Through the Lens - keep your eyes open!

The cricket photographer can easily be recognised, even when set apart from the unusually long lenses he or she may be carrying around. You can tell from the often-hunched shoulders and bent back, formed after years of humping these lenses and cameras around the cricket grounds of the world.

So what goes into the kit bag and why? Essentially the photographer carries the kit to cover every eventuality. The telephoto lens is the trademark, and the diligent photographer will "get this up" on the tripod as soon as possible after the shooting position is selected. This might be the case even if play is not imminent, as our shots on this page show. We've captured one of the peculiar rituals of "the summer game" even though there is no play. We have a member of the ground staff at Trent Bridge in Nottingham banging a spike into the pitch. Without a long lens you couldn't hope to catch such a ritual.

Umpire Palmer and Notts skipper Bicknell are paying particular attention to this attempt to find out how much moisture there is in the wicket. Perhaps a divining rod could be used instead?

The long lens will also capture other rituals of the game. Durham's Jon Lewis is in the field, exchanging team sheets with the umpire and Bicknell, before the toss. Such shots don't compare with action images, but capture part of the event nonetheless and the photographer should not ignore this.

The kitbag will also contain a variety of other lenses, far shorter than the telephoto. There are always things happening on the periphery. Sponsors will appear wanting "just a quick picture" in a corporate box. The club marketing department will ring wanting an image of a local celebrity watching the match. The players might want pictures for their brochures.

So the photographer will take a variety of lenses, 50mm, 17-35mm zoom, and normally something like an 80-200mm zoom to capture the required moment. A flashgun also goes with this. But sometimes events just happen and it would be odd if the photographer did not go equipped to capture the interview carried out by the TV company. Michael Vaughan has a wistful glance back at the camera as the interviewer searches for a penetrating question.

So keeping your eyes open around the ground, and being prepared for a variety of eventualities as well as photographing the actual play, are all part of capturing the images of the game. It has even been known for photographers, a notoriously scruffy breed, to turn out looking nearly decent with a jacket and tie, prepared to do a job in the more august pavilions of the game. So in the photographer's bag there may even be a tie. Whatever next?