Photography - Sport Photography - Winner

Craig Golding, The Sydney Morning Herald, "This Sporting Light"

From cricket to AFL, marathon running to body building, Craig Golding loves photographing sport and has an uncanny eye for capturing the moments that matter. In bold black and white and vivid colour, his skill for composition and instinct for light allow him to make already heady moments of athleticism into pure art.

Golding joined The Sydney Morning Herald as a photographer in 1985. His first big opportunity to follow his passion for sport photography came in 1989 when he was sent to cover the Australian Open Tennis Championships in Melbourne. He won first prize in the 1989 World Sports Photo Contest for an image of Martina Navratilova taken during this assignment and has been a full-time sport photographer for the Herald ever since.

Golding has won a slew of national and international awards for his sport photography, including a number from the World Press Photo awards, but this is his first Walkley.

Judges’ comments

Golding is without a doubt one of the country’s best sport photographers. It’s light that makes a picture, and that’s the theme here. These fabulous images are all but perfect, displaying brilliant technical skill.