Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda

New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site

New Feature: SMS Notification alert

New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist

FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

2 end

40 Years Ago...

garyvot
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · 40 Years Ago...

...I had the opportunity to photograph the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles for my paper under contract to USA Today. (All the discussion of the R1 at the Olympics this year has made me nostalgic, I guess.) Times have changed a bit, but I think the thrill must be the same today.

Sadly, I was only able to keep a few images from the event. Here are a few highlights.

All: Canon New-F1, New FD 300mm f/2.8L / New FD 100mm f/2.0, Kodak Ektachrome E6 / Ilford HP5.

US sprinter Carl Lewis celebrates victory in the men's 100-meter, the first of his four gold medals at the games.

USA's Candy Costie and Tracy Ruiz pick up the first-ever gold medal awarded in competitive synchronized swimming.

US long distance runner Mary Decker Slaney lies prone seconds after the fateful collision with South African Zola Budd in the women's 3000-meter final.

Decker Slaney is led off of the field in the aftermath. We can all feel her ultimate disappointment and loss.

Jul 30, 2024 at 02:15 AM

thedruid
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · 40 Years Ago...

Great series and memories @garyvot

Jul 30, 2024 at 02:19 AM

deepbluejh
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · 40 Years Ago...

What a great series of images. Thanks for sharing.

Jul 30, 2024 at 07:30 AM

reefroamer
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · 40 Years Ago...

Great shots. Incredible timing. Thanks for posting!

Jul 30, 2024 at 08:06 AM

stanj
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · 40 Years Ago...

I remember the games, although I was just a kid. Thanks for sharing, must have been amazing. Carl was the greatest!

Jul 30, 2024 at 09:30 AM

RoamingScott
Online
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · 40 Years Ago...

These are awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Jul 30, 2024 at 09:36 AM

jcolwell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · 40 Years Ago...

Wonderful memories. Sports history was unfolding, right in front of you and your cameras.

Jul 30, 2024 at 10:02 AM

gdanmitchell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · 40 Years Ago...

Very nice work, and brought back some memories!

Thanks.

Jul 30, 2024 at 10:13 AM

artsupreme
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · 40 Years Ago...

Look how cherry this thing is in case you really want to go back in time:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226239751535?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1lVMzaP6RTse9Emych3ckgA22&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=226239751535&targetid=2320093655185&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9031553&poi=&campaignid=21222258394&mkgroupid=164713660992&rlsatarget=pla-2320093655185&abcId=9408285&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh9egsKFnUFYc1bN8EFMph76w&gclid=CjwKCAjwnqK1BhBvEiwAi7o0X6N6MWsewF9GgjHFj-DYFSd0MQ3nBJZwGcx_mgTLq6oZmxz90vn3sxoCYP8QAvD_BwE

Jul 30, 2024 at 10:19 AM

racoll
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · 40 Years Ago...

These are wonderful and powerful shots! I remember these games, and these images bring back memories. Thank you for sharing these!
Andy

Jul 30, 2024 at 11:13 AM

LuckyStrike88
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · 40 Years Ago...

Thanks Gary... Some exceptional shots here at a time before the world went mad...

Jul 30, 2024 at 11:20 AM

Jeff
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · 40 Years Ago...

Loved my Canon New F-1 and high-capacity/low temp motor drive! Ended up buying one for the bookshelf a few years ago...

Great shots!

Jul 30, 2024 at 12:55 PM

robert_in_ca
Online
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · 40 Years Ago...

Incredible photos Gary... really great work. I remember watching the games as a kid and seeing Decker fall. Looking forward to the 2028 games in LA.

Edited on Jul 30, 2024 at 04:01 PM · View previous versions

Jul 30, 2024 at 01:02 PM

garyvot
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · 40 Years Ago...

Thank you all for the very kind comments!

A couple of fun facts:

Back then, we Canon shooters were pretty thin on the ground at major sporting events. It was easily Nikon 80 or 85%, haha. This didn't really start to change until the EOS era, I think.

