Legend has it that Heinz Kluetmeier donned scuba gear and dove into the Olympic pool at a long-ago games and set up cameras on the bottom, wiring them so he could fire them remotely. His assistant asked him if they had permission to do this. “We’re not going to ask permission,” came the reply. No one was going to say no to Heinz. And because of that, an audacious act of brazen, lovely, break-the-rules attitude born of supreme photographic skills and confidence, millions of people have enjoyed stunning photographs. The epitome of sports photography – split-second photographs of the thrilling finishes of Olympic swimmers touching the wall for gold. Kluet’s famed pic, called “The Golden Touch,” shot from underwater, proved Michael Phelps had beaten Mirado Cavic of Serbia by .01 of a second. Typically of Heinz, afterward he simply called this astonishing frame of photography “improbable.”
Thankfully, Heinz passed on the know how and the guts to another generation who came along at SI. Bill Frakes, legendary among a variety of sports genres, became known for thrilling shots of close finishes at horse racing, taking the art and science of remote camera work to the next level of precision.
FYI, now, of course, underwater cameras, representing the major news agencies, are standard fare at every Games.
At the Ali-Cleveland Williams fight, Neil Leifer stashed a camera in the girders, looking straight down at the ring. A legendary picture was made, and after that, every boxing photog wanted to put a remote camera over the ring.
Such was the sway and swagger of Sports Illustrated, an enormously successful and powerful pinnacle of sports journalism. Beautiful, heartfelt, and incisive writing thrived on pages populated by some of most stunning sports images ever made. A potent mix of words and pictures. So potent it had a circulation of over a million. Think about it. So compelling was this magazine that a million plus people rushed to buy it so they could read about and see moments from GAMES THAT WERE ALREADY OVER. This occurred well before Ron Howard started directing movies.
The passing of this magazine caused me to reflect, and gather some photographic bits and pieces from years in the field for them. It was fun, wistful, and occasionally painful, as in, “I shoulda done better on that job….”
In a magazine run by word merchants, the stellar photography thrived. Not because many of the editors there understood or cared about photography. (“Why are these pictures so expensive to shoot?” was typical management reaction.) But they did know they desperately needed pictures. And amazing photos ensued, even if they were underplayed. Bill Eppridge famously referred to the magazine as “Spots Illustrated,” given the small size of many published photos that deserved more room on the page.
The legendary names associated with the magazine comprise a formidable list indeed. Zimmerman, Leifer, Cooke, Drake, Iooss, Kluetmeier, Frakes, Iacono, Tiedemann, Biever, Millan. (A partial list!) Photogs with smarts, experience, knowledge of the game being covered, and an almost preternatural ability to be in the right place, with the right lens, at the critical moments of a contest. And, because the magazine was so successful, it fostered and funded competitive attitudes and an unparalleled level of visual ambition. Witness Bill Frakes updating strip camera photography to capture an astonishing photo of Marion Jones at the Sydney Games. Months of negotiation with the Olympic powers that be, and the ever-paramount TV honchos, testing and re-testing, and then delivering when the chips are down, and the gun goes off.
Sports Illustrated has heard its last starter’s gun, ref’s whistle and quarter horn. The pictures live on, memorializing and celebrating the athletes we revere, capturing the anguish, pain, exhilaration, and effort required to be the best on the field. Thank goodness.
I remember getting invited to a big dinner at the 1984 Olympics, some 20-25 of us gathering for a meal. I was on assignment for ABC-TV, a callow pup, never having shot a Games. I did not belong there. The legends were present, laughing and joking. Confidence brimmed and sloshed like an overpoured beer. I looked around the table and wondered….if ever, if ever….I could shoot a picture for SI. About a year later, a contract was offered, and the adventure began.
And now the magazine passes into memory. Glad I have the pictures. It was an honor.
More tk….
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Great to get your take on all of this Joe. Great images as always. So sad to see the demise of such a reputable magazine.
Wow, as technology rushes light speed towards the future, our past-filled with memories and overflowing emotions, is being casually discarded to the wayside of our lives. The thrill of SI being delivered to one’s mailbox to be perused over and over…the cover of th game of the century, Oklahoma vs Nebraska. Let’s not forget th swimsuit issue and all th people who worked so hard to bring th magazine to press…So I sadly say, thank you for being there SI helping me grow up in th 70s and beyond. Thanks Joe..God bye ole friend, goodbye.
Well said Joe. It is very depressing to see these paragon of visual magic disappearing from the landscape. SI was the pinnacle display of superior sports photography. Very sad.
