The work behind great sports photos, with Kirby Lee, USA Today

GaryPageau , ,
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The Dead Pixels Society Podcast host Gary Pageau interviews sports photographer Kirby Lee of USA Today Sports about his path from an electrical engineering student to covering major events including the NFL, Olympics, and upcoming FIFA World Cup matches in Los Angeles. Lee explains how a beginning photography class and constant shooting of high school sports led to newspaper work at the LA Times as a writer, then a shift toward photography, with his writing background improving his ability to anticipate storylines and caption images. He discusses transitioning from film to digital around 2003, joining WireImage, and the demanding preparation, gear, remotes, and selective shooting required for pro sports. Lee recounts an accidental iconic NFC Championship photo and describes Olympic pressure, including a 2008 100m final where his camera buffered due to memory card speed, emphasizing equipment reliability.

Kirby Lee image gallery

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Gary Pageau is principal of InfoCircle LLC, continuing his marketing communications career. InfoCircle LLC is a marketing and communications consulting firm, specializing in business-to-business markets. For nearly 25 years, he was with PMA International, serving most recently as Publisher, Content Development and Strategic Initiatives. His primary responsibilities included overseeing the Association’s editorial department, marketing research unit, education and corporate relations department.