100 Greatest Photos - Part I
I can't keep stressing that I am a
very visual photo person. & the
following interests me not only as a photo person, but also as a sports person. I'm not sure this always gets across on this
particular blog, but I am a huge sports
fan. & I’m a huge fan of sports
photography. My mom keeps prodding me
that I should just do that... but I want to keep my horizons open to ALL types
of photojournalism, not just the documenting of sports events or even special
photoshoots on sports events. I, like
the greedy person that I am, want to do everything. I am very unrealistic.
But sports photography IS “real”
photography. Don’t let anyone tell you
otherwise. Those fools are probably the
same snobbish little expletives that are against every advance in
photography. Also they’re probably
losers who think sports are a waste of time & are an illusion. Sports can be a beautiful thing. There are unique cultures you can only find in
sports. There are sociological aspects
that can transcend just ”playing a game.”
You can not only change how people play, but how people think. & these photos help do that.
Canon & Sports Illustrated are
featuring some of the greatest photos of all time: the 100 most iconic sports
images that have ever been taken. Some
of these are so important to our society, that they have become part of our
cultural capital. These images are passed
down generation to generation. & so
are these people. They are our heroes
& our villains that are taught from generation to generation. They make up what we believe to be “American.” Or what we believe the Olympics or any other
sport should embody. Or should not, for some. Some of these images take you back to another
time. You remember where you were on
that day. You remember how old you were,
down to the very minute. & you can
rhapsodize to anyone, sometimes even for hours, about just ONE picture, forget
all 100.
[Disclaimer: None of the images are mine, but the
screenshots are.]
Here is the interface. It’s rather simple: it’s just a grid with all
of the images collaged together. It can
be a bit overwhelming to see all of these photos together… but it also is so
awe-inspiring to see all the different years, athletes, sports, &
emotions.
The first time you click on an
image, you get this little navigation tool guide. The gallery can be seen in a semi-slideshow
view, but sometimes I wanted to skip around.
This posed a little nuisance of a problem: you have to quintuple click
randomly out of that slideshow view to get back to the grid view. Sometimes you have to click 20 times;
sometimes you click only once & then it works. Also don’t click on the banner-ad because
that won’t get you anywhere. So that’s
my only qualm.
This is that immediate view when you
click on the picture from the grid. You
see the image; you see the arrows; you see the information on the bottom giving
the athlete’s name, the event, the year, & the photographer. On the right there’s the social networking
toolbar for you to share your favorites.
I find this photograph
fascinating. These are the Paraolympics,
& in our able-bodied society, we tend to forget these athletes a lot. Most of the time they’re not even considered
athletes. & they’re treated lesser
nonetheless [altho with Oscar Pistorius & London’s AMAZING Paraolympic
campaign, I feel that the mindset may change… at least a little bit]. These athletes are pitied because they aren’t
“complete.” Or they’re despised because
they’re “abnormal freaks.” Or they
receive overwhelming applause based on an overabundance of too much Disney
movie feelings. Sure they’ve all
overcome their stories, but they don’t need to be babied around & coddled
& pity-clapped & pity-cheered & automatically labeled winners just
for trying. They don’t need
belittlement. They are athletes.
But the actual photo itself is
beautiful, too. The legs. The block.
The swimmer. It’s a perfect
juxtaposition in a line. & you can
imagine the swimmer taking off those legs, going to the block, & then you
see the dive. It’s a progression. A unique progression captured breathtakingly.
Another swimming photo. & this one is an iconic moment for me, as
a swimmer. This is the .01 win for
Michael Phelps by the smallest of fingertips.
This is one of those photos where I can remember exactly where I was
that day. It was probably 2:30 in the
morning. I was standing near the sliding
door next to the tv. I was screaming
& jumping. & when Michael
touched, I reacted much like his mother – I didn’t think he got it. I went thru all of the stages of grief in .01
as well. But as soon as I reached
acceptance, I soon realized that he had actually gotten the gold medal. You cannot even believe how loud I screamed &
how far I jumped up into the air. I
almost touched the ceiling. It was
incredible. & the rest of that
Olympic run for him was incredible & he will always have a special place in
my heart forever because he is the greatest Olympian of all time. Also the photo is forever etched in our
memories; you think of THAT moment when you think of Michael Phelps. It’s so HIM.
It defines him. It defined the
2008 Olympics.
This is the full view setting that
you may choose to hit if you feel that the image is cut off thru that original view
or if you want to see it in better clarity.
This is one of those catches that will forever be tied to a franchise
& a series. It’s a seemingly
unthinkable uncatchable catch. & on
the other side of this play was a quarterback who shouldn’t have even gotten
off a throw. Who was being held &
pulled back by SO many players. Yet kept
walking forward & still got the throw off anyway. & the leap up into the air. & what should have been an
interception. But it wasn’t. & it happened. & we’ll never forget it. & a privileged few were able to capture
this moment that still is too surreal for words. The Catch.
Not to be confused with The Catch,
by Willie Mays. I wish I could have seen
Willie Mays play. Because he is the epitome
of being a Giant & I love the Giants.
He’s also one of the greatest, if not THE greatest of all time, to play
the game of baseball. Because he could
do anything. He’s the only player in the
history of the game who could have made this catch. & could have pulled off a throw after it,
turning with his hat falling off & a smile on his face. Again this is a photo that has come to define
what is & what forever will be Willie Mays.
It’s also a photo that has come to define what baseball’s best is. It’s also a photo that showcases the best of
what sports photography can be, lasering in on one moment that will never
happen again.
Speaking of moments that will never
happen again, here’s one of Bobby Orr.
As a hockey fan, I also get very emotional when seeing this. Because here’s one of the greatest players to
have played the game of hockey, one of the best-loved players who could do
ANYTHING, TRULY doing anything. He’s flying.
In this moment, he scored The Goal.
What The Goal is to hockey is what The Catch is to baseball; this is the
pinnacle & the ideal of the sport.
Here is one man, one god of a man, doing something that will never be
repeated again. He’s more than superman;
he’s Bobby Orr & in this photo, he never looks like his skates will touch
the ice ever again. He’s preserved in
this legendary status & he deserves to be preserved this way.
This is also such a part of hockey’s
cultural capital, inspiring artwork & books & blogposts dedicated to
this moment. Also this commercial for
the NHL playoffs with the slogan “History Will Be Made.” This certainly was history, but what if it
never had happened? What if Bobby didn’t
fly?
The commercial series is simple:
take a moment in time; rewind to that moment; end with the beginning of that
moment; play emotional music throughout & get a plethora of feelings from
your audience. So you begin with the
celebration of the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup. & as the video rewinds, you see all of
Bobby’s flight. All of it. Soaring majestically up into the air. & then back down. & then the puck floats from the net, back
down the ice, & to the stick. &
then the stick winds up again. It’s
beautiful.
Here’s a Youtube vid that has the
top 10 of those commercials. I get
chills watching ALL of them. & tears
for a good amount of them, too.
& I will post the rest of my
favorite pictures tomorrow. :]
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