Wonderful work, Joe. I always enjoy seeing your images, but I also love the way you write. It me be the end SI, but the photographs live forever.
You sir are too humble. You are a part of SI’s history and it wouldn’t be the same without your contributions. As the great Bum Phillips used today “It ain’t bragging if it’s true!”
Thank you Joe. No one has ever brought more to the table than you. I appreciate your kind words, great friendship and otherworldly skill.
Bill, it’s an honor and privilege to be included in any mention of the magazine and the stellar crew of photogs who livened those pages with daring and never before tried image making. And we’re still standing! Magazines come and go, which is weird and astonishing, but we remain behind the camera. Good to be your friend and colleague for all these years.
Agreed Ken…in the headlong rush to the future, valuable things go missing. Glad we have the pictures. All best to you…
Thank you Michael. We go forward, making pictures, but there is a cost to all the new tech and the changes it creates. The mag will be missed.
We grow up thinking institutions such as SI will go on forever and age we age we realize they do not. It was a joy to rush the mailbox to read the words of esteemed writers and have world class photographers capture images that made us feel like we were there. How many billions of athletes, writers and photographers were inspired by the pages of SI? That is the legacy of all those involved in the creation, production and delivery of SI. Your efforts, talents and vision have been documented to keep inspiring generations for centuries to come as these magazines become the historical record of the past. Thank you Joe and all those involved for inspiring me and billions more.
Heartfelt and insightfully written, Joe! To the pictures we take, to the memories we make.
Wow! Such wonderful pictures Joe. Great drama and intimacy. What a privilege to be able to contribute to such an esteemed publication. It’s a shame that these institutions have not had the ability or corporate vision to reinvent themselves. The demise of Time Inc/Warner and its iconic publishing assets is a case for the business schools.
In 1954 my father covered the British Empire Games for SI with a clumsy Graflex Speed Graphic. His images were real, gritty and memorable. I take inspiration from the exceptional work that so many of you achieved while contributing to sports, news and human interest media.
Thanks for the ride!
I know you can always “Make a great picture!”…but…”Can you make me …HANDSOME?” 🙂 Wonderful walk down memory lane, Joe. It was an honor to work with you at SI! (As well as everywhere else!) We were very lucky to have lived and worked in an era when journalism mattered and the profession was respected! ??
I know you can “Make a great picture!”…but…”Can you make me HANDSOME?” Wonderful walk down memory lane, Joe. It was an honor to work with you at SI (And everywhere else). We were very lucky to have worked in an era when journalism mattered and the profession was respected! ??
From waiting for a delivery to the mailbox and tearing out photos to pin to the wall…to swipe left and it is gone is seconds. How far have we really come?
Jimmy, you were certainly the most “handsome” of picture editors. Also the most fair, visually acute, perceptive editor I’ve ever worked for. You pushed photogs in the right direction, and always remained aware of just how tough this business is, and that photographera need to fail, and pick themselves up and go after it again. Miss your presence, for sure. All Best, Joe
Thank you Martin…i would love to see those pix your dad made. the pictorial record SI crafted is monumental. Hoping you are well….best, Joe
I hear you, PJ!
Many thanks, Randy…appreciate you stopping by the blog. All Best…
Thank you Steve…you’re absolutely right. There was a tremendous effect, a long lasting reverberation to the work presented in SI. A powerful archive and record of achievement.
Hey Bob… great quote. Really appreciate the kind words…thanks for stopping by the blog.
Thankfully, they do. So much of sports would have gone missing were it not for the SI photogs on the sidelines!
Sad to say goodbye, but so glad it occupied such an amazing place in our life and times….
I came from a fraternity of photojournalists at the collegiate level at Ohio University, and the names you listed were all stars in our minds. Planning, knowing the game & the players, gear, anticipation, position: they were all part of being a solid photojournalist. And just 5 years after your adventure began, your review of my grad school portfolio earned me a spot at Barnstorm II: The Eddie Addams Workshop in NY. A fraternity forever. If you know, you know.
Agree, Jerry, it was an amazing crew at SI
It’s really sad to see these amazing sports photos disappearing. Sports Illustrated had the best sports pictures. Thanks for sharing!!
Such a shame to see an iconic legacy like Sports Illustrated’s incredible sports photography fading away. Those images captured the raw emotion, triumphs, and heartbreaks of sports like no other. It’s a reminder of how important it is to preserve these moments for future generations. Thanks for shining a spotlight on this issue!