Sports Illustrated: Athlete (Sports Illustrated)

For Iooss--whose efforts have graced the cover of Sports Illustrated nearly 300 times--every picture really does tell a story. Here he highlights his favorites with behind-the-scenes anecdotes. For the famous "Blue Dunk" overhead shot of Michael Jordan taken in 1987, Iooss personally painted the parking lot, stationed himself in a cherry picker and waited for the shot. While shadowing Tiger Woods from hole to hole in Carlsbad in 2000, the photographer purposefully wore dark glasses the entire day so as to not look in the golfer's eyes. And in 2003, Iooss literally couldn't sleep the night before reuniting Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for their first photo together in 30 years. In a lyrical display, we witness a creative evolution as Iooss continually discovers new ways and approaches to capture the athletic spirit. Iooss's passion, power and perspective are clearly at play in this artful package.