In
Europe, uneducated young kids coming from poor family background are
making it to the pros without education and it may become a problem
for them to manage the transition.
The
behavior of the fans is also totally different in Europe. Here they
are much more “hardcore” in the sense that they are coming to the
stadium not for the fun of it but really to cheer and support their
team. The good think is that atmosphere may be crazy, the bad is that
there is too often problems inside stadiums which lead to unsecured
atmosphere.
If
I take, for the example of Paris Saint
Germain my favorite soccer team I am
rooting for since I am a kid, 2 guys died in our stadium the last 10
years because of violence. This is not acceptable. The new owners
have taken measure to change behavior even if the direct consequence
is that the noise and ambiance in the stadium is much more quiet that
in the past. A lot of core fans complain about that but security has
no price.
Follow Thomas on Twitter:@tomasino22
View Thomas' American sports photo gallery:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
Follow Thomas on Twitter:
View Thomas' American sports photo gallery:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
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