photo of kim sookyung by bill frakes/si
photo of japanese synchronized swimmer, by lorenvu/dppi-sipa/icon smii'm finally catching up with some of my reading material from late last year. i don't tire of "best of" or "favorites" lists -- especially from people i'm a little in love with and whose opinions i trust. i look forward to scanning the "year in review" issues of my favorite magazines (and try to note things i've missed!). one that i take special interest in is sports illustrated's "year in photos" issue.
it arrived a few weeks ago. and while i loved the tips and insight from the photographers, i thought that, overall, the issue was pretty disappointing. how was there not a single tennis photo? no nadal? fed? and gymnastics--no nastia? how could it be?
i tossed it into my unwieldy "to be recycled" pile.
but i picked it up again today, reminding myself that these guys know their stuff, believing that i had to be missing something. and i looked at it a few more times, and finally read the editor's letter.
i agree with terry mcdonnell: "there is nothing in sports journalism more powerful than a single image, the shot that defines the moment with detail, clarity, and nuance." i get all dreamy about the idea, and think, oh, i could look at photos for hours...but pausing to consider that si photographers shoot tens of thousands of pictures a week, and that photo editors review those and close to 100,000 pictures (a week) from outside sources, it's pretty damn humbling (though there are still a few i'd swap out).
here are links to si's "best of" galleries. there are actually many more great pictures online than were included in the (single-advertiser sponsored!) magazine.
maybe when you're flipping through, you'll consider what the editors look for when putting this collection together (which is what i should have done from the outset): "for pictures to be effective they have to be affective. they have to invoke a reaction--make you laugh, make you cry, make you cringe, make you linger just a little bit longer to absorb all they have to offer. if it's truly a special picture, it will grab your heart."
best shots of the year (from outside sources, getty, ap, etc)
si's greatest shots of 2008
and...tips from si photographers
