Photos from Heaven

no.3 - les evans

How is your relationship with the club?

‘Good - the players are always pretty good. Sometimes it gets a bit strained when things aren't going well. I often feel that I'm lucky because I don't write about the football. I think they're pretty good with the photographer all the time.’

What about Flynn?

‘Very good. I can just walk in and out of the Racecourse and Collier's Park. If I'm after a player I just go in and come out. Brian's very welcoming - he actually opened the exhibition of my work in town. Sometimes I almost feel part of the club. But I suppose it's not good to be too close - feet of clay and all that. They're all idols - but I suppose you've got to keep some distance.’

What was Rumania like when you went in '95?

‘Grim. It was a long flight and then our coach got surrounded by armed guards. Our hotel was by a lake and close to Ceauscescu's home. They were actually making a soap opera nearby - there were young girls and cameras all over the place. Everything you bought cost two dollars - little bottles of beer included. The hotel was full of massive wooden rooms. I remember watching a swimming championship on Eurosport. I couldn't believe it. I've not been on any of the other European trips - except the Isle of Man…’

What about the fans?

‘They’re great. It’s brilliant to go to big away games and see them. Sometimes I’m the first person from Wrexham who walks out onto the pitch and they all start singing, ‘There’s only one Les-ley Evans’. I remember West Ham away in particular. It’s brilliant! It’s nice to have a good rapport with the fans. I suppose a lot of the fans know me from jobs I’ve done – maybe when I’ve gone into schools. People still say to me: ‘Hey, it’s that Les Evans’! ’

What’s the worst moment you’ve had at a football match?

‘It was when Rooster was here first time around. I’d spoken to him before the match and I was dying to get a good photo if he scored. He made this great run to the edge of the box and hit the ball at about 60 miles an hour. I was five yards from the net and I got smacked right in the face. My glasses were all over the place! I was on my hands and knees – blood everywhere.’

Who's been the most photogenic player?

‘Benno definitely - the best ever! He'd do anything for a photo - on the field and off it. Before a match he used to ask me where I'd be sitting. And he used to practice his goal celebrations! He was a dream come true for a press photographer. After one away match in London he had to have his injured foot seen to by the physio Steve Wave. It was 3 o'clock in the morning before he got to the physio's room at the Racecourse. Wadey put his foot in ice and wrapped it up. I was there taking a photo of it all - he couldn't believe that I was still hanging around in the middle of the night taking photos. He said he'd never ever known a photographer like that! It was 3.30am! So Benno was good like that. On the pitch he was also great for goal celebrations and good for photographing. It wasn't just the football - it was the celebrations! We had a really good rapport. Dixie was a great bloke but Benno just loved it all, he revelled in the exposure. He was a bit vain! He wanted good pictures just as much as I did!’

Les Evans: Top Trivia

Favourite drink: Lager

Favourite other sport: Most of them – I do some cricket photography in the summer but it’s very painful: sometimes you’ve got to wait all day for a photo!

Favourite other newspaper: I don’t read any other papers – I get everything off Teletext. I read Teletext profusely – you can get everything on it and I like the way it's not full of opinions

What's your favourite photo - that you've actually taken?

‘It was a couple of years back. It was Karl Connolly in the air with two players on his back - a tight action photo. It was the front-cover of a programme. It was taken away at Rochdale in the Cup - it's just got something about it!’

What do you do with your photos - apart from using them in the paper?

‘I've started selling them! I produce montages of big games: Cardiff in 1998 - the Welsh Invitation Cup final - and Chester '96. I've done a few like that - there's even a picture of karl smiling on one of the Chester photos! I've also enlarged some, like the Connolly one at Rochdale. I've done a kind of charcoal effect on that one - looks good doesn't it? I've had an exhibition of my work in the library as well, you know!’

What about the view you get at games?

‘It's very good - completely different. I watch the game by eye and through the long lens. You can't really follow the general run of the game. You're always shooting photos. You're worried about getting the right pictures, not where the ball is! Sometimes you see a goal late because you're focusing on the player shooting or heading the ball. You can get a good tight shot with a long lens - and you can get some good celebration photos.It can be quite exciting. But it’s also got its problems – there’s a lot of pressure and often the light is very bad.’

What are your favourite types of photo?

‘I like good tight action pictures that fill the whole frame. That's the sort I do a lot now - we use a lot of this type now.’

What's the Leader's attitude to soccer photos?

‘They used to like having lots of small pictures on the sports pages. But now with long lenses, they now tend to have one or two fairly tight action shots. I usually give them ten or so to choose from – and they usually choose what I’d choose! I trust my editors! Obviously David Lovett’s story on the day will influence the choice of picture. I actually used to develop the photos after games. Sometimes this meant that I got back home in the early hours. Sometimes we use a courier who takes the photos to Mold.’

How many photos do you actually take at a typical game?

‘I have two cameras and I probably take about four films – that’s four lots of 36. At a poorish game I might only take one-and-a-half to two films. I only need to develop a small amount of them though. You do waste a lot of pictures and film. I suppose ideally I’d be a full-time sports photographer, but I’m too old to change now! We’re now in the digital age. The competition is fierce. Some photographers now stay at a match for maybe only 20 minutes – only half the press corps are actually left by the end of the game.’

Have you got a favourite photographer?

‘Eammon Macabe. He’s a general photographer, but takes some unusual shots from unusual angles; I remember some boxing ones he took.’

Do you like colour newspaper photos?

‘Yes, I think it’s natural. Black and white is unnatural. You wouldn’t invent black and white would you if you were starting from scratch? It’s not as you see it. Colour is. I think black and white is a bit more abstract.’