Photographing the NBA creates timeless, iconic images that become historical. The action is live, quick and unscripted, and there are no re-dos. The photographer either captures the competitiveness and intensity or misses it.
What does it take to be a successful basketball photographer?
With the NBA regular season around the corner, The Athletic chatted with Getty Images photographer Gregory Shamus about capturing the perfect photo.
Do you have to love basketball or the NBA to do your job well? Do you need to know basketball to photograph it?
No, I don’t think you have to love basketball to do the job well. But knowing the inner workings of any sport gives you an advantage when it comes to photography. I played basketball and signed a letter of intent to play in college before switching gears and pursuing photography. This is probably a big reason why I pursued sports as my focus. Sometimes, I can feel or anticipate what may happen on the court a bit more easily than someone who may not have played basketball competitively. However, that does not mean for a second that someone who has never played cannot be an amazing photographer of this sport.
What is your background? Did you major in photojournalism? Did a hobby turn into a career?
I played basketball in high school on a very good team and played in college at a small school. At the time, photography was just a hobby. But I changed my mind and chose to attend the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, majoring in fine arts photography. At the beginning of my career, I shot high school sports for a local newspaper. I was also an assistant to the Detroit Pistons team photographer, which led to more opportunities to shoot pro sports. I guess my two loves collided and here I am.
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