celebrating "the athlete"

photo of greg lougains via si.com's walter iooss, jr. photo gallery.

"louganis was one of the biggest stars in the olympics. i had photographed him three or four times, but i never seemed to get the picture i wanted. so i went out to mission viejo, calif., where he trained, and i asked him to go off the platform at twilight. when I started to edit the chromes, there was one i'll never forget. the lights that illuminated the pool had made streaks, and the sky -- the red and the black -- mixed together. of course louganis was diving down, but i flipped the photo so it looked as if he were coming out of the flames of hell, like dante's inferno. i thought it was one of the best pictures i'd ever seen. when i brought this picture to show louganis, i was so proud of myself. i said, "greg, look at this." he said, "i'm bent," handed it back to me and walked away. where i saw a once-in-a-lifetime picture, he saw failure in his form. i was humiliated by the world's greatest diver."
--walter iooss, jr.

many years ago, there was an exhibit at newseum/ny called "replay! great moments from sports illustrated" -- i actually can't remember if it was a grand exhibit or a tightly curated one. i only remember that it was a big deal for me--all those very familiar images from the magazine presented in the "museum format" gave the photos--and the stories they told--their proper due. i was in awe.

sadly, the newseum no longer exists here. but on view at the newseum in washington, dc from now until the end of this year, is a similar exhibition, celebrating the career of sports photographer walter iooss, jr.

if you're any kind of sports fan, you know his work. he's been a sports illustrated photographer for more than 40 years, earning more than 300 covers (his first one at the age of 20, of phillies pitcher art mahaffey). if you're curious to see just how prolific he's been (and maybe how many of your favorite photos he's taken), check out a small sampling:

at si.com...
walter iooss jr's favorite shots, featuring maria sharapova (he caught one of the nicest expressions i've seen on her), bernard "the executioner" hopkins, dwight clark (his most famous shot?) and my favorite tennis player (i like his notes on the day)...

rafa, in 2006. photographed by walter iooss, jr. via "the walter iooss jr.'s favorite shots" gallery on si.com

''we did this one in a studio in new york, just before last year's u.s. open. we put a strobe on the floor to create the shadow behind him. he showed up with no wardrobe, so for an hour we shot him with no shirt on. then they finally brought some tennis clothes, so we had about five minutes left to get him in this outfit. he was a great kid with great energy, despite the language barrier. fun to watch.'' - walter iooss, jr.

bonus note: this was shot with a canon eos-1ds mark II, ef 24-105mm

and the more recent "walter iooss jr. gallery" (which specifically promotes the newseum exhibit), starring kg (yay!), kobe (eesh), a very flattering shot of serena williams (interesting commentary too), ali/frazier, and louganis.

there are a few more on the newseum site, as well as a bonus short video interview...

if you're interested to see much more, check out the companion book, the athlete...(or any of the others).

pizza pizza

pizza tasting party at the white house roosevelt room, april 10, 2009. photographed by pete souza, via the official white house photostream.

ok, i can't stop looking at the official white house photos. a terrific peek into events both official and ordinary.

like this pizza tasting party.
how much do i love the newspapers lining the table?
let me count the ways.
so hysterical. so down home. and a terrific re-use of the daily rags...

short stuff

photographed by pete souza, via the official white house photostream. march 3, 2009.

anyone wanna teach a girl some shorthand? so old school cool...

the coolest ever...

P020109PS-0339
the president and first lady, in 3-d glasses while watching superbowl 43. photographed by pete souza.

originally uploaded by the official white house photostream

i was feeling bluesy, until i saw this...

brilliant!

here's a link to the announcement of pete souza as the official white house photographer, and his site. i'll be spending the day admiring his work.

enjoy.

damon winter and "s.o.n.!"

shadrick johnson, 6, photographed by damon winter for the ny times, outside the columbia convention center in south carolina, as he waited to hear then-senator obama speak. via pulitzerprize.org and nytimes.com

i came home late from a job today, and felt completely out of touch with the world (i hadn't been online all day) and the first piece of news i read thrilled me: damon winter was awarded the 2009 pulitzer prize for feature photography. hooray!!

i posted a link to some of his slideshows a while back, and think about his work often. (i invested in a new camera a couple of days ago and my mind is aflood--even more than usual--with the work of photographers who i admire. i actually fell asleep last night thinking of damon winter's obama images...)

here are links to the "a vision of history" slideshow which can be viewed on the ny times site and the pulitzer site. also on the pulitzer site is mr. winter's bio, and of course, a full list of winners and finalists.

