Showing the love to "AO's Gift"

I really liked “AO’s Gift,” Benjamin Sklar’s award-winning photo of Marcell Hamilton dunking a basketball at the And 1 Open Run in Jacksonville. There is a breathtaking feeling in viewing the picture as Sklar has frozen Hamilton right at the apex of his ascension to the basket. He has done all the hard work in getting above the rim; all that is left is to slam the ball home with exuberance.

Further, Sklar does a great job of keeping his scene simple. There is nothing but player, ball, basket and, of course, the shoes hung by And 1 Star Aaron “AO” Owens. The cloudy white backdrop provides a feel as though there is nothing else of consequence in existence at the moment beyond Hamilton’s rise to the heavens with orange sphere in hand. The shoes provide the only evidence of other life on Earth as well as appearing to stand as a trophy of sorts. As a lover of the game of basketball, it is easy for me to identify with the fact that at this moment for Hamilton, there is nothing else that matters besides finishing this dunk and getting to the glory that comes with it.

The only problem I have with Sklar’s photo is that it would have been nice to have have a little more of Hamilton in the shot. His face is slightly cut off and the rest of his body is completely invisible to the viewer. However, I understand the need to get the photo at the right moment and the desire to get as much of the backboard and basket as possible, and I don’t want to be overly nitpicky. Ultimately, it is a potent photo and I have a hard time complaining too much.