"You shoot for a very powerful portrait or you try to shoot and catch ’em off guard, where there is a moment that is sort of surprising and just takes you away from the ordinary… A lot of the times the best pictures are happening when your camera is down, because the subject relaxes.” - Walter Iooss
Widely considered the world’s most influential sports photographer and dubbed as “the Rembrandt of sports photography” due to his use of light and shadow, color, and composition, Walter Iooss Jr.’s images transcend the fame of his subjects and have come to represent modern sports culture. But the secret to his success is a carefully crafted rapport with his subjects. As a result, his work has forever changed the definition of what a “good sports photograph" should be.
Born to a family of sports fans in Texas in 1943, Iooss discovered photography aged 15 when his father gave him a camera. Within a year, he had begun photographing professional football games, and at just 17, he got his first assignment for Sports Illustrated. By 20, he was shooting the magazine’s covers.
Iooss’s images have appeared on over 300 covers of Sports Illustrated—more than any other photographer in the world. In a career spanning more than 60 years, he has worked with almost every athlete at the top of their game, including Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, and Kobe Bryant.