Immortalising the immortal: the art of sports photography
đź”— [SYSTEM UPDATE] Link found. Timestamp incremented on 2025-11-26 13:55:13.It takes just second, but catching the perfect moment in sport takes a lifetime of skill and dedication.
By SHIAMAK UNWALLA
The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, looks down over his vanquished foe, biceps flexed, demanding his opponent stand up and continue.
The Little Master is on his toes, one foot in the air, bat to his side, face screwed in concentration, having just upper-cut the fastest bowler in the world for the most memorable six of his career.
Lightning Bolt is so far ahead of his competitors that he has time to look over his shoulder and flash a cheeky grin.
Each of these now-iconic moments lasted mere seconds but were immortalised by sports photographers.
“You have no control over your subject. The athlete is performing, and you’re just there to capture it,” says Darrian Traynor, a photojournalist who specialises in sports photography.
A life-long sports fan and photography enthusiast, Traynor found the perfect field to merge his two major interests into a full-time career.
Now a freelance photojournalist, Traynor works with Getty Images, AFL Media, and Fairfax Media in addition to making documentaries and covering events the world over.
Traynor explains that for any good sports photographer, understanding the game and doing your homework on the athletes is vital.
“You have to know the athletes’ moves. Things happen so quickly that you need to be ready to shoot in a thousandth of a second to freeze that action.”
However sports journalism is not only about action, but also moments. “Sports photography is also about emotions like triumph and tragedy – reaction or celebration or dejection,” says Traynor.
The photograph of Usain Bolt at the Rio Olympics was one such moment. It perfectly showcased how much better he is to his rivals. It promises to be the most enduring photo of the 2016 Olympics.
One would think that the photographer, Cameron Spencer, got lucky with the photo. As Traynor explains, that is only partially true.
“Cameron has shot many Olympics, and he has shot Bolt every year that he has won. He usually shoots head-on with a fast shutter speed. This time he took a risk and went side-on. He took an educated guess that at about the 70m mark, Bolt would be pulling away from his competitors.
"He went with a slow shutter speed to create the image so that Bolt's face is sharp but everyone's arms and legs are blurred which gives you the sense of movement.
"The added bonus was that while Cameron was taking that shot Bolt turned to his competitors and gave that cheeky grin.
"So as much as that moment is luck, the photographer planned for the motion and blur because he had done his homework on the event. That's an experienced, clever sports photographer knowing his craft.”
Decades from now, when our futuristic descendants look up sporting legends they will see The Greatest looking down over his vanquished foe, The Little Master on his toes with one foot in the air and bat to his side, and Lightning Bolt grinning at his opponents. They will have sports photographers to thank for immortalising them.
The difference between legends and mortals.
