Some of the most enduring and iconic images of all time are sports photographs. Think of victorious black athlete Jesse Owens standing in defiance of Hitler at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Or of Muhammad Ali standing, furious, over the prone form of his easily felled opponent Sonny Liston. Or even of the famous ‘Flying Horse’ sequence of images from the 1870s, where British landscape photographer Eadweard Muybridge successfully proved that running horses do indeed lift all their hooves off the ground at once. What is that if not a sports image?
With sports dominating the news this summer, sports photographers are going to be busier than ever, and their names will ring out far less loudly than the superstar athletes they photograph. So, we wanted to take a moment to salute a few of sporting photography’s legends – the artists and trailblazers who pushed the medium further, and created some of sporting history’s most iconic images.
1. Neil Leifer
We’ve mentioned it already, but since it’s considered one of the greatest sports photographs of all time, we’ll mention it again. Neil Leifer, who spent most of his career working for Sports Illustrated and Time magazine, is the man who captured the most famous and enduring image of Muhammad Ali, and for that, his place on the pantheon is assured.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to describe Ali as Leifer’s “muse”, as the photographer captured many stunning images of the boxer over the course of his career. He made use of inventive techniques such as placing his camera in the rafters above the ring to capture an aerial perspective of a fight. His resulting image, showing Ali after knocking out Cleveland Williams, is also considered one of sporting’s greats.
Though he has photographed many other sports and events throughout his life, Leifer is still most known for his work in the boxing ring. In 2014, he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame, becoming the first photographer to receive such an accolade in any professional sport.
2. Hy Money
Hy Money is a genuine trailblazer: the first accredited female sports photographer in the UK. Shooting the Crystal Palace women’s and men’s teams throughout the 1970s, Money faced entrenched and institutionalised prejudice from the male-dominated world of sports photography. Her first application for an NUJ (National Union of Journalists) pass was rejected after a group of 40 men signed a petition against her.
But she persevered, hiring a solicitor to help make her case to the NUJ, and ultimately won her accreditation. Today she is rightly celebrated for her achievements in bringing both women’s sports and women sports photographers into the spotlight.
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3. Tony Duffy
Tony Duffy was simply a travelling amateur photographer when he captured one of the most iconic images from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, showing long-jumper Bob Beamon’s “leap of the century”. His shot was sharp, in focus, and captured Beamon from a head-on position – something that none of the pro photographers present had achieved. Incredibly, Duffy had been wandering around Mexico City for two days with the roll of film in his pocket before he got around to getting it developed.
Its success paved the way for Duffy to dive in and launch his own sports agency: Allsport Photography. Making the early decision to shoot in colour while many others were still only using black & white, Allsport would go on to become one of the most important sports agencies in the world, ultimately becoming part of Getty many years later.
4. Tó Mané
You can’t talk about surfing photography without talking about Tó Mané. His images of Garrett “Gmac” McNamara riding a 100ft wave off the coast of Portugal is one of surfing’s most famous, and deserves to be. But Mané has been capturing the sport for years, and the breadth and depth of his imagery truly conveys the raw power of the ocean, and the daredevil spirit of those who endeavour to ride it.
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5. Atiba Jefferson
One of the most prolific and prodigious photographers of skateboarding, Atiba Jefferson makes use of a wide lens to put viewers right in the thick of the action. He has shot many a cover for Thrasher and other skateboarding magazines and is a legend among aficionados of the sport (check out his Instagram here) – but perhaps his greatest honour is being immortalised in the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. Well, that’s probably not his greatest honour. But it would be to me.
6. Gerry Cranham
One of the true pioneering sports photographers of the twentieth century, Gerry Cranham actually began his career as an athlete, but had to switch lanes due to injury. His oft-used motto was “Keep it simple,” and he had an uncanny knack for getting himself into the right position to bag a shot that nobody else at the event would get. Photographing football, boxing, cycling, athletics and more, Cranham could turn his hand to just about anything, and his work has been extensively published and exhibited at major galleries such as Michael Hoppen.
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7. Cameron Spencer
Now a Getty Images Chief Photographer, Cameron Spencer captured an image that has to be in the conversation for the greatest sports shots of all time: a panning shot of Usain Bolt mid-sprint as he glances back with what appears to be a cheeky grin at the opponents he is effortlessly outpacing. Spencer has gone on to cover multiple Olympic Games and World Cups and a multitude of other prestigious events – but it’s almost certain that his incredible shot of Bolt will be his most enduring.
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8. Eamonn McCabe
Eamonn McCabe was a sports photographer with an exceptional eye, winning Sports Photographer of the Year four times between 1978 and 1984. His images of tennis player Bjorn Borg in particular were utterly compelling.
However, he ended up turning his considerable talents to news after he witnessed first-hand the Heysel stadium disaster in Brussels, having been commissioned to capture the Liverpool v Juventus match. Though he never actually developed the images he captured on that day, it marked the beginning of his shift into news, and he became a highly decorated and respected Picture Editor for the Guardian.
9. Elsa Garrison
Having become the first female staff photographer at Getty Images in 1998, Elsa Garrison was already a pioneer in her own right. As such, she was perfectly placed to capture some of American soccer player Megan Rapinoe, who struck a defiant pose after scoring for her team against France in the 2019 World Cup, shortly after she’d been admonished on Twitter by President Donald Trump. Having covered a huge raft of events over the course of her career, Garrison is so well-known in the sports photography world that she is generally known mostly by her first name.
10. Norman Potter
In 1954, Norman Potter was just a lowly 22-year-old photographer’s apprentice, showing up to Iffley Road sports ground in Oxford with a ponderous plate camera. However, it was there that he captured one of sports photography’s most famous and enduring images, showing Roger Bannister finishing the four-minute mile. In these halcyon days of super-fast burst rates and AI powered autofocus, it’s easy to forget what a stupendous feat of timing this was. Potter had only one chance to get the shot, and he nailed it, assuring his place in the sports photography annals of fame.
About the Author
Jon Stapley is a London-based freelance writer and journalist who covers photography, art and technology. When not writing about cameras, Jon is a keen photographer who captures the world using his Olympus XA2. His creativity extends to works of fiction and other creative writing, all of which can be found on his website www.jonstapley.com
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