Jonny Weeks
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Photographer, feature writer and picture editor @guardian
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Articles by Jonny Weeks
Top 30: from half a million World Cup photos, why I love these the best
Updated Mon, 20 July 2026 at 7:12 am UTC Harry Kane is embraced by Jude Bellingham after his first goal against DR Congo.Photograph: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images default What makes a great World Cup photograph? Now there’s a question with myriad answers. Composition, newsworthiness, emotional resonance, expert timing and luck can all contribute to varying degrees. But one thing they all share is the power to capture attention.
Warping the World Cup: the rise of homespun ‘photographs’
Although I’ve edited thousands of football photographs over the years, I’ve never attended a World Cup match. I envy those who get to be pitchside with their cameras for such big events. Yet, as I’ve discovered during this tournament, you don’t have to be there to create experimental images of the tournament. Slit-scanning is an alternative photographic process that I first tried many years ago.
Melting hot! When Ireland played Mexico in sweltering 1994 World Cup clash
“Some of the boys were melting,” says Jason McAteer as he recalls one of the most notorious matches in World Cup history. “Especially Steve Staunton and Tommy Coyne, they really struggled in the heat.” It was the group stage of the 1994 World Cup and the Republic of Ireland, having just defeated eventual finalists Italy in their opening match, were facing Mexico at the Citrus Bowl in Florida.
Who did it best? USA 1994 versus World Cup 2026 – then and now
Updated Tue, 30 June 2026 at 1:01 pm UTC It’s 32 years since Diego Maradona went berserk down the barrel of a TV camera after scoring for Argentina; since Bebeto rocked an imaginary baby to sleep; since Roberto Baggio blazed his spot-kick into orbit (the tournament’s second worst penalty after Diana Ross’s blooper during the opening ceremony); since Carlos Valderrama wowed the world with his luscious blonde afro.
Screen epics: World Cup 2026 viewing parties around the globe – in pictures
Updated Mon, 29 June 2026 at 3:20 am UTC A drone view shows fans watching a match from kayaks at Olympic Island in Toronto.Photograph: Carlos Osorio/Reuters Viewing figures for the 2026 World Cup have been massive so far, with footy-mad audiences lapping up the coverage. England’s victory over Croatia had a peak audience of 15.4 million on ITV, but that was nothing compared to Brazil where more than 30 million people watched as the Seleçao beat Haiti.
Who are ya? Behind the scenes of the official World Cup portrait photographs Original
Lionel Messi of Argentina stands rigidly in front of the camera. Marc Cucurella of Spain whips his hair and appears to boogie. Diego Moreira of Belgium covers his eyes with his forearm and reveals an eerie tattoo. Harry Kane leans on to one knee. There are 1,248 football players and 48 managers at the World Cup, and none could escape the obligatory media duty that is the official portrait – whether or not they had a fun pose in mind.
‘I’m not a model!’ Uruguay’s Bielsa defends bizarre World Cup portrait
Marcelo Bielsa looks down during Fifa’s official World Cup 2026 portrait session. Photograph: Michael Regan/FIFA/Getty Images The Uruguay head coach, Marcelo Bielsa, has lived up to his maverick reputation by refusing to cooperate during a photoshoot for Fifa. Bielsa stared down at the floor, hands in pockets, statuesque, during the obligatory media duty last Wednesday and the 70-year-old hit back when asked about the incident after Uruguay’s 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia on Monday.
‘I’m not a model!’ Uruguay’s Bielsa defends bizarre World Cup portrait
Tue, 16 June 2026 at 10:08 am UTC Marcelo Bielsa looks down during Fifa's official World Cup 2026 portrait session.Photograph: Michael Regan/FIFA/Getty Images The Uruguay head coach, Marcelo Bielsa, has lived up to his maverick reputation by refusing to cooperate during a photoshoot for Fifa.
The story of the Premier League 2025-26 season in 100 photos
The best photos from the 2025-26 Premier League season. Composite: Guardian Picture Desk August September October November December January February March Liam Rosenior came out with the strangest quote of the season when he said his players were trying to “respect the ball” when they surrounded both the ball and referee Paul Tierney with a bizarre huddle prior to their match with Newcastle, a 1-0 home defeat.
The story of the Premier League 2025-26 season in 100 photos Original
The best photos from the 2025-26 Premier League season. Composite: Guardian Picture Desk Reigning champions Liverpool left it late to beat Bournemouth 4-2 on the opening day of the season in their first league game back at Anfield following the death of Diogo Jota. The Reds also squeaked past Newcastle thanks to Rio Ngumoha and then Arsenal, after Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick, which won goal of the month.
The story of the Premier League 2025-26 season in 100 photos
August Reigning champions Liverpool left it late to beat Bournemouth 4-2 on the opening day of the season in their first league game back at Anfield following the death of Diogo Jota. The Reds also squeaked past Newcastle thanks to Rio Ngumoha and then Arsenal, after Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick, which won goal of the month.
