The Slap
Nine photographers captured the shocking, unprecedented moment during last year's Academy Awards.
Minutes after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards last year, photos went viral.
The slightly-blurred, right cross from Smith, perfectly captured by Reuters’ photographer Brian Snyder, was the first photo to go viral. It’s the definitive image of what’s now forever known as “the slap.”
“Immediately afterwards my reaction was ‘did that just happen?’” Snyder told CNN. “It was surreal.”
Snyder’s photo was everywhere across social media and in print the following day. The New York Post, The Times, and People magazine all published a version of the slap by Snyder.
Positioned slightly to the left of Snyder, AFP’s Robyn Beck captured the moment a split-second later. The composition is clean — Rock and Smith are artfully framed by curved lines in the background.
The Washington Post published a sequence by Beck. I appreciated her inclusion of the red envelope (Rock was presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature), not only giving the photo more context but also a splash of color. She nailed it.
Los Angeles Times photographer Myung J. Chun was changing cameras as Smith angrily approached Rock on stage. “I was bringing up the other camera to shoot a little looser; as I was bringing it up, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the swing happening.” Chun told the Times.
“I got on it and shot what I could, but I missed the swing by a fraction of a second. I got the aftermath, with the reaction and the face and the body language. But for me, it was a pretty terrible time to be switching cameras.”
Despite that, Chun’s photo is spectacular. Rock’s reaction is the strongest of all. Their body language appears synchronized, shoulders turned and arms parallel.
Chun’s photo was published at the top of Page One of the Los Angeles Times, part of a Oscars edition wraparound. Chun also made the photo of Best Actress winner Jessica Chastain on the left.
I love Ruth Fremson’s version — while it’s a little noisy, the timing is spot-on, the body language is sublime, and the background lines serendipitously trace the path of Smith’s swing. Fremson, a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning staff photographer for The New York Times, also has a strong frame of Smith walking away from Rock after the slap.
AP photographer Chris Pizzello’s version looks like it was taken at the exact moment as Fremson’s. However, look closely at Smith’s hand — his fingers are touching the first curved line instead of the second. It’s a tiny difference but if I had to choose between the two, I’d go with Fremson’s. Still a great shot.
The timing of Robert Hanashiro’s image is similar to Fremson’s and Pizzello’s, only he appears to be positioned further to their right. The lines are not as strong as the others but the highlight on Smith’s jacket is a nice touch. Hanashiro, a Senior Staff Photographer with USA Today based on the west coast, has been covering the Academy Awards for over three decades.
I appreciate Rob Latour’s version for the looser crop — the shadow of Smith’s hand on Rock’s leg is interesting. Latour, shooting for Shutterstock, also captured the gold star-shaped “mark” (indicating where presenters should stand) between Rock’s legs. A very cool, unique detail that no one else clearly caught.
LA-based celebrity photographer Christopher Polk, shooting for Variety, was positioned furthest to the right of the others. Polk’s uncropped, pre-slap moment is notable for Rock’s unsuspecting expression. The size difference between Smith and Rock is made also made apparent.
Variety and Rolling Stone ran a cropped version of Polk’s photo. It works, but the distinctive details from this angle are unfortunately lost.
Getty Images’ Neilson Barnard moved several photos of the slap. Again, I appreciate the looser view and the shadows on the floor. The Hollywood Reporter and Vanity Fair published two different versions of Rock’s angry reaction. Barnard is the head of entertainment photography for Getty in the US.
To some, these photos are nearly identical. But details are important — every inch of the frame matters and even a slight nuance in body language or facial expression can distinguish a great photo from a good one.
It’s every photographer’s nightmare to miss a moment like this. Bravo to all those who captured it, there’ll never be another moment like it.
