Both ceremonies on borrowed Sony kit, and a childhood bucket-list item ticked off.
This is the story of photographing the opening and closing ceremonies of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, with hands-on reviews of the two cameras Sony lent me for the job. If you're only interested in one of the cameras, jump straight to the Sony A7R IV review or the Sony A1 review.
Sony lent me the cameras and lenses in this post for the Games, and I gave them all back afterwards. Sony didn't pay me and had no say in what I've written. I'm a Vanguard ambassador; the tripod in this post is my Vanguard Alta Pro 2+.
In this post: Why I've waited two years · Borrowing the kit · The opening ceremony · The closing ceremony · Photographing Ozzy Osbourne · How the press photographers worked · Sony A7R IV review · Sony A1 review · The lenses · Would I buy them?
Why I've waited two years to write this
Some jobs come with conditions. This one came with a non-disclosure agreement and an embargo.
Titanium Fireworks, who created the displays, weren't allowed to tell anyone it was them for a year, so they couldn't even post anything on social media about doing the job. I was also asked not to disclose who was involved, or how I ended up getting the job.
I'm no longer under those restrictions, but I still don't think it's professional to blurt things out on the internet that were once protected by an NDA. So the backstory stays with me, and this post is about the pictures and the kit. That's part of the job sometimes.
It was nice to see the team from Titanium Fireworks again, and to capture another one of their displays.
Borrowing the kit from Sony
Sony lent me the cameras on nothing more than a handshake.
I'm not a Sony shooter. I'm not one of their ambassadors, and I don't have any Sony cameras other than my RX100 VII, which I love. But I'd contacted Sony about the job and asked if I could borrow a camera or two, and some glass. Sony graciously agreed to lend me what I'd need.
They had a camera loan clinic (I can't think what else to call it) set up in some conference rooms at a hotel in Birmingham. It was there for established Sony shooters covering the Games, to get their kit professionally cleaned and serviced, and to borrow any kit they needed for the job they were doing. Sony told me to turn up and they'd give me what I needed.
So I got the train to Birmingham and a taxi to the hotel with the loan clinic, before going to my own hotel and then to the stadium. Sony were very kind to me, and very pleased to help.
As with my New Year's Eve fireworks photography, I knew I wanted the highest resolution images possible. I wanted to capture the stadium and the pyrotechnics with plenty of leeway for cropping, and still have the pixels for a large print. After being shown the A7R IV and the new Sony A1, I came away with both.
I also borrowed three lenses: the 24–70mm and 70–200mm G Masters, and the 200–600mm G. The long zoom meant I could photograph the closing ceremony show from where I'd be set up for the fireworks, with the reach to shoot what was happening on the stage.
I had both cameras for the duration of the Games, and returned everything at the hotel the morning after the closing ceremony.
The opening ceremony
Outside the stadium
For the opening ceremony, I was outside the stadium, where all the teams assembled before entering the stadium in the parade.
It was a great position. I had a great view of the stadium, so I could capture the fireworks display that had been rigged up all around it. And I was able to get some exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of all the teams before they went in.
Five hours to the bar
After the opening ceremony, I packed up all my kit and left. The plan was to get a taxi back to my hotel and work on my images in the hotel bar.
That turned out to be a mistake. The crowds were insane, as all the spectators were leaving at the same time. Certain VIPs were leaving by car, so the police and security stopped people walking from time to time.
I eventually got out of the grounds, which was a huge relief, after crossing a sea of people all trying to get to one of the many exits and criss-crossing each other all the time.
Then I had the problem of getting an Uber. I found a quiet spot up a side street, and after several attempts to book one, waited over an hour and a half for it to show up.
Back at the hotel, I left my kit in my room, grabbed my laptop and headed to the bar for a beer and to get to work. It had taken me five hours from the ceremony ending to having images ready to send to news desks. In today's world, that's far too long. I knew getting away would be a nightmare, but not quite as much as it was.
So I decided then that for the closing ceremony, I'd stay on site and work in the staff facilities, where I'd have space to work and a meal provided. I hadn't realised that was the case until I got to the venue for the opening ceremony, having already left my laptop at my hotel. Live and learn.
The closing ceremony
For the closing ceremony, I was able to set up in front of the mobile TV studio the BBC were using, so I had a great location.
I also photographed Prince Edward, then the Earl of Wessex, who officially closed the Games.
Photographing Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy wasn't on the bill, and he wasn't advertised as being there. But I was in the know, so I knew he'd be performing.
He walked out to join Tony Iommi and his band, home in Birmingham, for a shortened "Iron Man" and "Paranoid". It was his first public performance since 2019. He was only on for a short set, but it was fantastic to see him live. Photographing Ozzy had been on my bucket list since I was a kid.
I knew my access pass wouldn't get me onto the pitch, because officially I had no reason to be there for the job I was doing. That access was reserved for the press agency photographers. So I shot him handheld on the A1 with the 200–600mm, the longest lens I had. I was grateful for that long lens and the 50 megapixels, because they let me get shots of Ozzy and Tony Iommi from where I was.
