Alley-oops and Hail Marys: How Joe Oliver Captures Sports’ Biggest Moments

We all know the photo of Muhammad Ali’s 1965 victory over Sonny Liston, where the former heavyweight champion stands over his opponent as he lays flat on his back; or the shot of Michael Jordan at the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest taking off from the free throw line, his tongue sticking straight out. While we may instantly recognize these images, we hardly know the people behind the camera. The former was shot by Sports Illustrated’s own Neil Leifer and the latter by legend of the genre Walter Iooss Jr. Just like those two titans, Utah sports photographer Joe Oliver sets out to capture incredible moments in the realm of sports.

After years of working in many different fields, Oliver found himself wanting a change. In need of a new hobby, he looked to one he held dear as a child. “I thought, well, I liked photography when I was a kid, let’s try it again,” Oliver says. He recalls getting his first camera at age 10—a Kodak 110 with a burnout light bulb flash. Years later, Oliver found photography to be a good outlet, one that saw him improve rapidly and gain close connections in the professional field. Oliver eventually transitioned into photography as a full-time job, photographing regularly for local college basketball teams and even the National Football League.

“The reason I love [sports photography] and why I keep doing it is the reaction that I get from the athletes.”

Pursuing sports photography means constantly looking for new opportunities to shoot for teams, events or players. There are a lucky few who get signed to professional teams, but the majority of sports photographers have to hunt down jobs week to week. “I’ll look two, three, four weeks out and I’ll be emailing people so that I have things lined up for me every week,” he says. Based on his previous work, Oliver was signed to Gonzaga University’s media team for their basketball game against the University of Utah.

Oliver has an edge for his ability to review, edit and upload photos during the short breaks in the game, a task that often takes dozens of people on a signed media team to accomplish. “It’s a big thing that I do for teams and for players—during the game, I’ll edit photos,” he says. “I miss part of the game, but I get what I need.” There are many elements that Oliver has to manage to get the perfect shot, from suboptimal arena lighting to players’ positions on the field or court. While basketball is relatively predictable—photographers are often set up at one end of the court with a guarantee that half the game will be played under their hoop—sports like soccer are hard because the photographers are often stuck in one place, waiting for the action to come to them.

“I thought, well, I liked photography when I was a kid, let’s try it again.”

Though it can be difficult, Oliver says his favorite part of sports photography is just being present in the stadium and capturing the event as it unfolds. One of his favorite experiences was shooting the USA Men’s Olympic Basketball Team Showcase in Las Vegas when they played against Canada. “I thought, ‘How can I shoot the Olympics?’ I mean, because I did an NFL game. That’s the highest rated [sports event] below the World Cup and the Olympics,” he says. Oliver quickly discovered, though, that going to Paris was going to be too costly. After receiving denials from many national teams, he kept following up, which eventually led to his approval for the Team USA showcase.

The connections that Oliver makes with athletes performing their best means more to him than any other kind of recognition.“The reason I love [sports photography] and why I keep doing it is the reaction that I get from the athletes,” he says. “Sending them [photos] and they’re like, ‘Oh, this is really good,’ and not only sharing it, but crediting you. Having athletes reach out to you after games and saying, ‘Hey, can I hire you to come do this?’” If you are an athlete in need of incredible shots, find Oliver on Instagram at @iamjoeoliver or @joeoliversports.

Read more interviews with local photographers:
Boudoir By Brie: Celebrating Every Body Through Photography
Jessie Carlton: Wedding Photographer by Day, Concert Documentarian by Night