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An image of OpTic player Formal fist bumping a team mate.
© Joe Brady
Gaming
Meet eSports photographer Joe Brady
The man behind many of the most iconic eSports images tells us his story and reveals his best shots.
Shkruar nga Mike Stubbsy
8 min readPublished on
The crowd go wild at Katowice
The crowd go wild at Katowice© Joe Brady
Taking photographs at an eSports tournament is a very difficult task. The winning moments often last for a matter of seconds and getting the perfect shot of the trophy lift involves navigating all of the crazy lighting that will inevitably be on the stage. Even the things that should be simple, like player headshots, can be challenging when teams are more focused on last minute practise. Then when you do manage to get the perfect shot chances are it will be used across the internet, often with no credit to the photographer, let alone payment.
It’s a tough job, and one that often is a thankless task, but a good photographer is invaluable, which is why most events these days hire multiple snappers to get those perfect shots. Only a few people in the world get selected to shoot these events, and competition is fierce to get the best gigs.
An image of Joe Brady at the Grand Canyon
eSports photographer Joe Brady© Joe Brady
One of the rising stars in the world of eSports photography is Joe Brady, a UK based photographer who has shot events such as the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice and almost every event Gfinity has ever hosted. Despite being one of the best in the world Joe stumbled into the world of eSports by accident, so we caught up with him to find out his story and how eSports photography is working out for him.
“I actually got my first job as a runner in a TV studio when I was 18, and spent the following four years working my way up in that industry,” says Brady when discussing how he got his start in the world of photography.
I was working on shows such as [British TV shows] Top Gear, QI and The Apprentice, which was an incredible experience, but as always with these things, once you’ve seen behind the curtain, the magic is lost! By the time I realised that TV wasn’t the path for me I was working as an edit assistant, but I was doing a lot of photography in my free time, shooting small local bands and pub gigs.
Work was making me miserable, and photography was bringing me a lot of joy, so it was obvious to me that something had to change. My parents weren’t too happy with my decision at first, but I think they’ve come around to the idea now.”
An image of OpTic player Formal fist bumping a team mate.
Formal after a round win at the Gfinity Arena© Joe Brady
Brady’s story has many similarities to a lot of eSports pros. He took a massive risk to pursue what he loved doing, even though his family weren't overly supportive. It’s a narrative we have heard countless times in the world of eSports, but never before in the world of eSports photography. When Brady decided to pursue photography full time the eSports world was a very different place, with fewer events and less of a demand for photographers – however this wasn’t a concern for him.
“Back then I had no idea that eSports photography was even a thing,” jokes Brady. “I was all about music, and live gig photography was what I really wanted to get into. I was having a particularly bad time at work, and a friend who played in a band called The Ocean’s Eyes asked if I’d like to go on tour as their photographer. The tour wasn’t anything huge, but the idea of being on the road with a band was something I’d always loved the idea of. So I took the risk, quit my job, went on tour with them and never looked back!”
An image of Team Liquid StarCraft II player Snute after losing a match
Snute, moments after he loses at IEM Katowice© Joe Brady
With no knowledge of eSports when he ventured into the world of photography full time, it seems remarkable that just a few years later Brady is recognised as one of the best in the scene. While there are more than a few similarities between music and eSports photography there are also plenty of differences too, meaning it isn't a simple transition across. For Brady that switch happened pretty quickly, as a few months after his first eSports event he became a regular at the Gfinity Arena in London.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of video games and I’m quite a competitive person, so gaming tournaments have always interested me, but working in eSports was honestly mostly an accident,” says Brady.
“My first opportunity to combine photography and competitive gaming came when a friend who was covering Gfinity’s G3 event in 2014 asked me to take some photos for their article. I happily obliged and really enjoyed covering something so different to what I was used to shooting! However, it wasn’t until Gfinity contacted me directly to shoot at their eSports arena in London in 2015 that I realised eSports photography was something I could seriously pursue.”
A couple of years later and Brady is still a regular at the Gfinity Arena, shooting almost every event that is held there. He has also worked multiple events for ESL, as well as some smaller scale eSports work for the likes of VFL Wolfsburg’s eSports division. Each event brings its own challenges, but when working at Gfinity Brady has developed a routine that allows him to produce his best work.
“Most events start with a media day, which involves shooting headshots of the players one by one,” explains Brady. “These photos get used by production on the stream and can pop up anywhere, so it’s important to get them right. Once they are done, the rest of my time will be spent shooting and editing event photos. Deadlines are usually very tight and time management is key, since you also need to be aware of where and when the big games are happening so you don’t miss any key moments. The climax of most events is obviously the final, followed by the trophy being presented to the winners. This is one of the most important moments to capture, so the pressure is on.”
Each event results in hundreds of images. Some the public will never see, as no photographer takes a perfect shot every time, but more than a few will be plastered across the internet and become ingrained in the collective eSports consciousness. However this can bring some issues for photographers. Iconic shots quickly get taken and posted everywhere, often with no link back to the original or even a mention of the photographer’s name – never mind payment.
An image of Airbourne singer Joel O'Keeffe playing on stage
Airbourne singer Joel O'Keeffe on stage© Joe Brady
Brady is surprisingly sanguine about this. “Images being used without permission is an issue which affects photographers in every industry, especially in the digital age we live in,” says Brady. “It’s easy to take an image from Twitter and repost it yourself without giving credit, and it doesn’t take long for the original source to be long forgotten. I see my images used without permission every day, it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to, but it’s still a little annoying when the bigger publications don’t give credit or ask permission.”
“The music industry is especially notorious for it. I was recently on tour in America and was flicking through one of the bigger music publications out there, when I found one of my photos being given away as a poster inside the magazine. I wasn’t named anywhere and they never asked my permission. To this day I’m yet to receive an apology from them. I think the best thing the music and eSports industries can do to fix the issue is to raise the general awareness about photo usage rights, or at the very least give photo credit if you’re using a photo.”
While this is a irritating issue for many photographers, for Brady it isn’t something that will ever make him reconsider his career choice. Right now he is doing more eSports work than ever, and is quickly making a name for himself in the scene. He still does some work in other areas, such as music, but for now his sights are clearly set on the world of eSports.
“I’ve been shooting mostly music photography for the last five years, and as fun as touring is, being constantly on the move can be incredibly draining,” explains Brady. “It certainly makes having a social life almost impossible. Personally, I’m enjoying shooting eSports events more than anything else right now, combining my love of gaming and photography is something I never thought I’d be able to do. The industry is growing so quickly at the moment, it’s a very exciting time to be involved with it all so I want to make the most of it while I can.”
With Gfinity starting up their Elite Series competition, ESL doing more and more massive stadium events and even more people looking for eSports photographers it seems like Brady is in for a busy few years. Having come from the world of TV he took a massive gamble to pursue photography, and somehow stumbled into the world of eSports after living it up in the music industry for a while. Now just a couple of years later he is in high demand and shooting events across the world. Expect to see his images for many years to come.
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