How photographer Sheila Pree Bright found her World Cup muse

It’s part of a larger initiative, Footwork, inspired by the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta in June. “Where We Gather” is one of three interconnected exhibitions across Emory campuses, celebrating the city’s soccer history, sports culture and current status as a world football hub.

The idea came to Bright, a Leica ambassador, after talking to Emory’s senior director of culture, community and partner engagement, Clint Fluker, about doing a project that found its muse in sports. Though she was less concerned with shooting on-field action, it was the very human response to what happens in and around arenas and stadiums that Bright wanted to show.

Her hope is showing how our houses of athletic worship represent safe spaces in a time of political unrest, war and uncertainty.

“I think we’re yearning for connection from a global standpoint. I mean, look at the world and how it’s shifting and all of the noise out there,” she said.

Over the course of three to four months, Bright set out to observe how metro Atlanta’s sports communities came together. She worked closely with Works on Paper curator Andi McKenzie. It was a process that involved narrowing hundreds of photos down to a couple dozen.

Stops included Falcons practice at Flowery Branch and the team’s game in Berlin last November. She stopped at Atlanta United matches, tailgates and the World Cup draw party in Buckhead. On the sidelines, while traditional sports photographers questioned her shot choices, Bright kept her eyes set on the everyday folks filling seats.

“She’s also photographing the things that sports photographers are not doing. So these are images we have never seen,” McKenzie said.

Admittedly, McKenzie was on the fence about how to incorporate the Iooss images. Iooss is known for capturing iconic images for Sports Illustrated over the past several decades. “Where We Gather” features Iooss’ famous “The Catch,” which shows Dwight Clark’s game-winning touchdown reception from Joe Montana in the 1982 NFC title game.

The other photo is Iooss’ 1966 shot of Bill Russell meeting Elgin Baylor midair. The idea in the curation process, McKenzie said, was to capture the story of those on the field from Iooss in dialogue with fans shown candidly and in portraits from Bright.

“The work is very different, but there’s something very interesting about the way Walter speaks about his work and the way Sheila speaks about her work. They both talk about the decisive moment,” she said, referencing photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson’s description of when timing, composition and luck all align in one image.

Whether it’s entangled legs and feet of soccer players or kids marveling at their favorite athlete signing an autograph, Bright said the key to getting those images was patience. Oftentimes, she’ll fixate on a space, place or person for 30 to 40 minutes before she takes the picture.

What stood out to her in this process? Fandom — yes. But more than anything, the communal aspect. If only for 90 minutes, or four quarters, that time is valuable. “We let all that stuff go at that moment, and we’re actually talking to each other,” she said.

A military brat, whose parents are from Waycross, Georgia, Bright came to Atlanta in 2000. She’s made it a point to document the South and its people. When she traveled to Berlin for the Falcons game, it was her first time being back since growing up in the country. Bright is curious about how supporters of teams coming in town for the World Cup will interact with Atlanta’s culture. She jokes that it’s more than “Real Housewives” memes, and no one calls it “Hotlanta.”

When those same folks show up inside the Carlos Museum to see “Where We Gather,” there’s a message within those framed photos she hopes visitors take with them. “I’m going to try to give a different perspective of how people perceive Atlanta. That’s what I wanted to do,” she said.

And for locals?

“They’re on a global stage right now, and they’ll be able to see themselves.”