Meet ESNAP Sport

Dave Burnham

Since moving to the USA, Dave has become a highly regarded and in-demand freelance photographer. With over 20 years professional, award-winning experience, Dave is the chief photographer and design guru of ESNAP Sport. Some of Dave’s current work can be found online at the Rare Reminder Sports Corner and the AOL-owned Central Connecticut Patch.com sites. He also writes and takes photographs for the Middletown and Cromwell Chronicle newspapers and the Rare Reminder. In 2010, Dave was voted 2010 Writer Of The Year by the readership of Connecticut Cruise News, where Cruisin’ Photography has a regular column.

His interest in photography began in his native England, at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Dave went to watch a Formula One race and was intrigued by the press photographers who were covering the race for the world’s media. Shortly afterwards a new camera was purchased and the love affair with sports photography began!

Over the years Dave honed his craft by reading all he could about photography and going out and taking photographs as often as he could. These images were all shot on film, and Dave believes that the time and money spent were invaluable as they gave him a thorough grounding in using a camera’s manual mode and not letting the camera dictate the settings.

Early in his professional-photography career, Dave worked as a full-time freelance sports photographer, which led to many commissions and a lot of published work. He supplied many newspapers with material and became the press officer for the national champion Rugby Rollers American Football team. Several UK picture libraries and agencies tasked Dave with photographing Formula One and motorcycle Grand Prix.

Over the years Dave has covered football, soccer, rugby, cricket, motor sport, polo, equestrian events, basketball, softball, lacrosse, hockey, wrestling and many others.

Before embarking on his new life in the USA, Dave sponsored the 2009 Revolution Racing motorcycle team. This very successful collaboration combined his artwork with the winning ways of Ollie, Ryan and Dane Oliver at racetracks around the United Kingdom.

Dave’s earlier work and freelance career would not have been possible without the help, support, advice and guidance of his very good friend, the late Eddy Pincham. Dave cannot thank Eddy and his wife Wendy enough for all of their help and encouragement.

Kathleen Pulek

Kathleen Pulek grew up around cameras – all kinds of cameras. Her father, Leo, used a trusty Yashica, before graduating to a Nikon. Her first camera was a Polaroid Instant, followed by a Kodak, which was replaced by a Nikon before making the leap into digital photography. And she hasn’t looked back since!

She grew up in New Britain, CT, on a healthy alphabet diet of NASCAR, NFL and MLB. Weekends would see Kathleen and her Dad spending time at local racetracks such as Tinty’s, Thompson and Stafford Motor Speedway.

Writing came naturally for Kathleen. She never minded the endless writing assignments she received in school, and when she could write about sports, she liked the assignment even more.

Her writing career began in high school with the influence of her favorite teacher, Elise McCarthy. Kathleen was a scholastic correspondent for The New Britain Herald, while also contributing to her high school newspaper and yearbook. She went on to work as a freelance sports writer for The New Britain Herald and Imprint, Inc., thanks to Bart Fisher and Paul Burton, who became her mentors and trusted friends.

Armed with a solid writing resume, Kathleen joined the Central Connecticut State University Sports Information staff. She and Sports Information Director Brent Rutkowski, worked tireless, seven-day weeks to raise the profile of CCSU intercollegiate athletics. During the course of her stay, she served as the primary media contact for volleyball, women’s and men’s tennis, women’s basketball and softball. She also worked with the men’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country/indoor track and field/outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s lacrosse and men’s basketball programs.

Holding to her long-standing commitment to Central Connecticut news and sports, Kathleen also serves as a contributing writer and photographer to Patch.com.

Kathleen’s success would not have been possible without her mother, Therese, her biggest fan and cheerleader.