In this third installment of our four part series on Neil Leifer, we will feature an exhibit at the Annenberg Foundation in Los Angeles, California. Neil shares the limelight with a colleague. The exhibit honours and showcases the achievements of probably the two best sports photographers of all time, Neil Leifer and Walter Iooss, Jr. The name of the exhibit is ‘Sport: Iooss and Leifer.’ It runs from 12 November 2009 to 7 March 2010.

Being honoured is not something new to Neil. Honour comes with being good at what he does and for having done it for so long. It must be wonderful for one to love doing what one is so good at. Such a combination can only lead to greatness. We can only wonder if Neil knew that he was on to something when he started in sports photography as a teenager. Neil must have realized that people were responding positively to his images. But…

In this second installment of our four part series on Neil Leifer, we will explore the factors that have contributed to Neil’s success as a photographer. It is hardly ever just one thing. It is almost always a combination of things. The rules are hardly ever hard and fast. We can only try our best to capture as much of the reason for Neil’s success as we can. If we had to sum it all up in two things, it could very well be these two:

1. Being at the right place at the right time.

We know it only too well. Timing is everything for a sports photographer. It is the stuff of which great sports photography is made. Timing is something that Neil had going for him all those decades. Neil had to be at the perfect place to take his photograph. He had to be there at the perfect time. There and then, he had to be ready…

We have the honour to feature a legendary sports photographer in a four part series on his life and photography. We are talking about no other than Neil Leifer. His photographs have graced the covers of Sports Illustrated magazine, Time magazine, Life magazine and People magazine. He has devoted no less than five decades of his life to his photography that has largely been sports photography. On the list of top sports photographers of all time, Neil figures at nothing less than the apex along with his colleague Walter Iooss, Jr. whom we have covered quite a bit on our blog.

We have charted Neil’s journey as a photographer. Neil started his extraordinarily distinguished career as a professional photographer in his teens during the 1960s. Neil began as a freelancer and eventually became a staff photographer of Sports Illustrated magazine and then Time magazine as well as a contributing photographer of Life magazine. Neil presently holds the record as…

Today I’m going back to basics. Yes, simple you may say, but it all comes back to getting it right from the start. So many people ask about the camera, but really, we all know its not all about the gear.

Sports moments are destined to last for a long time. Sports photography made it happen. It is the art of capturing sports happenings that is preserved in history. All photos virtually taken during any sport event is considered as sports photography. All can also be called sports photographer as long as one has a camera and the will to take the shot.

Primary factor of a good sports photo is the ability and skills of the photographer to capture picture perfect images. The angle of shots is very critical on the outcome of the image. It is advisable to take different shots for comparison. Moments cannot be rewind, neither can be repeated. It passes by…

In this final series of VIEW: videos, I detail who inspired me from the first picture through to today’s exceptional photographers, which include Chase Jarvis and Dustin Snipes.

Inspiration is by its very nature can arrive at any moment. I remember a blog post or video from Chase that he mentions that he sometimes wakes up during the night with some immediate thoughts that he just has to write down. If I recall, he even talks about having a notepad beside his bed. I’m not sure if that will ever happen with me, because when I’m asleep, I’m really asleep.

But this video isn’t about how to do it or when, but the people that I have looked up to during the weeks and months and even years of doing this fun filled work I do called photography.

The annual Dakar Rally has been ripping across television screens around the world in a cloud of sand and burning fuel for the past two weeks and finally ended on January 16.

The toughest rally race in the world is also a difficult one to photograph with photographers having to get out into some of the most remote terrain on earth to wait out a good shot. The official website has some amazing pictures in their photo gallery from this year’s event with images of cars tearing across the Atacama Desert in Chile, spectators waiting in rivers to watch the participants, trucks churning through sand and motorbikes almost obscured by dust.

The picture of the year award went to Natasha Pisarenko of Associated Press for this image during the 2010 Dakar.

I have been checking out Jerry’s website “Catching the Light” and I think it is one of the best presented websites.  His sports page is filled with 25 years of wonderful black and white and color pictures with good captions for you to study.  You can learn a lot just by studying the photos-the vision, position, expression, angles, and lighting.

You will also enjoy reading through each topic on Jerry’s tips and techniques web page.  Each topic is filled with brief, well written, straight to the point, not too wordy prose.  Have you checked out other websites- they overwhelm you with so much information that you are exhausted or overwhelmed.  Not Jerry’s, so take some time to go through his “Tips and Techniques” page.

Read the full post

The National Press Photographers Association NPPA is a worthy investment.  Or you can tag this website on your “favorites” and still get some very good information like I did.  Stock photography is the new method for photographers to bank, market and advertise photos.  There is a plethora of Stock photography websites. So which one do you choose?  As I read through sports photography articles written by the “experts” I check out the resources that are mentioned in their articles.  Often these resources are overlooked because they are typically at the end of an article.  But I am always on the lookout for these references and resources because I know, they know, where to go to get the best information and tools necessary to have a successful photography business.

That is how I discovered the NPAA website.  This association has been around since 1946 and they are known worldwide.  Although they cater to photojournalists, any photographer will benefit from the information and…

So how do you get started as a sports photographer?  That was a question posted on the web. A handful of photographers replied to this question with some thoughtful comments.  So I decided to summarize their comments. And fill in some gaps with new strategies.

Get Connected!
Shadow a local sports photographer at one or two different sport events; bring your notebook; Observe and take copious notes.

Contact one or two sports editors from a newspaper or magazine; Ask them if you can stop by for a few minutes and do an informational interview about sports photography; you may only get 5 minutes so be prepared! Make a list of 5 key questions; one key question being-how does oneself get credentials to shoot at pro events. Remember to bring your notebook and take notes.

Gather information!
Make a grid of all the sports events in your local region by type; clubs such as tennis, swimming, cycling, running; youth sports such as gymnastics, or martial…

Have you ever seen Magnum photos?  Their photos are unique, imaginative, stunning, thought-provoking, emotive and respectful. Magnum has a wonderful co-operative group of documentary photographers.  So how does this relate to sports photography?

I am about to tell you.  First sit back and relax and enter a world of photography all of its own.  Spend more than just a few minutes viewing these beautiful photos- spend at least one hour or more glancing at the work of various photographers.  You will be captivated by the uniqueness and style of their work. No two photos are alike.  As you scan through the photos-ask yourself a few questions.  What do you see.  What is your interpretation of the events. What are the human qualities.  What is happening. Who are the people.  Any social-political implications.

Magnum’s collection may inspire a whole new avenue for focusing more on the athlete-perhaps specializing in documentary sports photography. Think about a well known sports athlete.  Where did he…