About Fans in Union

My family moved from Avenell Road Highbury to Twickenham when I was around a year old. So that meant an early love of those with either guns or roses on their shirts.

Growing up in Twickenham, I have childhood memories of kilts, cockerels, daffodils and leprechauns on the loose. It was always the two blues, Scotland and France one year… and the red and green of Wales and Ireland the next. Later on, with the introduction of Italy, it became the Six Nations and my home town now welcomes even more people from around the world. Today I’m still captivated by the pageantry, the traditions and the myriad of colour that rugby fans bring.

After I left school, I went to the local art college and fancied becoming either a sports photographer or a graphic designer. Because I loved record covers, I chose graphics and haven’t regretted it (although I never did get to design a hit record cover!).

Decades later, that photography itch needed to be scratched. So a couple of years ago, with a little more time on my hands, I decided to jump in at the deep end and start a project about rugby fans. It seemed a natural choice.

I’m a fan myself, and when out shooting I tried to become part of the crowd, to blend in and work amongst the many. My work is a mixture of a reportage and street portraiture.

Rugby people are mostly big-hearted and generous. I enjoy meeting individuals and groups from all over the world and finding out about them all. To borrow a phrase, I’m a (rugby) person first and a photographer second.

This website is currently where I’m at with the project. It’s a work in progress and I’ll continue to grow and evolve it and hopefully, in the fullness of time, there’ll be a worthy photographic documentary about those who follow the incredible sport of rugby union.

See you around,
Paul

P.S. While the title of this website is ‘Fans in Union’, you may have noticed that there’s just the one of me… and I don’t see it staying that way forever. Rugby’s a team sport, after all! So if, at some point, you feel called to collaborate in some way, do get in touch. Thanks.