Sports [antikvár]

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster andtreat those two impostors just the same Yoursis the Earth". So wrote the British poet RudyardKipling. What better way to sum up the extremesof sport: the exultant high of victory, the utterblack depths of defeat and the narrow linebetween the two that can be crossed in just afraction of a second. And the drama itself actsout against a backdrop that is sometimes sostunning that the action seems to be dwarfedby the sheer majesty of the arena. There to capturethe moment-the poise, beauty, brute strength, anguish,exhilaration, lunacy, humour and the triumph and the disaster -is the sports photographer.It is the sports photographer's art and science to recordhonestly and frame accurately those precious millisecondsthat constitute truly memorable sports images. But rarely dosports' decisive moments - the winning strike, the knockoutpunch, a missed putt - guarantee a great photograph. Rather,it is to be found in the hugely challenging combination of thephotographer being in the right place at the right time; creatingthe best angle and perspective; managing the elements ofcolour, focus and exposure with technical precision and, underimmense pressure, having a vision that will produce trulystriking images. Images that will always be admired andcontinue to prompt a strong reaction long after the eventsthemselves are but distant memories.Sports is a book about one of our most enduring anduniversal preoccupations. From the joy of the Brazilian footballteam clutching the Jules Rimet Trophy to shoeless boys playing