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A wee bit about George Ross, Rhode Island, Sports Photographer...
Photo by courtesy of Scott Winters
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In the late 70's, using a Praktica (Praktica is a brand of camera manufactured by Pentacon in Dresden, Eastern Germany, formerly within the DDR prior to reunification) single lens reflex roll-film camera, I entered the world of photography. There was nothing automatic about this camera!! and I do not consider that bad because if you have a desire to get into photography the best way to learn, especially about the triangle of exposure (aperture, speed and ISO rating) to to put your camera into manual mode and resist the temptation to use any of the automatic settings. To learn more about Praktica click here |
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After using the Camera for one year I joined a local photography club and very quickly I learned that I wasn't a big fan of the politics of small organizations, so I left the club but before I did I entered the the annual photography competition in 1978 and ended up winning the 'best sports shot' and 'best overall photograph' with the image of the motorcycle below; and this win set me on my photographic journey. What's impressive about this particular shot is that it has not been subjected to any cropping or post-processing. |
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The photograph of the motorcycle was taken at the East Fortune Race Track (an old airfield) just outside Edinburgh in Scotland. This is a technically difficult shot which is a achieved by using a very slow shutter speed and by moving the camera at the same speed as the motorcycle - the result is the freezing of the motorcycle and the blurring of the background creating the complete feeling of speed. From that moment on, photography became a passion. |
I firmly believe to this day that while photography can be technically demanding it is more about the eye of the photographer than the equipment. Sure, the equipment makes it easier to produce high quality work but without 'a good eye' the equipment is immaterial. Great images can be just as easily captured on a snapshot camera. My sporting background is one of 'absolutely' average talent :) however, it should be said that my competitive spirit often made up for this lack of talent. The stereotypical over-achiever...but effort/aggression and competitiveness can only take you so far. |
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Rugby |
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I started playing rubgy for Ainslie Park Secondary School in Edinburgh, Scotland when I was 13 years old. The most famous Alumni of Ainslie Park is Irvine Welsh of Trainspotting fame.My school did not have much of a rugby program to the point that we had no uniforms ( see photo ) nor could our parents afford uniforms, as we grew up in the less-than-affluent neighborhood of West Pilton in Edinburgh. One fond memory, to underline our poor neighborhood, was our team photograph which was composed of 14 kids - you need 15 for a team - in uniforms of all colors, mostly soccer uniforms. One kid's mother wanted him to look like a Rugby player so she stitched a piece of cotton and buttons onto his soccer shirt :) Front row second from the right. Oh, the joys. I continued playing rugby until I was 22 when I was forced to realise that a 6' tall, 154lb winger did not have much of a life expectancy even if I did throw myself into tackles as if I weighed 220lbs !! |
Distance Running |
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I started running for Ferranti Amatuer Athletic Club ( FAAC ), Edinburgh, Scotland in 1980 (Today, I run for the Tuesday Night Turtles, Warwick, Rhode island, USA) and what a great time to start running in the early 80's as the depth of talent was incredible. I raced on the Scottish cross-country circuit, East District, from ages 20 to 33 at which point I emmigrated to the USA. Cross-country, for adults, was huge in Scotland and the depth of talent was fantastic. I did a little road racing during this time but not much. I set a PR over the 1/2 marathon distance of 1:21:12. Not great, but not too shabby. Today, I still race as I close-in on my next decade (50) and now I struggle to run my 5K's at the same pace that I used to run my long races... 'back-in-the-day' |
Tae-Kwon Do |
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Throughout the 80s and into the early 90's, while I was racing cross-country, I practised Tae-Kwon Do with Whitburn, and Bathgate, Tae-Kwon-Do clubs both in West Lothian, Scotland. One would think that I would have been a black-belt after all those years but while I had the dedication my body was simply not flexible enough. My attitude and aggression took me to a couple of national titles (Welsh and Scottish) at the lower belt grades but I never made it past red tags on my blue-belt. My greatest personal moment was winning the bronze medal in the British free-sparring competition - hardly the stuff of superstars but I'll take it :) No matter how I tried, I could not over come the limitations of my body. This was a sport which I absolutely loved. |
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And to relax from all of the above, I often took to the Scottish mountainous hills; and I can honestly say that many of the most enjoyable moments of my life occurred on the many ventures to the hills with my friends Stevie Malcolm and Wee Ginger (aka Alan Dickie). Most of our adventures occured in a historically colorful mountainous region called Glencoe. The scene of a brutal massacre (2/13/1692) in which the Clan of McDonalds, considered scoundrels, were slain by the agents of Prince William of Orange... Clan Campbell. I am not what you would call a spiritual person but when all is quiet on the slopes of the Glencoe mountains there is something which I can't quite put my finger onwhich marks this place as being different from all others. |
In the photo to the lower left, taken by Alan, you can see Stevie and I on the top of the Crowberry Tower, a rock outcrop on the most spectacular of the Glencoe mountains...Buachaille Etive Mor. Tough to describe one of the best places on the planet and so to make it a little easier I found this video on YouTube of a group climbing up this very mountain, albiet up the much safer route! Enjoy. |
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Soccer |
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I was born in Scotland and it is just a 'given' that you play football (soccer). I stopped playing competitively at age 44 and that was because I found I could not compete at soccer and road race at the same time - something had to give! The first admission that I was getting old :( |
My professional Life (yep, amongst all of these sports I had a day job!) |
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I started off in 1977 as a Mechanical Technician Apprentice with Ferranti Defense Systems in Edinburgh, Scotland. The photo is the year book photo for the 1977 apprentice intake and it is a was the beginning of a new era as the first ever female apprentice can he seen in the middle of the photo. Another step towards the equality. This was a 4-year apprenticeship for white collar staff. Unfortunately, this type of investment in training and education by industry is no longer available which is tragic by all measures. |
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In 1981, upon completion of my apprenticeship, I became a design draftsman developing test equipment for a variety of avionics equipment. In 1985 I moved into the role of Mechanical Design Engineer working in the very unique flight trials unit - a small team who were responsible for testing airborne radars. In the photo beside the BAC 1-11 flight test bed , I am second from the right (1987). |
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As the decade drew to a close the recession of the Regan/Thatcher years took a toll on the defense industry and I left and moved into the creative word of sales and marketing where I have been ever since. I have held a variety of managerial roles all which have involved creating advertising programs, web site design and management, marketing communications and product management. I have been in a Director of Marketing role for the past few years. Today, I have pulled all of my experience from my creative marketing career, my love of sports and my love photography to create George Ross's DIGITALphotoconcept. |
Still racing... |
George running in the Tuesday Night Turtles Handicap 5K, Richmond, RI. |
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I hope you enjoy my work and drop me a line if you have any questions: george@digitalphotoconcept.com
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