'Got. Got. Need!' The boyhood autographs that remind me of Coventry's Premier League heydays
Jonny Weeks John Barnes: got. David Beckham: got. Ruud Gullit: got. Andrei Kanchelskis: got. Matthew Le Tissier: got. Alan Shearer: got. Looking back through the football autographs I collected as a teenager in the early 1990s feels delightful and discomfiting. The Merlin sticker albums, Pro Set cards and Shoot annuals chronicle a youth spent travelling the country with my dad, watching Coventry City take on the great and the good of the top flight at the dawn of the Premier League.
Sky monkeys, pink tutus and bum nuts: behind the scenes at the Eden Project as it turns 25
“Give me a sleeping bag and I'll happily sleep here overnight,” says Kim Mackintosh as she wanders amid the vibrant flora of the Mediterranean biome at the Eden Project on the eve of the tourist attraction's 25th anniversary.
Heat seekers: amazing thermal images from the Winter Olympics
A ski-cross athlete captured using a thermal imaging camera at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.Photograph: Héctor Vivas/Getty Images While most photographers are striving to ‘freeze’ motion using traditional cameras at the Winter Olympics this month, a creative trio from the photo agency Getty Images are seeking something much more unexpected: heat.
Sharp shooters: The best sports photos of 2025 and the stories behind them
We've received more than 500,000 sports photographs in the past year, with some absolute belters among them. Here are some of the fleeting moments, wild celebrations and creative compositions that caught our eyes – accompanied by explanations and technical info from the photographers themselves. Chloe Kelly celebrates by Florencia Tan Jun (1/200th sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500) “As a photographer, a penalty shootout in a final feels completely different from a penalty during regular play.
‘A sense of anarchy and misrule': the osses, warring oaks and lobbed sprouts of Penzance's Montol festival
Incense burners as big as basketballs send thick clouds of smoke into the hyped-up crowd. “Hoo hoo Holly!” cries a man in a suit of twisted roots, looking like an oversized Shredded Wheat. The crowd begins to chant: “Make way for the Holly!” And two 10ft tree gods – the Oak King and the Holly King – begin to lash and headbutt each other, as flamethrowers blast the air with hot orange streams. These mysterious-seeming traditions are part of Montol, Cornwall's biggest solstice festival.
It’s staying home: England’s road to Euro 2025 glory – in pictures
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It’s staying home: England’s road to Euro 2025 glory – in pictures
Lucy Bronze and Chloe Kelly of England celebrate following the team's victory. Photograph: Harriet Lander/The FA/Getty Images Over little more than three weeks in July, from Zurich via St Gallen, and Lancy to Basel, Guardian writers have followed every step of England’s journey across Switzerland during Women’s Euro 2025. Under Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses became the first England team to win a trophy on foreign soil.
It’s staying home: England’s road to Euro 2025 glory - in pictures
Over little more than three weeks in July, from Zurich via St Gallen, and Lancy to Basel, Guardian writers have followed every step of England’s journey across Switzerland during the Women’s Euro 2025. Under Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses became the first England team to win a trophy on foreign soil. Here are our favourite pictures coupled with excerpts from our match reports and blogs.
The story of the 2024-25 Premier League season in 100 photos
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The story of the 2024-25 Premier League season in 100 photos
Jonny Weeks 27 May 2025 at 2:00 pm·5-min read August Liverpool started the season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Ipswich, while Erling Haaland scored back-to-back hat-tricks against the Tractor Boys and West Ham to leave City top of the pile at the end of August. Elsewhere, Everton remarkably coughed up a two-goal lead at home to Bournemouth – conceding three times from the 87th minute – becoming the first team in Premier league history to taste defeat from such a commanding position.
‘Defying expectations’: amazing Paralympic photographers with disabilities
While Paralympic athletes have been capturing the limelight with feats of skill and endeavour over the past fortnight, theirs are not the only remarkable stories from the Games. Several photographers with disabilities have been creating striking images in Paris, defying mobility issues, visual impairments and societal expectations in the process. Here is some of their best work.
Shoot like a pro: how the best photos of the Paris Olympics were taken
Over the past 16 days we’ve received just shy of one million photographs from the Olympic Games. While many of those images capture moments of unforgettable sporting drama or newsworthiness, others showcase the incredibly artistry of the photographers themselves. Here are some of our favourite images from Paris and beyond, with descriptions and camera data from those who created them. “This photo was shot with a special ‘tilt-and-shift’ lens which allows you to create a funky zone of focus.
Olympic surfing comes to Teahupo’o with beastly waves and controversy
Few places in the world are as ominously named as the Tahitian surf spot Teahupo’o, which translates literally as “wall of skulls”. The left-hand reef break gets its name from the nearby village where it’s said that a tribal battle once ended with the victors displaying their enemies’ skulls, but the macabre moniker also tells you all you need to know about this beastly wave.
