“1/1000th: The Sports Photography of Bob Martin” is perhaps the most spectacular book of sports photographs ever published — and that may be because the British-born Martin doesn’t consider himself to be a sports fan. His work is as much about positioning and planning, composition and technology, shadows and color than about who scored or which team won the game.
Martin uses stunning backdrops, natural and otherwise, to convey a deep sense of place and immerse viewers in tableaux of motion. An aerial shot from a helicopter captured the action at the annual Engadin Skimarathon event in Switzerland, while a heavy snowstorm framed Jamaica’s bobsled run at the 2006 Turin Olympics. Martin sat next to the timing clock to capture Usain Bolt at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and fired off a remote-control camera to chronicle the climatic shot at the 2002 Ryder Cup.
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Martin paints with patches of color assiduously. But even when he dials down the wow and aims for quietude, his pictures pack an emotional wallop. Images of Paralympic swimmers and their prosthetic legs reveal the athletes’ courage and vulnerability. The individual beads of sweat on Serena Williams’ muscular back expose the tennis icon’s passionate effort on the court, while Florence Griffith-Joyner’s prayerful pose is a moment of tranquillity as she prepares to take the relay baton for the final sprint.
On assignment in Australia during a drought, Martin got word that kangaroos were flocking to a local golf course to find water. He drove 200 miles to check out the story and, sure enough, when the sprinklers came on a mob of kangaroos swarmed the putting green. The surreal scene is like something out of a George Saunders short story.
David Davis is a freelancer.
“1/1000th”
By Bob Martin, Vision Sports, 240 pages, $75
