George Beldam the first action photographer in Britain.
Mayday marks the birth anniversary of the pioneer in action photography George Beldam. The perfect tribute to the unsung heroes of cricket is to recognize and appreciate their great works. The photographers have a special place in the hearts of fans, in the pre-television era. The images captured by these men had an emotional attachment, or one could say that they were “Eyes of Cricket.”
- Great Batsmen: Their Methods at a Glance (1905)
- Great Bowlers and Fielders: Their Methods at a Glance (1907)
Fingleton on Beldm
. . not even my Headmaster friend can fault this perfect photograph of Hammond in a cover drive. This to my mind has no peer in cricket photography and
ranks with the exquisite Beldam shots of Trumper in the full flight of his driving glory.
If a cricket lover never had the good fortune to see Trumper he could immediately tell by the Beldam photographs that here, indeed, was a classical artistic
player. Trumper has jumped out to drive, different from the other strokes here portrayed, with the exception of Bradman’s, and all batsman will agree that this
is the one stroke more than others in which there must be perfect co-ordination of mind muscle and timing.
Over team picks seven greatest cricket photographers of all time.(IMO)
Bruce Postle
George Beldam
Graham Morris
Ken Kelly
Patrick Eagar
Philip Brown
Vivian Jenkins
