Introduction
This book has been in the back of my mind for quite a while.
I shoot pictures every day. I’m a storyteller, and this is the best, surest way for me to communicate. I want to share what I am privileged to see, and reveal it to the biggest crowds I can.
The desire to teach is in my blood, and the desire to share knowledge comes as a direct result of having had terrific mentors help me along the way.
Why I Love Covering Sports
I started shooting sports in my 20s, working as a staff photographer for the Miami Herald. The craft was different then: The lenses were slower, the cameras had to be focused manually—which is more difficult—and the frames captured were far fewer. Working with film required more light and gave me less latitude, and it took much longer to process the images. Before I pressed the shutter, I had to be sure the photograph would be sharp and depict an important moment.
In the early 90s, I joined the staff of Sports Illustrated as a photographer. Since then I’ve travelled around the world covering every sport you can imagine.
At some of the world’s greatest sporting events, I’ve had the best seat in the house. But at the heart of my existence is making meaningful photographs no matter where I am. Shooting a little league game is every bit as important to me as shooting the World Series.
Over the past 25 years, I’ve covered 10 Olympics, 25 Super Bowls, 10 NCAA basketball tournaments, 25 Kentucky Derbies, and all the events in between. Photographing ten-year-old Eli Manning playing catch with his dad in front of their New Orleans home in 1991 was as much fun as picturing him winning his second Super Bowl in 2012.
It’s not just about access. Great shots are everywhere; you just have to look for them.
The Goal of this Book
The ability to make photographs is changing rapidly in the sports photography arena, but the fundamentals are still the same. Newer cameras—because of their larger sensors, faster lenses, and bigger cards—are actually making sports photography more accessible to more people. Finding the action, capturing the personalities of the athletes, and experiencing the ambience of the crowds are the elements that give you the feel of the game. They are the guts of sports photography and they haven’t, and won’t, change.
This book explains how I do what I do. It includes everything from the gear I use to how to gain access to events. I’ll show you how I approach the sports I shoot and discuss how each requires a different mind-set and a different approach. Chapter by chapter I’ll lead you through the process of making great sports photographs of athletes at all levels.
Who this Book Is For
This book is designed for photographers of all levels who want to raise their game. It takes you through the thought processes of telling the story by capturing penultimate action and salient moments away from the motion. Technique is important too; therefore, I’ll spend time analyzing not only the tools, but the reasoning behind why I stand where I stand—or crouch, or kneel, or sit.
My objective is to teach you, whether you are a novice, amateur, or skilled photographer, how to put the viewers of your photographs into a front-row seat.
Shooting Sports
Covering sports well means thinking ahead and understanding the athletes’ motivations and reactions. It’s all about anticipating, preparing, and moving.
Understanding the game—knowing the personalities and tendencies of the participants—is very helpful. But the most important part of the equation is knowing yourself, being prepared to respond, and staying in the moment.
The crux of my exploration of athletic competition is the intersection of motion and emotion, the sometimes chance. But more often it is the calculated inclusion of art, commerce, and athleticism into sport, which so heavily influences the functioning of society through participation and observation. I want to capture the peak moment, which will hopefully enlighten and engage the viewer in a way that defines the game.
Sports photography needs to be about motion and emotion, style and scene, and place and purpose. At its best, it is the intersection of art and athleticism.