THROUGHOUT the 2016 season, AFL Media's award-winning photographer Michael Willson turned his creative lens on players, coaches and fans – at training, behind closed doors and in matches – in every state of Australia.

Willson was in the middle of the post-game ritual of the song, he captured the tender moments when players celebrated milestones with their kids, he was there when fans cheered, and when they wailed.

The photography of sport has advanced enormously in recent years, with the development of superior lenses and fast equipment, but it is only the expertise and experience of the photographer that can capture the big moments: the high mark, the athleticism, the joy, the despair - and the modern phenomenon of head-to-toe ink.

The AFL game is not easy to photograph, with its wide expanses, large numbers of players, and blistering speed. Willson brings his love of the game to each match he photographs. Born and raised in Swan Hill, a Sherrin (and camera) were never far from his hands. Growing up playing football with Lake Boga FC - including the famous 2003 drought-breaking premiership - fostered in him a deep and lasting passion for the game.

Since the 2005 AFL season he has earned the respect and trust of players and clubs alike, creatively photographing all the action, triumph, heartbreak, blood, sweat and tears - often capturing moments otherwise never to be seen - from a unique perspective that can only come from an intimate knowledge and love for photography and Australian Football.

Up Close, The Story of Season 2016 in Photos (with words by veteran sportswriter Geoff Slattery) is Willson’s first book, and includes more than 130 of his photographs of the season, from the torture and hope of the pre-season through to the apex of the Grand Final, split into the chapters that describe the game and its players better than any words can do.

Up Close, The Story of Season 2016 in Photos will be on sale in November. Pre-order from http://books.slatterymedia.com/store/viewItem/up-close

Follow Michael Willson on Instagram @michaelcwillson