In our ongoing series about the stories behind professional photographers’ favourite photos, we talk to Tim Moolman. Tim has captured amongst others, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and the amazing Tony Hawk. He takes us through his favourites.  

TechSmart: Take us through a couple of your favourite photos. Are there particular stories behind them that makes it stand out?

Tim Moolman: There are too many! I love the photo of Bob Burnquist skateboarding at the KDC in 2012. It’s the perfect contest photo, timed as his face came into view (he’s spinning fast and blind at this point), as it shows the entire ramp, the commentators and spectators with Bob suspended in midair.

At this particular event the ramps were well lit but depending on the riders trick and speed they might end up in shadow once they launched off the edge. To counter this I had my Canon 580 EX speedlight attached to a sync cable and held it as high above my head as I could stretch. I guessed where to point it and shooting in manual mode exposed for the sky. Understanding skateboarding tricks and anticipating what the skater might be doing next can only really be learnt by immersing yourself into skateboarding culture (I've been riding for 28 years - an unfair advantage).

I knew the trick Bob was trying, an indy 720 to fakie, guessed roughly where I should aim to shoot and the rest was a fair amount of skill and luck to catch this trick so accurately. Bottom line, know your sport, try something different and practice, practice, practice.

I shoot weddings in a documentary style and the black & white images here speak volumes to me about the moment in time this bridesmaid was caught taking in all the rush and madness happening around her, the bride getting ready and after the ceremony with family congratulating the couple.

For more of Moolman's work, visit his website.