Red Sports Singapore is recruiting readers to vote for their favourite sports photograph of the year; you are given 5 votes. Over the last two days, I have flipped through the photo albums of my Facebook friends. There were many candid shots, as well as posed ones. Most of my photos were from my friends, because I was ‘tagged’.
I always imagined what the person was experiencing, mentally and emotionally, from their photographs. If a picture speaks a thousands words, then what we see in it is highly interpretive and subjective. A photograph is like a piece of art. Love it or hate it, it still speaks to us. Editor-at-large of Triathlete magazine, Mitch Thrower recently wrote a tribute to the sports photojournalist [Gifts of an Image, Triathlete magazine, December 2009]. Essentially, it describes how vital these photojournalists are in helping us celebrate the victories and achievements of athletes.
Where would our memories be if we did not complement it with photographic evidence? They would empty canvasses filled with displaced or misplaced imagery unless we archived them in these digital or analog vaults of imagery. What would National Geographic magazine be like, without its brilliant and often compelling photos of nature and its wonders?
Dewitt Jones described on his DVD ‘Everyday Creativity’ that taking good photographs requires the right lens, proper techniques, the right vision, and perspective. He also added that values like patience, persistence and passion matter in getting the right photograph. He quoted ‘Father of photojournalism’ Henri Cartier-Bresson’s ‘decisive moments’ as a key ingredient for taking a good photograph. Bresson helped developed the ‘street photography’ or ‘real life reportage’ style using his preferred 35mm lens format.
A series of photographs is a narrative or commentary about an event or experience. My cousin, Dennis recently sent us e-mails with his keen eye for the unique as well as captivating captions that described his vacation.
Thus, sports photojournalists and photographers are crucial in capturing the celebration. They are part of the celebrations!
