![]() I found one angle where the TV lights backlit the swimmers against a rather good, dark backdrop. Luckily, I noticed during qualification heats, the TV crews turned on their interview lights at the side of the pool for the last few competitors. However, in Barcelona this time it was indoors…I presumed I was doomed and was struggling to find an interesting idea or way to shoot. Synchronized swimming can often make good pictures, especially when outside in the sunshine. It is of the Russian synchronized swimming team that won the gold medal in the team final. This picture was shot during the 2013 World Swimming Championships in Barcelona and is one of my favorites in the book I’ve just completed, 1/1000th, produced by Vision Sports publishing. I wanted to make iconic, signature pictures that would be used as double trucks in magazines. I concentrated on the tears and cheers aspect of the athletes. Rather than sit at the finish line, I chased the light at the track and would set up all alone on the third turn where I might get lucky and hopefully a American may drop their baton in the relay! I went to the “up” positions and the high-risk, high-reward places where few photographers roamed. I went to the more unusual Olympic events like equestrian and road cycling where I could try to find and show a sense of place in my pictures. When I then moved to Sports Illustrated in 1994, I made an effort to leave pack photojournalism behind. I started out on the finish line making wire service pictures for Allsport. My approach to the Olympics has evolved over the years. There is no safety net during the 15 days no chance to redo a picture, no chance to find the “right” position after it’s over, no chance to reshoot in the right light if you are stuck with an overcast day or a terrible background. There are enough different events in the track and field alone to produce a book. There is nothing like the Olympics and they provide the opportunity to make pictures that are so completely different from what most sports photographers do on a weekly basis. I have covered every Olympic Games since 1984, which means I have shot 15 games in freezing blizzards and oppressive heat. ![]()
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