Immortalized: Ram V Chary on Iconic Sports Photos

What Makes a Photo Legendary? Ram V Chary Explains

Ram V Chary has been incredibly passionate about photography for quite some time now. In fact, he has come up with several informative and educational blogs chronicling his passion for photography to benefit readers everywhere. His blogs range from technical tips for budding photographers to safety protocols while shooting outdoors. 

Today, Ram V Chary discusses iconic sports photos and details why they have achieved a timeless status.

One of the more recent examples Ram V Chary gives is of the fastest man in history, Usain Bolt, who was snapped looking back at the competition.

No other track star in recent memory has dominated the competition quite like Usain Bolt. He is the fastest man alive, holds several Olympic track and field records, and is the perfect subject for any sports photographer. Cameron Spencer took the award-winning image of "Lightning" Bolt looking back at fellow runners with a sly smile. But that's only half of the magic of the photo, as everything else in the background is blurry.

Going back five decades, one of modern history's most controversial Olympic photos is black power at the Olympic podium.

John Dominis' photograph of Olympic medalists John Carlos and Tommie Smith lifting their arms in protest as the national anthem played on October 16, 1968, stands the test of time. Ram V Chary says it is one of the first mainstream photos of protest during such an event.

Ram V Chary favorite sports photo of all time, though, belongs to the Greatest. Muhammad Ali looking at a downed Sonny Liston is perhaps the most famous photo in modern sports.

No other sports photograph is as iconic as Neil Leifer's monochrome shot of Muhammad Ali standing over and screaming at a Sonny Liston he had just knocked out. This immortal reminder of the first round knockout in their rematch is widely regarded as the start of Ali's reign as the Greatest and brightest light in boxing history.