(This interview with photographer Jasper Juinen was published in 2008. The text has not been updated and reflects the attitudes and professional practices of that time.)
If the Spanish national team is in top form during the upcoming European Championship in Switzerland and Austria, Jasper Juinen (1973) will be sitting on the sidelines of the field where the final will be played. As a photographer. ‘That will be a celebration for me too.’
It must have been sometime in 1989. Jasper Juinen found himself behind the counter of a camera store in Rotterdam, while also doing some work as a scanner photographer, and then crossed paths with the ‘great’ Jerry Lampen. Looking back, it may well have been one of the most important encounters of Jasper’s life. Jerry was the one who taught him ‘the trade.’
They worked together for nearly ten years, with Jasper fetching the coffee but also developing film and going along on assignments. Speaking from his garden in a Madrid suburb on this beautiful day in May, Jasper says those were the years that shaped him not only as a photographer, but also as a person.
“I don’t know. Maybe Jerry saw some talent in me, or maybe it was a matter of personality. Yes, I’m still in close contact with him.”
Jerry must also have understood that these days you make a name for yourself as a sports photographer.
“News and sports photographer. I’m not big on specializing; I like variety. I do more than just sporting events. The inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI, meetings between political leaders, the ceremonies surrounding the interment of Prince Claus, for which I won another Silver Camera award… Yes, current-affairs photography, or what they call editorial photography.”
Since August of last year, you have been working for Getty Images in Spain. What exactly is your role?
“Getty has been active in Spain for some time. I’m based in Madrid and, as a staff photographer, I’m responsible for news from this country as well as Portugal. What I learned from Jerry, I now do here.
I scout local talent and train them for about five months, making sure they fully understand the kinds of images we’re looking for and, for example, helping them become proficient in English. Then I send them out on assignments throughout Spain.
And of course, I work as a photographer too. My suitcase is always packed in case something major happens. For example, I’m on standby for Nelson Mandela—and by that I mean in the event of his untimely death.
When someone like Frank Rijkaard is now leaving Barcelona, you need to make sure you get a good shot of him during his final match there.
Tomorrow, I’m also going to Barcelona for Getty to cover Frank Rijkaard’s final home match as coach, I’ll be at the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester, and the Tour de France is on my calendar this summer. But the most exciting challenge coming up is the European Championship in Switzerland and Austria.”
Do you consider being sent to the European Championship an honor?
“Yes, as a photographer, that’s something you want to be part of. Getty will be represented by four teams of five photographers. At each match, four will be on the field and two in the stands, while another five editors will be ready in the press center in Vienna. During the match, each photographer has a fixed position and stays in contact with the editors via a private fiber-optic network. It works fantastically. You take photos, and once you have a few good shots on your memory card, you put it into a laptop and send the images to the editors. They’re also following the match, so they can add captions, and a few seconds later your photos go out around the world.
I’ll be traveling with the Spanish national team, covering all their matches, training sessions, and press conferences. That will last as long as Spain remains successful. But it could well go all the way to the end, because I think Spain will be champion. Yes, that will be a celebration for me too.”
Rijkaard losing his final match at Camp Nou. In the photo, he looks upward as Mallorca scores the winning goal to make it 3-2.
You were once described as an ‘eager sports photographer with a keen eye for the decisive moment.’
“Of course, you never know when that moment will come. It could be a foul, an exuberant celebration, a goal, a gesture, a brilliant play… You have to stay alert and sense that something could become ‘a moment.’ That means you need to know not only the teams playing, but also the history leading up to the match, the players’ backgrounds, the emotions surrounding it, and what to watch for… When someone like Frank Rijkaard is now leaving Barcelona, you need to make sure you get a good shot of him during his final match there.”
Isn’t a good sports photo often a matter of luck?
“That too. To take good sports photos, you have to do it a lot. In a recent match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, for example, Arjen Robben made it 2-0 with his head of all things—something he never does. I saw him come charging in from the right and reached for my wide-angle camera, which was still lying on the ground. The grass was wet, and Robben slid past me on his knees in wild celebration.
To take good sports photos, you have to do it a lot
The moment you pick up the camera, you have to look and keep looking, then aim in a flash, make sure Robben is in the center of the frame, and shoot. It happens incredibly fast. I shoot ten frames per second and had only five frames with him in them, so you do the math. In the first, he’s still in the air, and in the other four, he’s sliding past my lens. Yes, it’s a matter of luck, but also skill.”
The World of Getty Images
Photo agency Getty Images—headquartered in Seattle, United States—was the world’s largest image provider at the time, thanks in part to the collections of Time & Life Pictures and Stone, and in that capacity sold images to countless newspapers and magazines as well as film and advertising agencies. To supply the daily stream of photographs, Getty Images represented around 140 professional news photographers and worked with roughly 2,000 more freelance photographers—including Dutch photographer Jasper Juinen.
Info: www.gettyimages.com.
