Photo by Walter Iooss for Sports Illustrated, February 10, 2014, issue.
.
When it comes to enumerating Walter Iooss’ contributions to Sports Illustrated, it’s tempting to create a playing card—it would just be the easiest way to list his impressive stats. Walter has shot every single Super Bowl for SI, for example. That includes 13 covers, ranging from Super Bowl I, back in 1967, to this year’s game, which he shot from the stands in order to avoid the glut of photographers—“TMZ, Hollywood Reporter, and anyone who can find themselves with a credential,” he says with characteristic wryness.
In a blog post called My Best Shot, the magazine takes readers behind the scenes of Walter’s images from the Super Bowl 48 showdown between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. “…SI’s cover depicted a critical play from game’s first 14 minutes—Michael Bennett and Bobby Wagner hovering in on Manning, who was subsequently intercepted by Kam Chancellor,” writes Emily Kaplan. “For the rest of the game,” she continues, “Iooss focused on subjects, rather than action. He thought about who might be named MVP—Russell Wilson? Cliff Avril?—and took photos he thought might make the magazine. Then, of course, he took the traditional confetti shot.”
.
Walter Iooss 2014 Super Bowl confetti shot.
.
“Somebody always uses that shot somewhere,” Walter told her. “I liked the one I took this year. It looked just like a blizzard of blue and green, and then in the distance you see two orange jerseys walking away.”
It was, writes Kaplan, “perhaps the most telling photograph of the night.”
In the same blog post, Sports Illustrated features a gallery of Walter’s Super Bowl covers from over the years. View it here or by clicking on the screenshot below.
.
Walter Iooss’ cover shot from Super Bowl I, in 1967.
.
And to see more of his images from Super Bowl 48, click here.
.
Walter behind the lens.
.
.
