London 2012: Photographer Chris Booth relives the Olympics with his favourite shots of the Games

The Northern Echo was the only newspaper in the region to send its own sports writer and photographer to London, and one year on, Chris Booth selects his six favourite photographs from his Olympic portfolio and explains why they are so special to him.

AS a photographer and sports fan, it was the dream ticket to be sent to the Olympics.

Every day there was something new and challenging, not least the carrying by hand of over 30kg of camera equipment around the public transport system of the city and the 16-17 hour daily shifts, yet I would do it all again tomorrow.

To be present at 35 finals where gold medals were won (nine by Team GB athletes), among which six world records were set, is something that will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Technical: Canon EOS 1D mk4 with 500mm f4 lens 1/500 sec at f4, ISO 2500

On the so-called 'Super Saturday' during which Team GB won six gold medals, I was fortunate enough to be in the Olympic Stadium primarily to cover Middlesbrough long jumper Chris Tomlinson.

The long jump pit was located on the other side of the stadium from the track finish line which meant I was unable to witness Jess Ennis as she finished the 800m, the final event of the heptathalon where she confirmed her gold medal win.

However, I was determined to get a picture of the poster girl of the Games, and so as she completed a lap of honour around the track, I took my opportunity.

Between jumps in the long jump final, I was able to shoot a few frames of her while she celebrated her victory.

This was not the easiest task as I had to keep one eye on the long jump to avoid missing the performances of Tomlinson and eventual winner Greg Rutherford, while trying to get a clean shot of Jess who was engulfed by a TV crew, photographers and other heptathaltes.

Technical: Canon EOS 1D X with 70-200mm f2.8 lens 1/1000 sec at f4, ISO 2500

Having heard stories from the Beijing Games four years earlier of photographers camping out the night before to guarantee a good position for arguably the biggest single event of the Olympics, I was aware of my need to get to the Olympic Stadium in good time before the start of the men's 100m final.

I assessed the photographers' positions the day before the race, and had a spot in mind which I was lucky enough to claim when I arrived at the stadium around noon on the day of the race, eight hours before it was due to start.

Striking up a deal with the Getty Images photographer sitting next to me to watch each other's place and camera equipment to allow for food and toilet breaks, the early arrival was more than worthwhile as come race time, I was surrounded by a few hundred other photographers, arguably with not quite as good a viewpoint of the action.

Technical: Canon EOS 1D mk4 with 16-35mm f2.8 lens and graduated filter. 1/250 sec at f20, ISO 800 

Although sport pictures generally concentrate on either a close-up of action or the moment of winning or losing, sometimes the location of a event can also translate into a good picture.

While covering local rider Nicola Wilson in the three-day eventing, I felt that the arena in Greenwich Park in which the show jumping took place was such a place.

The background of Canary Wharf, stands full of people and the positioning of the fences were very eye catching.

When I took this image, a shower was about to hit resulting in stormy looking clouds and the spectators dressed accordingly.

I waited for the rider and horse to be in a position where they would still stand out, hence they are running and not jumping, to avoid them blending in to the background too much.

Technical: Canon EOS 1D X with 16-35mm f2.8 lens 1/200 sec at f6.3, ISO 3200 Having already been lucky enough to obtain a press pass for the Olympics after an application process lasting more than a year, there were certain events such as the opening ceremony where additional red tape existed and further passes were required.

Assuming I would be way down the pecking order for such an event compared to other members of the world's media, I considered there would be little chance of me attending the spectacle, but fate was kind, and my seat position in the stadium could not have been better.

This photograph was taken once all the participating nations had paraded their athletes around the track and the wonderfully original design of the Olympic flame had been revealed.

It shows the magnificence of the stadium as fireworks erupt in the sky above while the Olympic flame burns brightly for the first time at the 30th summer Games.

Technical: Canon EOS 1D mk2 N with 500mm f4 lens 1/800 sec at f4, ISO 800

Although all the Olympic venues had fantastic atmosphere, there was something extra special about the velodrome.

I think it was the reverberation of noise within the enclosed arena and the sheer strength of British cyclists on display which made a passionate crowd even more excited.

I am attracted to the symmetry of this photo. The four riders mirror each other in their appearance, especially with their faces covered by helmets and visors, and they seemed to work as one with just millimetres separating the front and back wheel of each separate bike.

From my position in the crowd and on such a long lens I was only just able to fit all riders in the frame, however my choice of lens allowed me to achieve a great deal of background blur to make sure they really stood out.

Technical: Canon 1D mk4 with 500mm f4 lens + 1.4x converter 1/2000 sec at f5.6, ISO 800

Eton Dorney proved to be a good venue for the British athletes with four gold medals accumulated.

The lightweight women's double sculls pair of Kat Copeland and Sophie Hosking were one of these.

Copeland, based at Tees Rowing Club in Stockton, became the first ever North-East woman to win an Olympic gold medal so I felt it only right to include an image of her in this selection.

This was the moment that the exhaustion of the race was surpassed by the joy of crossing the finish line in first place. The expression on Kat's face says more to me than words ever could.