BASKETBALL
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Wilt Chamberlain, 1961
Wilt Chamberlain, 1961
Close CloseMany of Zimmerman’s camera innovations are commonplace today, but were unheard of at the time. Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss Jr. recalled watching Zimmerman edit photographs of basketball star Wilt Chamberlain in 1961. “It was the first time a photojournalist had placed a camera above the rim of a basket. It was like looking at something from another planet. It had never been done before. No one had seen the game from there.”
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Wilt Chamberlain, 1967
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Bill Russell, 1957
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Bill Russell, 1957
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Lew Alcindor, 1969
Lew Alcindor, 1969
Close Close Read MoreLew Alcindor of the Milwaukee Bucks shooting against the San Francisco Warriors’ Nate Thurmond, 1969.
The following excerpt is from Masters of Contemporary Photography Zimmerman & Kauffman Photographing Sports.
To bring readers up close to basketball, Zimmerman again put remote-controlled cameras on the target, this time behind the glass backboards. He used black tape to camouflage the equipment, mounted on the backboard supports. For Lew Alcindor, Zimmerman used a battery operated Hasselblad–the only time he’s ever used that camera. Mounting a remote camera with a fixed focus requires some research on the subject’s playing style.
As a rookie (then known as Lew Alcindor)Jabbar was feared for his fadeaway hook shot. Observation showed that he favored the left side from close to the board, so that was where Zimmerman aimed and focussed. It took three games before Jabbar came to him with the picture Zimmerman wanted.
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Willis Reed & Lew Alcindor, 1970
