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'Maradona sang in the bath before our interview'

Ben ParkerSuffolk
Adam Docker Maradona wearing a black top holding a drink with his arm around Adam Docker who is wearing a light-coloured top. They are inside a building.Adam Docker
Diego Maradona with Adam Docker during an interview recorded in Cuba

After six days of waiting in Havana, Cuba, for an interview with footballer Diego Maradona in 2001, cinematographer Adam Docker found himself standing downstairs listening to the Argentine loudly singing in the bath along to a ballad on repeat.

"He came down like a Tasmanian devil. I don't get starstruck but meeting Maradona was one of the most unique moments. He was a real rebel within the sport."

Docker, 55, from Gislingham, Suffolk, said he and his team had been waiting in Cuba for £30,000 to clear into Maradona's bank account before they were given the go ahead to meet him.

"He gave us a three-hour interview, raw, electric, and unpredictable. It was chaos, and it was magic," Docker said.

There may be few sporting stars with the level of fame or reputation as Maradona, but Docker has spent 25 years filming and photographing other athletes, such as boxer Tyson Fury, UFC champion Tom Aspinall and Norway footballer Erling Haaland.

Adam Docker A close up photo of Diego Maradona, half his face is obscured by shadow. Adam Docker
Docker said Maradona gave an "electric" interview

He said his work has taken him to over 90 countries and he has photographed World Cups, including being on the pitch at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as Germany lifted the trophy in 2014.

"That meant having access to incredible places, changing rooms with some of the teams and referees."

He said his career had taken him to "film extraordinary stories from Yellowknife in Canada to Timbuktu" in Mali, west Africa.

Adam Docker Adam Docker is laying on the ground, he is filming two men on horseback, they are holding up eagles in their hands. The background shows rolling hills and mountains.Adam Docker
Adam Docker spent time with eagle hunters in Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia

Docker spent time in Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia with eagle hunters, who ride on horseback using the birds to catch rabbits, foxes and even deer.

"This journey reminded me why I photograph. Beautiful landscapes and dramatic moments may draw us in, but it's the people, their traditions and their stories that stay with us," he said.

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He said he had also spent time undercover in Tibet, filming agents as they tried to disrupt the tiger skin and bone trade.

"The producers and directors I used to work with had a globe that they could literally just spin and point a finger at say, let's go here," Docker said.

Adam Docker Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, singer Mariah Carey and former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate in three separate portrait images. Adam Docker
Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, singer Mariah Carey and former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate, have all had their portraits taken by Adam Docker

Along with filmmaking, Docker has a passion for photography and has taken portraits of some of the most famous sportspeople and entertainers in the world.

"My approach remains the same whether I'm photographing a world-famous athlete, an Oscar-winning actor or someone I've met in a remote village halfway across the world.

"Fame has never been the subject of the photograph - character is," he said.

Adam Docker Docker with his back to the camera holding a camera filming people dressed in traditional clothing, they appear to be marching in formation. The filming is taking place in Lesotho, Africa.Adam Docker
Docker's work has taken him to 90 countries, including filming in Lesotho in Africa

Docker said with the popularity of smart phones and social media, filming had in some ways become "throwaway".

"Photography has become the place where I can really express myself and tell my stories," he said.

After moving to Suffolk in March, Docker is hosting his first photography exhibition in the county, which will include photos with "a lot of motion and blur and viewing the world in a slightly different way".

The exhibition, called Named Motion and Emotion, runs from 19 August to 12 September at The Bank Arts Centre, Eye, Suffolk.

Adam Docker A black and white photo of a man in Sri Lanka, he has a grey beard and long dark hair.Adam Docker
The exhibition will include pictures taken from around the world, such as this one of a man in Sri Lanka

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