Marc Aspland

Marc's three images collectively capture the full spectrum of sporting life. From an early chilly morning on the River Ouse to sporting achievement with an Olympic gold medal for one of Team GB's brightest hopes ahead of the summer Olympics in Paris and finished with the warm glow of the setting sun during a Paralympics event with one of the World's most icon landmarks at the centre.

The River Ouse is the training ground for Cambridge University ahead of the Boat Race each year and Marc made a special very early departure to spend the morning with the men's and women's teams. A great set of photos followed but it was with the drone camera that he got the best results. In this photo he captures the feeling of sporting life away from the TV cameras and media. The nine strong men's team are composed perfectly to be the main focus of the photo whilst at the same time giving the viewer the scale of the surrounding countryside and flat fenlands in early morning frost. The upcoming car headlights provide extra scale and also take your eye to the bend in the river that is catching the early morning warm sunlight. Life away from the spotlight summed up in one photograph.

Expectations were so high for Keely Hodgkinson ahead of the Paris Olympics after a strong couple of years and her silver medal in the 800m at the Tokyo Olympics. Marc had this race placed top in the Olympics diary of events to cover and the photo illustrates a range of emotions from Keely taking gold but also of the other runners who have various emotions on their faces as they battle for silver and bronze, bunching towards the finish line. Keely celebrates, eyes closed, moments before she is about to open them to the reality of winning gold in front of a packed stadium. This photo hints at similar Team GB Olympics moments like Jessica Ennis Hill winning gold at London 2012 where sometimes the fulfillment of a dream is captured in a fraction of a second to be included in British sporting history to cherish forever.

Marc's photo from the semi-final of the men’s blind football match between Argentina and Brazil is a homage to Paris and the last photos of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Paris provided many wonderful vistas and Marc returned to Paris to capture many more great moments at the Paralympics. This photo he reflects on his summer in Paris, giving a farewell salute to the city as the sun sets over horizon. He spent the evening focusing on this departing photo with various exposures and waiting for the action to be aligned to his liking.