Neil Leifer

Neil Leifer is the greatest sports photographer of all time. He has taken numerous photos that have become legendary among sports enthusiasts and the general public alike. His pictures have an incredible power to them, as seen in his picture of Muhammad Ali after knocking out Sonny Liston. He took risks to get photos, which sometimes paid off and sometimes didn’t, but when they did, they were great. A good example of this is his photo of Muhammad Ali after Knocking out Cleveland Williams, taken from above the ring. But probably the biggest reason he is among the greatest photographers of all time, is because he took pictures of icons, and those photos themselves became iconic images. Neil Leifer`s ability to capture power in his photos, take risks to get those photos and capture iconic images, make him one of the greatest photographers of all time.  

I believe that this photo exemplifies Neil Leifer’s ability to capture power in his photos perfectly. This photo of Muhammad Ali has become an iconic photo because of who Muhammad Ali is (an icon) and because this photo describes the way Muhammad Ali is - powerful.  This photo of Ali standing over a defeated opponent makes it powerful enough but Leifer also manages to convey Ali’s expression and emotion in the photo, as well as the emotion of the crowd. Ali flexing his muscles gives the photo a sense of power and almost makes you scared. All of these qualities combined, as well as the positioning of Ali overtop of everyone else, makes Ali seem bigger, better and more powerful than anyone else in the world. Power is a quality that is hard to find in most pictures, but Neil Leifer manages to capture it.

Neil Leifer often refers to luck as being his greatest ally, but he is being modest. His picture of Muhhamad Ali after knocking out Cleveland Williams, taken from the rafters of the Astrodome, was all guts and skill. Leifer had the idea to go up into the rafters of the Astrodome and try and take an overhead picture. It was a huge risk, and may not have worked out for him, but Leifer says that this is one of his favorite photos of all time. This is why Neil Leifer is such a great photographer; he is able to recognize when he has the chance to take a great picture, think creatively about how to capture the story he wants the picture to tell, and then take the risk to get that picture.

The reason we love iconic photos are because those photos will stand the test of time and never lose the power of the message or story they convey. Leifer has been able to capture a few of those iconic images that won’t soon be forgotten. He focused mainly on sports, so he took pictures of sports icons. Take for instance the photo of Vince Lombardi being carried off the field on the shoulders of Jerry Kramer after winning the Super Bowl. This photo has become iconic because it captures Lombardi’s personality and the way people remember Lombardi. Lombardi is known for being one of the best coaches in NFL history and possibly even the best coach in all of sports history, and in general, just being a winner. This photo captures that perfectly; Vince Lombardi is a winner and you can see that in this photo.

Neil Leifer was possibly the greatest photographer of all time and his risky yet emotionally iconic images have become legendary. Leifer was able to capture emotions in his photos, as seen in his photo of Muhammad Ali depicting Ali`s power and his larger than life image. Leifer, although crediting much of his success to luck, used his skill to recognize he had the opportunity to take a picture that would be really special when he chose to climb to the rafters of the Astrodome. His photos express the emotions of the icons he took photos of, and will stand the test of time. So what makes a photographer great? Is it luck, skill, taking risks to get images? For Neil Leifer it was combination of these qualities that make him great.