John Cameron. 09-06-09 Artist Walter Iooss.

Walter Iooss (pronounced Yoce) is by far one of the most well know Sports Photographers in the History of Photography. He has worked for Sports Illustrated since 1961 (it was founded in 1954) and he has photographed many famous athletes over the decades. Iooss has over 300 images on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He shoots everywhere around sports, such as games, in the studio, behind the scenes, and on location.

Former NBA player Michael Jordan, by Walter Iooss. Blue Dunk, Lisle I11, 1987

In relation to my portfolio, where I want to focus on athletes emotions, Iooss did a similar assignment. Walter Ioosss was given the job to cover the U.S Olympic team in preperation for the 1984 Olympics. In 1982, he recieved this job and he had 2 years to capture athletes trying to make the U.S. team. The book is called "Shooting for Gold". He mentions, "how it would have defeated the purpose of the assignment to show only the more publicized sports and athletes, or just pure action of athletic competition". So he focused on all of the athletes "as they all shared the same burning ambition and competitive spirit".

So it shows that there is a beauty to an athlete's feelings and emotions during a sport. So much time and effort can go into a sport, and when an athlete loses an important match or event, the look on a face can be heart breaking. There is an image in the book, where there is a female diver sitting on the tiles before her event. It was the qualifier to reach the U.S. team, and she is silhouetted into tiles. Iooss, was on an angle from above. It seems as though there is a large window behind her. She is sitting, with her legs slighty bent, and her head resting on her knees. You can tell that she is nervous and that she is thinking very strongly about what she needs to do. So much emotion is shown in the image, and it is definitely something to look up to.

Image by Walter Iooss - Julius Erving.

This image isn't staged, and it isn't in the action of the game. Something I'm looking to also do. He is obviously doing a pre-game/post-game interview, and once again, a lot can be told by the expression on his face. How are they going to play today, or what the team may have done wrong in the game for example. The lighting is beautiful. Iooss is in a locker room, but it looks like it could be a studio shot. It seems as though Iooss used the light from the camera crew from the interview. There also looks to be a vignette, making the image work because it focuses in on the subject very well.

www.walteriooss.com