Chris Smith: Award-winning sports photographer.
From his formative years at the Hartlepool Mail, Chris Smith became one of the World's most respected sports photographers, winning the British Sports Photographer of the year Award four times. Eamonn McCabe explores some of the stories and techniques behind the Chris Smith style in this interview.
BIOGRAPHY
Chris Smith spent his formative years working at his local newspaper, the Hartlepool Mail, before arriving in London in the early 1960s. He soon specialised in sports photography and his multi-award winning career would take him to many Summer and Winter Olympic Games and Football World Cups around the World.
Smith is particularly well-known for his iconic images of Muhammad Ali, which reveal the complex personality of one of sport’s most controversial and influential characters, and a book of his work with Ali is due to be published in 2024.
For over forty years, Chris Smith’s individual style made him an influential figure in the world of sports photography, with his images frequently appearing in the Daily Herald, The Observer, and The Sunday Times. It has also earned him many awards, including winning The British Sports Photographer of the Year four times, and the Individual Sports Picture of the Year twice.
