What makes the perfect table tennis photo? One man more than qualified to tell us is Table Tennis England’s Official Photographer, Michael Loveder – and he says it’s all about the eyes.

We caught up with Michael at the recent Mark Bates Ltd National Championships Qualifying Tournament, where he was busy capturing photos of as many of the 160 competitors as possible.

We spoke about his career behind the camera dating back to the 1980s, when the camera film had to be developed before he could tell if his photos were any good.

It is a far cry from today’s digital world when results are instantly viewable, although many of the disciplines and principles of photography remain the same.

We talked about he captures a fast-moving sport, including framing the subject, dealing with backgrounds, and editing the resulting images to look even better – and whether the old adage of ‘the camera never lies’ is still accurate in era of the editing software.

Watch the full film below.

Photography opportunities

If you would like to take photos at table tennis events and are using professional equipment, there are plenty of opportunities available.

These include some British Clubs Leagues competitions, some National Series and National Cup competitions and other competitions around the country.

Photography using a phone, strictly for personal usage, continues to be permitted at all of our events.

Click here for more information about this.

Where to see Michael’s photos

Michael’s photos from this season are available to buy via the PhotoShelter platform.

The instruction video at the foot of this page can help you place your orders. Photographs are available for both personal and royalty-free commercial use.

Working with Michael Loveder Photography is enabling us to move forward with our Table Tennis United pledge to extend the reach and visibility of the sport and create more commercial opportunities. Any proceeds made from photo sales are reinvested into the delivery and coverage of future competitions and events.