Major Events · Melbourne
AFL Grand Final / MCG
Photographing Australian football’s biggest day from above the mighty MCG since 2008.
The project
A long-running view of Grand Final day from above the MCG.
Lensaloft has photographed AFL Grand Finals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 2008. Each year brings the same extraordinary scale — close to 100,000 people filling one of Australia’s most recognisable sporting venues — but a completely different contest, atmosphere and story below.
From the helicopter, the MCG reads differently across the day. The colour and geometry of the crowd, the activity on the field and the changing light all become part of the photograph, creating a visual record of the Grand Final that is quite different from what is seen at ground level.
Over the years the work has grown into an archive of Grand Final days, capturing the stadium, the city around it and the moments that mark the conclusion of each AFL season.
- Project
- AFL Grand Final / Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Location
- Melbourne, Victoria
- Since
- 2008 · ongoing
- Platforms
- Helicopter · approved stadium drone operations
- Coverage
- Opening bounce · half-time · final siren · fireworks
- Environment
- Major live event · tightly coordinated airspace
Peak-moment photography
Key moments completely change the view from above.
The opening bounce is the first time the whole stadium comes together visually: a full MCG, the teams in position and the season’s final match underway. At half-time the field becomes a stage, with performance, lighting and crowd activity creating a very different picture.
The final siren remains my favourite. The reaction is immediate — players, spectators, colour and movement all change at once, followed by the fireworks and celebrations. From above, it is a brief but remarkable transformation of the entire stadium.
Airspace coordination
Planned on the ground. Coordinated in the air.
The operational work begins well before take-off, with risk assessments, task-specific plans, aviation approvals and aircraft configuration completed for the assignment. During the key moments, our photography helicopter shares the airspace with the broadcast helicopter, so we coordinate with air traffic control and other aircraft while a dedicated spotter helps maintain separation. Communications and live feeds from the ground keep the crew aligned with the event schedule so the aircraft can be positioned before each critical sequence begins.
Photographer’s perspective
The camera choice starts with where the photograph will end up.
I love the flexibility of full-frame zoom lenses, particularly when the scene is changing quickly, but the final use of the imagery has a big influence on what I take into the helicopter. Many of the key Grand Final photographs are eventually reproduced as large displays, signage and billboards, where every part of the capture chain starts to matter.
For those moments I will almost always move to prime lenses and, where appropriate, medium-format sensors. Wide dynamic range and ultra-high-resolution sensors can only record the detail the lens is capable of resolving, so a carefully selected set of primes gives me the image quality I want when the files need to hold together at very large scale.
An open-door helicopter over a live event is no place to be swapping lenses. Each lens is mounted to its own camera body and each camera is independently tethered, allowing me to change focal lengths quickly without handling loose equipment in the doorway. It also builds redundancy into the system. Multiple camera bodies, multiple lenses and multiple backups for moments that cannot be repeated.
The result is a simple, efficient workflow in the air: choose the right camera, make the frame and keep attention outside the aircraft where it belongs.
Stadium drone operations
A different scale from inside the ground.
Lensaloft has also flown drones officially inside and around the MCG for major events. Where the helicopter reveals the stadium as part of Melbourne, the drone works much closer to the architecture, field and event environment, creating perspectives that feel more connected to the venue itself.
Working with both platforms over the years has made the distinction useful: the helicopter is about scale and context; the drone is about proximity and detail. Each has a different role, and the strongest coverage comes from using the platform that best suits the image rather than trying to make one replace the other.
Related capabilities
Different aerial tools for different perspectives.
Major events & live environments
Need aerial coverage for a major event?
Lensaloft can coordinate the creative, aviation, access, approvals, capture and post-production requirements for complex live-event aerial photography and film.