Heinz Kluetmeier, one of the most renowned Olympic photographers of all time, passed away earlier this week on January 14th at the age of 82 following complications with Parkinsons. Among others, he captured the iconic underwater image of Michael Phelps winning the 100m Butterfly at the Beijing Olympics, as well as the famous ‘Miracle on Ice’ picture in 1980.
Born in Berlin and brought up in Bremen, Germany, Kluetmeier moved to Milwaukee with his family at age 9, where he was a varsity swimmer while attending Custer High School. He was working as a photographer for The Associated Press by the age of 15, primarily photographing the Green Bay Packers. He continued to freelance for them throughout high school and during summers back in Milwaukee whilst at College in Dartmouth. Initially working for Inland Steel for two years after graduating with an engineering degree, he soon returned to photography, joining the staff of Time Inc. where he shot for their Sports Illustrated and Life magazines.
He was best known for his work on the first of these, and was SI’s director of photography on two occasions. After covering his first summer Olympic games for the magazine at Munich 1972, he didn’t miss one for 40 years and had a particular fondness for the swimming events (Mark Spitz was a favorite subject at those first Games).
He was noted for his use of novel techniques and angles, shooting in ways that others wouldn’t think of. Jon Wertheim, a colleague at SI said of him: “He didn’t take photos, he gave photos”. He went on to be credited with over 100 cover photos for the magazine, the most famous of which was of the ‘Miracle on Ice’ in 1980; still the only cover for SI not to feature a headline or caption. In his own words, “It didn’t need it.”.
The most well-known of his photos to swim fans will be that finish in Beijing: Phelps and Milorad Cavic, arms outstretched, almost perfectly synchronised.
There was never a more imaginative sports photographer than SI’s Heinz Kluetmeier, RIP. Who else would put a camera on the BOTTOM of the pool? His shot of Michael Phelps winning by a hangnail was the pic of the Beijing Olympics. pic.twitter.com/gtHBDzirp9
— Rick Reilly (@ReillyRick) January 16, 2025
Kluetmeier pioneered the use of remote cameras in sports photography, most notably in 1980 to capture Seb Coe’s victory in the 1500m (Athletics) at the Moscow Olympics. Furthermore, he was the first sports photographer to place remote cameras underwater when doing so at the 1991 World Aquatics championships in Perth, a technique that is now commonplace.
The story goes that Kluetmeier, dressed in scuba gear, placed the remote cameras there himself. An assistant, querying whether they had been given the go-ahead by organisers, was told; ‘We’re not going to ask permission.”. Hundreds of dramatic images of split-second finishes can be linked back to that pioneering act, and it wouldn’t have been the only time he pushed the boundaries to get his shot. At the Moscow Olympics he feigned ignorance when a Russian security guard asked him to move whilst photographing the Athletics, giving himself time to get the picture he wanted whilst the guard was finding a translator.
Recognized worldwide and across numerous disciplines, Kluetmeier was the recipient of the prestigious Lucie award for Achievement in Sports in 2007 and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2017. He was the first and only photographer to receive that distinction.
That 2008 picture memorialized what was the closest of Phelps’ eight gold medals at the Games. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers, but the photo draws on the true essence of racing – getting to the wall first, even if it’s by just a fingertip.
His legacy in swimming and wider sports photography is best summarized in his own words:
“I think the most important thing is to have a vision, to have an emotional feeling, to care about what you’re photographing, and to have something that’s already there in your heart, in your eye”
The best!