The ice queens and kings of Europe came to England to brighten a bleak January. What a spectacle of excellence it was.

It’s the best athletic discipline I have witnessed at combining athleticism with artistry. And these athletes love their sport with palpable joy.

Elegance, beauty, grace – these were all here. But so too was power and passion. All on the wonderful elemental setting of ice.

European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Anastasiia Gubanova, Georgia. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Niina Petrokina, Estonia. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Niina Petrokina, Estonia. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Loena Hendrickx, Belgium. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Kimmy Repond, Switzerland. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Warm up group 4. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.

The most challenging part of photographing this competition was the advertising hoardings surrounding the rink.

With their vibrant colors and strong lettering it needed careful consideration as to how to minimise their interference within each frame.

Going high avoided the problem, but put me a long distance away from the skaters. Blurring, aerial manoeuvres and details were my other solutions.

European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Mariia Seniuk, Israel. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Nina Pinzarrone, Belgium. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.

I selected three Figure Skating disciplines to cover. Women’s Free Skating, Pair’s Free Skating and Ice Dance Rhythm Dance.

The first two (above & below) provided so many good moments. It really came down to spatial issues – where they were on the ice in relation to me.

Pairs was significantly more challenging with the need to get a harmonious balance, whereas solo looked great pretty much all the time.

European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Pairs free skating - Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini, Italy. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Pairs free skating - Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini, Italy. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Pairs free skating - Ioulia Chtchetinina and Michal Wozniak, Poland. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Pairs free skating - Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, Georgia. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Pairs free skating - Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, Georgia. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.

Ice dance was something different altogether.

From the costumes to the choreography it was hugely entertaining.

Here is where the joy of the skaters was especially visible. And the fun too. (See below).

European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Ice dance rhythm dance - Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, France. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Ice dance rhythm dance - Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, France. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Ice dance rhythm dance - Gina Zehnder, Switzerland. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Ice dance rhythm dance - Gina Zehnder and Beda Leon Sieber, Switzerland. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Ice dance rhythm dance - Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis, Finland. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Ice dance rhythm dance - Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, Great Britain. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Ice dance rhythm dance - Milla Ruud Reitan and Nikolaj Majorov, Sweden. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.

Before any photography session I try and summarise the aspects I think are integral. For this it was:  movement, figure, grace, speed, clothing, athlete & person, ice & contact, cold & blue.

Bar two exceptions everything here was taken with a 70-200mm lens. This also give me the possibility of doing some closer shots of the contact with ice, which worked quite well.

The trusty monopod (the most underrated of photography kit) was excellent for high up work, especially when having to hold the camera up for long durations.

European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Iida Karhunen, Finland. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Pairs free skating - Skater Anastasiia Metelkina, Georgia. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.
European Figure Skating Championships 2026. Women Free Skating - Loena Hendrickx, Belgium. By movement photographer Simon Tomkinson. ISU competition at Sheffield, UK.

To see these amazing skaters in action please visit the International Skating Union’s website for competition info.

To see more of my work please visit mine.

International Skating Union

Simon Tomkinson

With thanks to

International Skating Union

Location

Utilita Arena, Sheffield, UK.

European Champion - Women

Niina Petrokina, Estonia.

Ice Dance - Britain's No.1

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson

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