Top Sports Photographer Damian Strohmeyer to Speak at Williston Northampton Photographers Lecture Series

Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (43) runs for yardage against the Dallas Cowboys November 27, 2014 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Philadelphia defeated Dallas 33-10. (AP Photo/Damian Strohmeyer)
Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (43) runs for yardage against the Dallas Cowboys November 27, 2014 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Philadelphia defeated Dallas 33-10. (AP Photo/Damian Strohmeyer)

“Did I get this or not?” photographer Damian Strohmeyer recalls asking himself in the seconds after David Tyree’s famous Helmet Catch, the play in the closing minutes of Super Bowl XLII that some have called the greatest in NFL history. A security guard had briefly blocked his camera, but fortunately for football fans, Mr. Strohmeyer did indeed get the shot. His 2008 photograph would soon become yet another iconic image in a remarkable career that now spans more than two decades.

Working for Sports Illustrated, among other clients, the Boston-area photographer has covered the World Series, the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four, the NBA Finals, the World Cup, the Stanley Cup, the Indianapolis 500, several Olympics and 28 Super Bowls. On March 29, however, you can see him, and hear his stories from the field, in the Dodge Room of the Reed Campus Center, as he continues Williston’s Photographers’ Lecture Series. The free event begins at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the school community and the public.

Photography and Digital Video Instructor Ed Hing, who runs the lecture series, says he had been looking to bring a sports photographer to Williston for a number of years. “Every kid is involved in sports here,” he says, “Its such a big part of campus life.” Prior to his talk, Mr. Strohmeyer will be teaching a hands-on workshop to Williston photography students, Mr. Hing noted, and will perhaps demonstrate techniques by shooting the action on the Williston athletic fields.

Mr. Strohmeyer’s list of accomplishments and accolades is considerable.

He has been honored numerous times by the National Press Photographers Association in their annual Pictures of the Year awards, as well as by The University of Missouri in their annual Pictures of the Year competition. He has been recognized by The Pro Football Hall of Fame, which also exhibits his work. He was the photographer for A March for Honor, a book chronicling small town Indiana High School basketball, written by Sports Illustrated senior writer Alexander Wolff.

His list of corporate clients includes Nike, Sylvania, The Animal Planet, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Ackerman McQueen, Canon, Suffolk University, and Boston University. He had done editorial photography for Bloomberg Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Web MD. But he is perhaps best known for his work with Sports Illustrated, whose editors have featured his work on the cover more than 70 times.

Mr. Strohmeyer is originally from Kansas and graduated from Washburn University in Topeka. He is married to Joanne Rathe, a photographer at The Boston Globe and has three children, Jessye, Zach, and Leah. They live in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Mr. Hing notes that the Photographers’ Lecture Series has brought in a remarkable collection of talented photographers over the years, but their work may not always have been as well-known to students as Mr. Strohmeyer’s. This talk, he notes, “is an opportunity to see a world-recognized sports photographer. I mean, 70 Sports Illustrated covers is insanely impressive.”

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