Neil Leifer: A Career In Sports Photography

Neil Leifer

Neil Leifer born New Yorker, started his career around 1958 known for taking chances, he found photography interesting from a young age. He uses to push handicapped patrons into sports games which granted him not just free access, but also great spots from where he could position himself to take the perfect photo shot. Leifer became one of the top sports photographers in the world he believed it was about luck, luck is to be at the right place at the right time, this separates the top and ordinary sports photographers from each other. Boxing was another interesting sport that he use to watch and why not document it? To apprehend sports photography you have to be at the right place and time. During the heavyweight title

between Muhammad Ali and Cleveland, William in 1966 Leifer took a chance where he placed his camera in the rafters of the Houston Astrodome, this areal shot got him the perfect photograph when Ali knocked out Williams. Millions of people around the world have viewed this images that was taken from above in fact, this shot placed Leifer work at a different level.

Photography is about documenting that moment, Leifer always felt he had to inspire others and what better way to visually communicate with photo’s, he thought it might even encourage people to try the sports, this it the way he made an impact on the audience. This could turn both ways, one might try the sport and who knows this might even draw potential investors to the sport. His creative techniques were not achieved with the use of fancy lenses in his starting years, it was about different interesting angles, this created excitement, tension, anger etc. in his compositions. Photography was his passion, but he knew that very few photographers could beat television, the public had a first hand viewing at home, Leifer made sure that his network gave him insight to important events. Neil realized the importance of finding “the” spot to capture the perfect images of angels that was not possible for the TV crew to reach, these photo images were worth waiting for by the public.