From the Archives: Bobby Walston upended

The Philadelphia Eagles’ Bobby Walston made an acrobatic catch in the 11th annual Pro-Bowl game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 15, 1961.

For his efforts, Walston was upended by Baltimore’s Andy Nelson after a 17-yard gain. The West beat the East 35-31 in front of 63,000 fans.

This sequence by Los Angeles Times staff photographer Larry Sharkey, was published across the top of the next morning's Sports section front. In the 1962 National Press Photographers Assn. Pictures of the Year competition, this sequence won third place in the sports picture story category.

Action sequences were popular with Los Angeles Times page designers in the 1950s and '60s. At major sporting event, at least one photographer would be shooting with a sequence camera, locked down on a tripod, from an overhead position, usually the press box.

One '50s-era sequence camera used by Times photographers was this 70-millimeter Hulcher. It's a motorized, high-speed camera capable of taking a minimum of 20 frames per second using 70-mm film. The camera weighs 20 pounds and has an external battery pack. Stops on the lens allowed the photographer to focus quickly on predetermined locations — especially useful in baseball. Typical presets would be home plate, the pitcher's mound and second base.

This post was originally published on Oct. 3, 2011.