Client: LV= / England Cricket
Director: Brandon Thomas
Role: Director of Photography
Series: For the Love of the Game
Jonny Bairstow Interview – Sports Cinematography
This branded sports film for LV= features England cricketer Jonny Bairstow and his mother, Janet Bairstow, reflecting on the people and experiences that helped shape his journey into professional cricket.
I worked as Director of Photography on the production, filming Jonny’s interview within a setting closely connected to his career. The cricket ground was an important part of the story, so the aim was to retain a clear sense of the location rather than allow it to become an indistinct interview background.
Balancing the Interview With the Location
The principal visual challenge was balancing the controlled lighting on Jonny with the natural daylight across the ground behind him.
I exposed the image to retain detail in the exterior, including the seating and surrounding architecture, before using an Aputure 600d as the key light. Its output allowed me to bring Jonny up to the required exposure while maintaining natural skin tones and creating controlled shape across his face.
This approach kept the interview looking polished without making the lighting feel artificial or disconnected from the environment.
Lens Choice and Depth of Field
The interview was filmed using the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM prime. The 50mm perspective produced a natural-looking portrait while providing enough separation between Jonny and the background.
Rather than completely blurring the ground, I used a controlled depth of field that kept the location recognisable. This helped preserve the wider context of the story while ensuring that attention remained firmly on Jonny.
The resulting frame appears straightforward, but it depended on the lighting, exposure, composition and lens choice working together.
The full film can be watched on the official England Cricket YouTube channel.
Explore more of my work as a UK Director of Photography, learn about my lighting cameraman services or view another sports production created for BBC Sport.