Story of the season: the best photos from the 2023-24 Premier League
The Premier League season started ominously as Erling Haaland took just four minutes to get his goalscoring campaign under way when Manchester City beat Burnley in the opening match. Elsewhere, Luton’s first top-flight game for 31 years ended in defeat at Brighton and Ange Postecoglou claimed manager of the month (as he would do again in September and October) as Tottenham made a fast start to the season.
‘Clean water is a basic right’: protesters against sewage in seas and rivers gather across the UK
Protesters during a paddle-out in Falmouth organised by Surfers Against Sewage.Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Observer “Cut the crap” and “Fishes not faeces” read some of the many colourful slogans at Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth where hundreds of protesters gathered on Saturday to demand action over the scourge of sewage pollution in British waterways.
Coventry’s defeat was the most scintillating and sickening football experience of my life
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Coventry’s street-smarts launched Huckerby’s solo flight to stun United
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Coventry’s street-smarts launched Huckerby’s solo flight to stun United
Darren Huckerby celebrating with teammates as Coventry beat Manchester United in 1997 – their only Premier League triumph over Sir Alex Ferguson’s storied side. Photograph: Ted Blackbrow/Daily Mail/Shutterstock Football’s “dark arts” can be deliciously contentious. When does game management become flagrant cheating? Is tactical fouling ever fair?
concerns over Cornwall’s new anti-gridlock road
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‘They’ve knocked down hundreds of trees’: concerns over Cornwall’s new anti-gridlock road
As cars and lorries snail interminably along the A30 in Cornwall – the county’s notorious trunk road – the words of the furious driver in John Betjeman’s poem, Meditation On The A30, seem befitting: “I can’t go on crawling like this!” Such frustrations are especially acute in summertime when tourists compete with hauliers, tractors and local residents for space on the asphalt, many of them en route to the coastal hotspots of Perranporth and St Ives. But those days could soon be gone.
‘It’s more February than August’: holidaymakers sit out storm in Cornwall
Huddled together in fleece-lined beach robes while other family members play football nearby, Kate and Tilly Perrett look as if they might be regretting taking their summer holiday in St Ives, Cornwall. The wind is nippy, the sky is ominously grey and Kate’s sunglasses haven’t been called into action much all week. “The weather’s been touch and go every day, but we don’t let it bother us at all, we’re still having fun,” says Kate, with a broad smile.
Coast to coast: snapshots of Cornwall’s new Tamar valley walk
A few minutes into a “guided” walk along the new Tamara Coast to Coast Way, which roughly traces the border of Cornwall and Devon, my guide is looking sheepish. We’re standing in a grassy field flanked by overgrown hedgerows and with no discernible exit. I was promised a panoramic view of the Tamar river stretching off into the distance. “Are we lost?” I inquire mischievously. “Give me one moment,” comes the reply.
Being a Coventry fan used to mean chaos and pain - now it’s time to celebrate
Photograph: Greig Cowie/Shutterstock Queueing at the luggage drop at Sydney airport in Australia in 2017, I glanced around and wondered whether any other expats were as desperate as I was. To watch a game of football I was embarking on a 21,000-mile round trip to the UK and sacrificing a few thousand pounds – not to mention my environmental conscience. This wasn’t just any game, of course. This was the Checkatrade Trophy final between Coventry City and Oxford United.
Race to rescue Bude’s Pepperpot lookout tower from being swept into the sea
Perched on an exposed clifftop above the Atlantic, which gnaws ominously at the sandstone and shale foundations below, Bude storm tower in Cornwall has helped to save many mariners from strife over the past two centuries. But now this cherished coastguard’s lookout is to be rescued itself.
Cornwall officials urge tourists to ‘engage brains’ after car swept into sea
Bemused residents and tourism officials in Cornwall have urged visitors to “engage their brains” after a family car got washed into the sea near St Agnes. In the second such incident at Trevaunance Cove in the past eight months, the vehicle was swept away at high tide after the driver got stuck on a steep slipway while doing a three-point turn. The 26-year-old, who was visiting from the Midlands with his family, said the incident happened overnight when he and his friend became lost.
'It’s my happy place': accessible surf school ignites passion for sport in Bristol
'It’s my happy place': accessible surf school ignites passion for sport in Bristol. The Wave artificial surfing lagoon is first in UK carefully crafted with people with disabilities in mind Fresh from her first ever surf, Sophie Elwes looks chilly but energised. The 31-year-old has spent the past hour riding prone on a soft-top board at the Wave in Bristol, a new artificial surfing lagoon that caters for people of all abilities and needs.
Surf and the city: Bristol’s new artificial surfing lagoon
“Yeee-ees!!” cries my coach, Oliver, as we near the water’s edge. Wave after wave surges towards us, peeling sideways before crumbling at our feet. No closeouts, no guessing where waves will break, just perfect peaks stretching into the distance. Most surfers would be stoked to see this at any beach in the world, but I’m eight miles from Bristol’s centre and three from the English “coast” (if you can call the muddy Severn estuary that) at a man-made surfing venue that opens on 4 November.
World Press Photo: 'Haunting' image of Syrian refugees wins
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