One Extraordinary (Olympic) Photo: Lee Jin-man captures diver at the center of the Olympic rings

AP photographer Lee Jin-man explains how he took the photo of Italian diver Giovanni Tocci, symmetrically aligned with the Olympic rings at the diving venue

APTOPIX Paris Olympics Diving (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Lee Jin-man takes a closer look at his photo of Italian diver Giovanni Tocci competing in the men’s 3-meter springboard competition.

Why this photo?

We take photos of divers in various stages of their jumps, but this one has a harmonious quality to it because of the athlete’s position just in front of the Olympic rings. In general, good photos come when athletes are performing an action, like twisting their body. This is a photo of an athlete rotating, framed by the Olympic rings behind him.

How I made this photo

I arrived earlier than other photographers to secure the right photo position, shooting from the pool deck right in front of the springboard. I always try different angles but this time around I was able to use the Olympic rings in the background of men's 3-meter springboard event to frame the photo.

Why this photo works

Diving events consist of six dives per round for men and five dives for the women. If a photographer doesn’t think of unique angles, the photos of the competition can look repetitive. In this photo, I tried to capture the athlete’s movements and the athlete’s face, as well as the Olympic rings. The athlete’s position in the center of the frame, with the Olympic rings in the background, gives the photo symmetry and balance.

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For more extraordinary AP photography, click here. For AP’s full coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, click here.