At 71, the Chennai resident travels to top international sporting events and freezes iconic sporting moments

Seshadri Sukumar in action. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

In cricket, we regularly come across teams that switch to a completely new track in the second innings with surprising progress that overshadows their first innings performance. And in the process, they bring immense joy and wonder to the audience.

Seshadri Sukumar has done something similar.

Here are the details of 71-year-old Seshadri’s second shift: Press Information Bureau-accredited Chennai-based international sports photographer and Canon EOS ambassador. It now has a reputation for “handling” major international sporting events. At the time of writing, he is filming sporting excellence at the 20th Asian Games taking place in Aichi and Nagoya prefectures in Japan.

Also Read: Asian Games 2026: India finish fourth with 85 medals, gold rush seals late campaign

Before approaching what he is doing now, a quick run through of his early shifts: Sukumar worked in the banking sector, was the official photographer of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB). He always had an intense desire to be a sports photographer, but the desire remained for an awfully long time.

Nearing retirement from his corporate career, Sukumar took the plunge and turned his full attention to sports photography.

Seshadri Sukumar at the Asian Games in Japan. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

After Sukumar had been involved in sports photography for years, in 2021, Sukumar’s nephew shared the story of his uncle’s passion for sports photography online. Sukumar was 66 at the time and was watching the Tokyo Olympics. And the story of someone flourishing in a midlife career has captured the world’s imagination.

Sukuamar’s portfolio includes several Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup (including the latest edition), ICC World Cups, Grand Slam tournaments, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, NBA events, FINA World Championships, FIDE and MotoGP World Cups and several other major sporting events.

His iconic photographs include one of the Rio Olympics, which captured the contrasting emotions of the winner and the loser; the photo earned him a gold medal from the Photographic Society of America (PSA).

Sukumar’s professional photographs have been distributed through international wire services and photo libraries, including Alamy, Zuma Press, IMAGO Images, SOPA Images and Reuters Connect.

Sukumar’s life and career are a reminder that it’s never too late to start over.

Published – 04 Oct 2026 09:52 IST