My favourite is almost full length: Ozzy standing on the stage, his arm out wide as he sings, with a huge grin on his face. I really like that picture, and I've made some good money from it.
Bucket list item ticked off.
Working from the staff area
When the show finished, I went back to the staff area for something to eat and a coffee. Everyone who'd finished a shift was there, eating and resting, while the clean-up crews started work. I stayed and worked on my pictures, and sent them to the news desks from there.
Then I stayed on, chatting with people behind the scenes, until all the spectators had gone, which took some time, and most of the day staff had left too. Then I took a taxi to the hotel where Sony had their loan centre, to give the kit back.
How the press photographers worked
There was a dedicated press area, just for accredited press, where they could process their images and upload them to their news desks.
It was interesting to see how some of the press photographers worked. Their cameras were set up with WiFi, and sent each RAW file back to the press area over FTP almost as soon as it was captured. A dedicated person sat at a computer waiting for the images, edited them in Lightroom and sent them on to the news desks.
So the photographer took a picture, and the file went straight to someone who'd edit it and send it out. It made the whole thing very fast indeed. Press photographers have a serious set-up at events like this.
Why I work on my own
Working for an agency is a different game altogether. You'd be part of a machine, and that's not something that interests me. I prefer to work solo and independently, and do everything myself: from the idea to the execution, from clicking the shutter to editing the final image and getting it out there.
Press photography has become a race to get it first. I'd rather deliver something that takes a bit more time and stands out from the crowd.
So I steered clear of the press photographers at the Games, and pretty much kept myself to myself. I had a brief to work to: capture the fireworks as best as possible.
Sony A7R IV review: hands-on at the Games
The Opening Ceremony for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
Set up for the fireworks
The A7R IV was mounted on my Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ carbon fibre tripod and dedicated to capturing the pyrotechnics at both the opening and closing ceremonies.
Once I had the composition, exposure and focus dialled in, I turned everything to manual so nothing would change. I set it up for continuous shooting with a remote release, so I could press the shutter once and it would keep taking pictures until I turned it off.
That let me set it and forget it during the fireworks, and use the A1 freely to cover the show, or the teams behind the scenes at the opening.
For both ceremonies, the A7R IV had the 24–70mm G Master on it, as wide as it would go.
My settings at the opening ceremony were 10 seconds at f/22 and ISO 640.
It never paused. I'd set up the cable release to allow for the file writing time, so the camera never had to stop and catch up with itself.
Why I wanted it
Resolution. The 61-megapixel sensor gave me plenty of leeway for cropping, and still the pixels for a large print.
The viewfinder is crisp and clear. And battery life is great: I took spares but didn't need them.
Sony A7R IV at a glance
61-megapixel full-frame sensor
Up to 10 frames per second
567 phase-detection autofocus points
5.76-million-dot electronic viewfinder
About 530 shots per battery using the viewfinder, 670 using the screen (Sony's figures)
Launched in 2019
The Closing Ceremony for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
Sony A1 review: hands-on at the Games
Handheld, both nights
The A1 was new then, and it was handheld the whole time. At the opening ceremony I used it to capture the teams behind the scenes, and at the closing ceremony I used it to capture the show.
Autofocus
The A1's focus is second to none. It catches faces and eyes brilliantly, and can track people through a crowd easily.
Viewfinder, battery and that sensor
The viewfinder is crisp and clear, and battery life is great. As with the A7R IV, I took spares but didn't need them. And the 50-megapixel sensor is super clear. With the 200–600mm, it's what let me get my shots of Ozzy Osbourne from where I was, without access to the pitch.
Sony A1 at a glance
50.1-megapixel full-frame stacked sensor
Up to 30 frames a second
759 phase-detection autofocus points
9.44-million-dot electronic viewfinder
8K video
About 430 shots per battery using the viewfinder, 530 using the screen (Sony's figures)
Launched in 2021
The lenses
Sony lent me three zooms:
24–70mm f/2.8 GM
70–200mm f/2.8 GM
200–600mm f/5.6–6.3 G OSS
The 200–600mm was on the A1 for Ozzy, because I couldn't get any closer. The 24–70mm was on the A7R IV for the fireworks, as wide as it would go, at both ceremonies.
Would I buy them?
Yes. I'd buy both cameras, and the lenses that Sony lent me. It's very good kit.
I had both cameras for the duration of the Games and wanted to use them a hell of a lot more. Sadly, work and family commitments meant I couldn't do as much with them as I'd hoped. But I put them through their paces at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and got some great photos.
Was it worth it?
I ticked Ozzy Osbourne off the bucket list, photographed Prince Edward and had a good time. I delivered images to the people who wanted me there to shoot the pyrotechnics in the first place.
And I made some money selling images through live news photo desks. So I recovered the train fares and the hotel for the first night, and made some profit, which is what it's all about.