***

i love the look and smell of the newspaper. and the sound of it being lightly smacked and folded at its center. i love carrying it under my arm or stuffing into my bag on my way out the door--after all these years, it still feels cool, somehow (especially if you've got more than one on you). and i really like the crossword puzzle, in pencil or pen. but i am currently taking a break from receiving the new york times at home, a small change that is meant to benefit my wallet (working!), but is doing greater harm to my mind (and maybe my soul).

on the one hand, all that content--the slideshows, especially--is a feast for the curious, the infohounds. i've got a good bit of that in me. but one article can so easily lead me astray-- those slideshows (again!) and related links are so tempting, sometimes i don't finish an article, let alone think about it long enough before moving on to the next thing. i'm all over the place! with the actual newspaper, i can settle in... note-taking during or after required a bit more effort and time. even if only for the few minutes it took to find a piece of paper and pen, that time actually felt a bit thoughtful. and then there came a time when you were "done." whether you finished one article, or your favorite section, or the whole darn thing (you intrepid reader you), there was a satisfying end. i miss all that now, and don't want to imagine not having the option to have all that again.

and every time i hear about newspapers laying off staff, shrinking sections, going online only, or shutting operations for good, which is practically daily, i want to call and "un-suspend" my deliveries, as if my dollars will make an impact.

i found this video the other day: can design save the newspaper? jacek utko, a polish newspaper designer, whose redesigns of newspapers in eastern europe has increased their circulation 100%, presents an interesting case. is it too dreamy for our newspaper industry's deep-dish problems? perhaps. but it's a good dream.

save our newspapers!

here's 6 minutes of inspiration, anyway (i love the cirque du soleil bit).

the potus, and winter

the POTUS, before he officially was. photographed by damon winter for the ny times.

chester, pa. november 2008.

i'm getting ready to listen to our potus' address tonight. primetime with the president. i'm sort of thrilled (that's a first).

seems like a good opportunity to re-visit the extraordinary work of damon winter. his work will appeal to admirers of obama, and anyone with aspirations as a photographer or editor. winter shot of 90,000 images of then-candidate obama--can you imagine selecting fewer than 20? but the result is thrilling. i've seen this many times, and it still makes me well up. great commentary too. president obama has to be one of the most photogenic public figures, but winter notes that it can be challenging to photograph him because he can be so good at controlling his temperament--he's not as expressive as other candidates.

photographer's journal: following obama

the second presentation--a diptych slideshow--is brilliant. who doesn't love a good diptych, right? finding themes, colors, patterns in random images, and aligning them to make a statement...here is one and while it's not my favorite, it seems fitting tonight.

see the rest of winter's "photographers journal: political landscapes," originally published in october 2008, here. i love the feet, the food, and the clinton one. you'll hear which one is winter's favorite, and it's hard to argue against it...

i would love to know yours...

here's a link to a great, albeit brief interview with damon winter, courtesy of photo district news.

the year in sports photos

photo of kim sookyung by bill frakes/si

photo of japanese synchronized swimmer, by lorenvu/dppi-sipa/icon smi

i'm finally catching up with some of my reading material from late last year. i don't tire of "best of" or "favorites" lists -- especially from people i'm a little in love with and whose opinions i trust. i look forward to scanning the "year in review" issues of my favorite magazines (and try to note things i've missed!). one that i take special interest in is sports illustrated's "year in photos" issue.

it arrived a few weeks ago. and while i loved the tips and insight from the photographers, i thought that, overall, the issue was pretty disappointing. how was there not a single tennis photo? no nadal? fed? and gymnastics--no nastia? how could it be?

i tossed it into my unwieldy "to be recycled" pile.

but i picked it up again today, reminding myself that these guys know their stuff, believing that i had to be missing something. and i looked at it a few more times, and finally read the editor's letter.

i agree with terry mcdonnell: "there is nothing in sports journalism more powerful than a single image, the shot that defines the moment with detail, clarity, and nuance." i get all dreamy about the idea, and think, oh, i could look at photos for hours...but pausing to consider that si photographers shoot tens of thousands of pictures a week, and that photo editors review those and close to 100,000 pictures (a week) from outside sources, it's pretty damn humbling (though there are still a few i'd swap out).

here are links to si's "best of" galleries. there are actually many more great pictures online than were included in the (single-advertiser sponsored!) magazine.

maybe when you're flipping through, you'll consider what the editors look for when putting this collection together (which is what i should have done from the outset): "for pictures to be effective they have to be affective. they have to invoke a reaction--make you laugh, make you cry, make you cringe, make you linger just a little bit longer to absorb all they have to offer. if it's truly a special picture, it will grab your heart."

best shots of the year (from outside sources, getty, ap, etc)

si's greatest shots of 2008

and...tips from si photographers

i saw "the big picture"...

on boston.com, and i was so riveted by these photos of our president-elect, i burned my dinner.

it was hard to pick a favorite, so i chose two...

i love yellow. ("yellow is the color of sunshine. it's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.")

taken during a campaign event at colorado state university, october 26, 2008 in fort collins, colorado.

photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

and i think this is just a fantastic moment...

taken at ebenezer baptist church, after the announcement that obama would be the next president of the united states.

(ap photo/pouya dianat, atlanta journal & constitution)