Jimmy Rimmer, Arsenal, 1974
Photograph by Chris Smith ©Chris Smith
Published in When Saturday Comes 213, November 2004

This picture is a fine example of a type of sports photography, now near extinct, that was once a staple of the newspaper industry: the documentary black-and-white sports image. It’s a record of the day – not a goal or critical moment, but a striking image in itself. Shot in glorious monocolour. The photographer, Chris Smith, had worked in this format since he arrived in London from Hartlepool in the 1950s to interview for the Daily Herald. At the time he was flattered just to get his train fare refunded, but the paper thought he had a good eye and this pic is just one such case in point.

By 1974 Smith was a sports specialist on the Observer and would have worked his ideas out in advance with his picture editor. This shot was no chance event. The week before he had noticed Rimmer pacing behind his defence, revealing his distinctive dentition as he barked instructions. The picture editors encouraged photographers to try something imaginative and decided it might just work. Despite being at the opposite end of the pitch, he focuses on Rimmer’s lonely tooth and the fans, just out of focus a further 15 feet or so behind, shimmer in a surreally ghost-like fashion.

Shooting in black and white also required a different approach. Smith explains: “You would need to think differently, graphically isolating the point of interest and looking for shapes and separating tones rather than the colours.” Deadlines were also a consideration. The first rolls of film might have to be sent to be developed just 20 minutes into a match, so you had to find something visual early on. Often a photo of an innocuous first-half challenge would service the early editions under a headline such as ‘Late Goal Burst Destroys City’.

That may no longer be a problem, but perhaps more pertinently the whole visual language of the game has changed. Colour photography dominates, images are streamed from pitchside and photographers gather at the corner flags waiting for the badge kissers to descend on them. It’s a product of the volume and immediacy of images produced by TV – but a long way from Smith’s innovative observation.

Jimmy Rimmer, we hope, has found a dentist who takes the same care in his craft.

Doug Cheeseman
Football Photography Writing

See more of Chris Smith’s work