The incident with Mary Decker occurred in perhaps the least desirable place to be posted for this race, just coming out of turn three. Most photographers were angling to be at the finish line, but as the junior member of the USA Today team, I got the luck of the draw to get this corner of the track, which was in shadow at this hour of the day. Who knew?

My "agony of defeat" photo not only ran in USA Today and in the San Bernardino Sun (my newspaper) but was picked up by the Orange County Register and used on their front page. They would go on to win the Pulitzer prize that year for their Olympics coverage, including this story.

There were not many photographers stationed in this part of the stadium, but one of them working alongside me was Time Magazine photographer David Burnett, who captured possibly the best known images of this event. He wrote about his experience here, if you are curious:

https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a33367218/mary-decker-zola-budd-1984-olympics/

Jul 30, 2024 at 02:28 PM

Rudy Pohl
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · 40 Years Ago...

Hi Gary,

Sorry I'm a little late to the party, I had no idea what was happening in this thread. Today I finally clicked on the link and was blown away by your images, your story and your personal history as a pro photographer. I was in my 30s at the time and remember these Olympics well, especially the awesome achievement's of Carl Lewis. Fabulous work Gary and so inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Rudy

Jul 30, 2024 at 04:56 PM

sirimiri
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · 40 Years Ago...

Great shots Gary.

I remember those games, I was just a kid..."Zola Budd" and of course the bump. Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, "where did the Soviets go?" the fantastic John Williams score....and the jetpack guy at the opening ceremonies. So much time has passed; a former colleague that worked on the "Festive Federalism" architectural enhancements, branding, way finding...recently passed away. Suffice to say I have a real attachment to those 1984 games....and I ended up living here in LA a decade later, seeing USC football at the coliseum.

Thanks for sharing these photos, sorry if my post is a little more about me, than the photos

We get to do it again in 2028! Go LA!

Jul 30, 2024 at 10:24 PM

garyvot
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · 40 Years Ago...

sirimiri wrote:
Great shots Gary.

I remember those games, I was just a kid..."Zola Budd" and of course the bump. Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, "where did the Soviets go?" the fantastic John Williams score....and the jetpack guy at the opening ceremonies. So much time has passed; a former colleague that worked on the "Festive Federalism" architectural enhancements, branding, way finding...recently passed away. Suffice to say I have a real attachment to those 1984 games....and I ended up living here in LA a decade later, seeing USC football at the coliseum.

Thanks for sharing these photos, sorry if my post is a...Show more →

Thanks!

Yeah, pretty cool time in LA then. Mary Lou Retton and the whole women's gymnastic team, diver Greg Louganis. Jetpack guy! I had almost forgotten about him, haha. Ghostbusters had just come out...

I wonder if you ever happened across this while you were in LA? I made this photograph shortly after this mural was completed while I was in LA to cover the games. It remains one of my favorite "found" images. (I did not know about this beforehand but encountered it while in town.)

Los Angeles freeway mural by California artist Kent Twitchell. This is one of two portraits (of local artists Lita Albuquerque and Jim Morphesis) that make up a piece titled 7th Street Altarpiece. Photographed in 1984.

Jul 30, 2024 at 10:41 PM

Allynb
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · 40 Years Ago...

Great shots of an historic event in Olympic genre. Still have and occasionally use my F-1 System.

Jul 30, 2024 at 11:36 PM

tsangc
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · 40 Years Ago...

Thank you for posting these. They are incredible.

Jul 31, 2024 at 01:29 AM

Pixelpuffin
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · 40 Years Ago...

Respect to you 👍🏻
Manual focusing a 300mm 2.8 on a moving subject AND being limited by (guessing) 36 exposure film . WOW, kudos to you.Not forgetting you shot slide film that gave hardly any room for error with exposures.

Absolutely puts to shame those today who with eye focus tracking , auto iso, 30fps, pretty much unlimited exposure plus incredible metering… etc etc etc

Yet they still have to moan about something or other or demand even more “ help” 😂

Well done you.

Jul 31, 2024 at 12:50 PM

1 2 end
FM Forums \| Canon Forum \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 end

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.