The odds are that you’ve seen Simon Bruty’s work before, but on the odd chance you haven’t let me help you understand what you’ve missed. When discussing the best sports photography today, Simon is one of those photographers that has to be included on any list – and he usually is, but more on that in a minute.

While photographing everything from World Cup Soccer, to Super Bowls and the Olympics, Simon has traveled  the world making iconic images. Sometimes he captures that action shot that makes you feel the moment, other times it’s a portrait of one of our times most memorable athletes.

Simon Bruty is a Canon Explorer of Light – that’s one of the most amazing achievements you’ll find in professional photography. Add to that a client list that includes Rolex, Nike, Reebok, the International Olympic Committee, the All England Lawn and Tennis Club, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and of course Canon, and you’ll start to see just how sought after Simon is.

In 2016 Simon  was the recipient of the Lucie Award for Achievement in Sports Photography. He has also received awards from the World Press Foundation, Pictures of the Year, and the International Olympic Committee. Circling back to the comment above about lists, The London Observer even chose one of Simon’s shots for their list of the World’s 50 Greatest Sports Photographs. That is an achievement that may say more than anything else, Simon Bruty is one of the best there is.

While picking the photo for this show Simon sent over an image from the final round of the 2020 Master Golf Tournament, and you’ve ever watched golf you’ll know that silence during a shot is key. The announcers whisper, and the fans are treated with “Quiet” signs. I have shot on the set of video productions before, where the camera can’t make any noise at all, and pros that shoot with DSLRs on TV and movie sets regularly use a device known as a blimp to keep their shutter clicks silent.

All of that got me thinking about the silent shutter feature that exists in today’s modern cameras making blimps are a thing of the past. It ends out that the image Simon sent over was shot on a Canon EOS R5 using the silent shutter feature, and as usual, that means I have lots of questions.

Join award winning sports photographer, and Canon Explorer of Light Simon Bruty and me as discuss photographing without being heard, and as we take a deep dive into his photograph from the 2020 Master Golf Tournament, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Website: simonbruty.com

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Walter Iooss: walteriooss.com