Allsport
Encyclopedia
The Allsport photography agency was started in 1968 by sports photographer Tony Duffy. It grew to become arguably the most highly respected sport photo agency in the world, and its photographers won numerous awards until acquisition by Getty Images
in 1998.
Until 1968 Tony Duffy was an accountant and part-time photographer who shot track and field athletics in his spare time. He paid for himself to go to the 1968 Olympic Games
in Mexico City.
At the 1968 Olympic Games, Bob Beamon
broke the World Record in the Long Jump with a leap of 8m 90 or 29 ft 2½ inches. Crouched at the end of the long jump pit was Tony Duffy. Duffy took a picture which, through wide re-production, is perhaps the definitive shot of this remarkable jump.
The Allsport agency was founded on the strength of his photograph of Beamon.
, specifically motorbikes, and Starr took studio shots. Adrian Murrell joined in the mid seventies and became the agency's Cricket
specialist. Duffy's innovative feature 'Sport and the Body' brought his name and the name of the agency to a wider audience when published by the Sunday Times in 1973. The use of naked sports stars caused uproar and brought nationwide publicity.
. With Duffy working stateside, Bob Martin assumed the role of leading athletics photographer in Europe. Younger photographers such as Mike King, Simon Bruty, Gray Mortimore, and Pascal Rondeau continued to create stunning and thought-provoking sport images.
In 1988 Allsport was appointed as Official Photographer to the International Olympic Committee. The first book in the Visions of Sport series was published to celebrate 20 years of Allsport, and included all of the famous images shot by Allsport photographers in its first 20 years.
Getty Images
Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage...
in 1998.
Until 1968 Tony Duffy was an accountant and part-time photographer who shot track and field athletics in his spare time. He paid for himself to go to the 1968 Olympic Games
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City.
At the 1968 Olympic Games, Bob Beamon
Bob Beamon
Robert "Bob" Beamon is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, which remained the world record for almost 23 years until it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell. This is the second longest holding of this record, as...
broke the World Record in the Long Jump with a leap of 8m 90 or 29 ft 2½ inches. Crouched at the end of the long jump pit was Tony Duffy. Duffy took a picture which, through wide re-production, is perhaps the definitive shot of this remarkable jump.
The Allsport agency was founded on the strength of his photograph of Beamon.
1970s
Tony Duffy was joined in the 1970s by photographers John Starr, Don Morley, and in 1971, Steve Powell. Powell would go on to become Group Managing Director. Morley specialised in shooting motorsportMotorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
, specifically motorbikes, and Starr took studio shots. Adrian Murrell joined in the mid seventies and became the agency's Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
specialist. Duffy's innovative feature 'Sport and the Body' brought his name and the name of the agency to a wider audience when published by the Sunday Times in 1973. The use of naked sports stars caused uproar and brought nationwide publicity.
1980s
The Allsport agency experienced tremendous growth throughout the 1980s, and in 1983 Tony Duffy moved to California to open the Allsport USA offices in Santa Monica. In 1985 he was joined by Mike Powell, the younger brother of Steve. David Cannon joined in 1982 as a general sport photographer specialising in football and golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. With Duffy working stateside, Bob Martin assumed the role of leading athletics photographer in Europe. Younger photographers such as Mike King, Simon Bruty, Gray Mortimore, and Pascal Rondeau continued to create stunning and thought-provoking sport images.
In 1988 Allsport was appointed as Official Photographer to the International Olympic Committee. The first book in the Visions of Sport series was published to celebrate 20 years of Allsport, and included all of the famous images shot by Allsport photographers in its first 20 years.