One of the hard working professions was on display at the Nedbank Challenge, and that is that of the top sports photographers. They invariably lug two cameras around the course, one of which with a 500mm lens, would weigh probably about 10 kg, and they do that up and down a hilly golf course at Sun City.

Anybody who has been to Sun City in December will know that the one thing you don’t have on your side is the temperature, and the top guys, of who there are relatively few, really do earn their money. There are about 25 accredited photographers, and I noticed that 3 or 4 of them seem to cover most of the course while there are about 20 or so who don’t walk terribly far. In fact, on the final day, as the trophy is about to be handed out, a whole lot of photographers that one has never seen, come out and suddenly take pictures of the trophy when awarded. In some ways it is sad that it seems to be the shot that all the newspapers want, because it allows somebody to be wined and dined and Sun International’s expense until the trophy is handed over, and then the person needs merely run along and take a few pictures of the trophy being handed over. The action photographs are what interest me, and those top photographers really do put in a great effort to take them.