
Tom Jenkins
The Guardian
At the 2024 Euro finals, after the nation’s hopes of the men’s team winning their first title in 58 years were dashed, England captain Harry Kane spoke about the deep hurt felt after defeat by Spain, and Tom’s picture of Kane and manager Gareth Southgate looking wistful and contemplating what might have been, perfectly encapsulated the feelings of Kane and the England football fans. The composition of the image - with Spanish players in the foreground and England’s talisman, Kane, and manager, Southgate, almost mirroring each other’s posture made for a more impactful and stronger image than if Kane was pictured alone.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics the venues were as much the stars as those competing in them, a fact noticed by Tom which led him to shoot a photo essay showcasing these wonderful arenas. A particular favourite was the fabulous architecture and roof of the Grand Palais, which hosted the fencing and Taekwondo. It would have been a travesty not to include the roof and evocative lighting at the venue when running a shot from the fencing, as these make the image pop and differentiate it from a regular action shot of the fencers.
This photo essay is not the only one that Tom photographed this year, and he has started to write more to accompany his picture essays, and like them he is becoming a complete package. His ideas for picture essays are often away from the mainstream so bring attention to sports or activities that often aren’t seen in the media. This year he has researched and conceived the idea of, photographed and written about Cambridge’s preparations for the 2024 boat race, the Open for golfers with disabilities and the NFL academy.
Tom’s shot of Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewitt in action during the Paralympic tennis doubles final is another example of Tom thinking outside the box. His utilisation of the reflection of fans in a glass security barrier raises the image from an already striking one, with the colour of the clay court and the strong shadows of the players, to one where you stop, look again and ask yourself “what am I seeing and how is that possible?”
The Guardian and Observer have always featured strong and varied imagery and Tom’s work is a cornerstone of that in their sport sections, and his Press Awards entries from the three major sporting events of 2024, demonstrate three different varieties of his work that fit in well within our publications.