01 06 art u3b

Module

3B

Be a Sport!

Artistic, family or emotive photographs can
evoke memories of people we love, good
old times and can also be the testimony of
some important event or person. In fact, this
same effect is produced by photojournalism.
A photograph is used to depict sports,
political and social events and can also
be used for teaching purposes. Its role
is to illustrate news by showing what a
text informs us. Words and photographs
complement each other. They complete
data and provide further proofs so that the
newspaper or magazine reader understands
what has really happened.
Sports photography appeared in relation
to technological development and the
interest of the visual arts in sports. The aim
of sports photography is to cover sporting
events and widely distribute the images.
The evolution of sports photography is
closely linked to different social changes,
such as the expansion of the working class
and their involvement in mass sports.
Its function has changed over time and
today, sports photojournalism also reports

social conflicts related to sports. Acts of
vandalism, terrorism and other incidents

appear, together with pictures of local
and international competitions, in sports
magazines and weekly supplements that are
available to the general public. The growth
of this genre led to a new profession, the
sports photographer. While photographers
try to report an event, they also attempt to
develop aesthetic innovations. They not
only portray a particular activity but also its
general context, like the preliminary stages
of a competition, fans and celebrations.
Some amateur photographers, however,
aim at getting a funny picture showing a
spontaneous expression or an awkward
movement. Whether professional or
amateur, the photographer must have
knowledge of sports, be patient and focus
on the contest. Photographers must meet
these requirements if they want to capture
an image that informs and, at the same time,
provokes an emotion.

Activities
1Answer these questions.
aWhat can a photograph reflect?

b What is the purpose of sports photography?

c What requirements must a sports photographer satisfy?

d Has sports photojournalism changed since its beginnings?

English Toolkit 1 - Art

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

Art and Testimony


Module

3B
2In the text, underline all the words that are related to sports
(eg.:

sporting event) and find synonyms for these words.

a role:
b depict:
cpictures:

d linked:
e expansion:

3Put these ideas in order.
aArtistic / photographs / evoke / we / of / family / people / love. / memories / or

b important / be / the / Photographs / can / testimony / events. / of


4Look at the picture and write a text for it using
the following questions as a guide.
Which sport is the photograph about? Where do you think this event is taking place?
Can you describe the people and the scenery?

5Find a piece of sports news and describe what
kind of picture you would add to it.

English Toolkit 1 - Art

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

c magazines. / Photographs / can / and / in / information / newspapers / complete