Winter Olympics: Getty Photos of the Day

Michael Heiman, Senior Director, Editorial Operations Photo - Dean Mouhtaropoulos

Multiple exposure is a photographic technique that combines multiple different images into a single picture. Many photographers dismiss the technique as a bit of fun, but with trial and error you can obtain some beautiful results like this photograph by Getty Images photographer Dean Mouhtaropoulos. Multiple exposures can bring a sense of movement to still photography, which is why so many sports and dance photographers are fans.

Ken Mainardis, Senior Vice President, Editorial, Getty Images
Most Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies focus on the show and spectacle. This photograph by Getty Images photographer Matthias Hangst of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games shows the joy and hope of two nations competing together. An inspirational image to start the Games.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director, Editorial Photography, Getty Images
It is fitting that the first gold medal to be won at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games is by a Swedish athlete. Charlotte Kalla’s face of pure joy of winning an Olympic medal and relief of a grueling 7.5KM cross country ski race being over sets the scene for these Games. It is only on the world stage of the Winter Olympic Games that such an obscure sport is thrust into the spotlight

Stuart Hannagan, VP, Editorial Content, Getty Images
At the Olympic Games the aim of photographers in any situation is to capture a unique angle. Getty Images has robotic and remote cameras located in the roof of some of the indoor venues to capture angles from places a photographer can’t stand. During the first few days we aim to capture scene setting photographs like this one taken by Getty Images photographer Richard Heathcote with a remote camera. The fact that this photograph includes the Olympic Rings and the graceful routine of Bradie Tennell of the United States makes it a beautiful photograph.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director, Editorial Photography,
Getty Images Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulo
In this photo photographer Dean Mouhtaropoulo used a difficult technique of a slow shutter speed, timed perfectly to show just how quickly figure skater Adam Rippon spins on the ice.
It’s a technique that’s put to good use in figure skating as it perfectly displays the raw power and speed along with the grace and beautiful shape of figure skating.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director, Editorial Photography, Getty Images Photo - Tom Pennington.
Using a long telephoto lens and a fast shutterspeed, Getty Images photographer Tom Pennington was able to capture the incredible speed and control of this skier during the Men’s Alpine Downhill
Combined. Seeing the gate contorted after the skier hit it at nearly 100km per hour and still maintaining his form, control, and concentration is a testament to skill these athletes have and the
talent the photographer has to capture everything in this split second.

Our photographers covering the Alpine skiing are facing extreme temperatures, their day on the mountain often begins before sun up in an effort to scout the course to find the best shooting location with the given course set or gate placement. The gates change for the Downhill and Super G, so the photo positions often need to be changed around.

In addition to scouting on course, they are constantly scanning outside the A-net and B-net fencing for possible off course photo positions and Alpine is one of the only sports where they are required to be in their shooting position one hour before competition/training begins and they cannot move from these positions.

These photo positions are often no larger than 10"X3", so there is very little room to move around to stay warm – very challenging!

Cameron Spencer, Chief Photographer, Getty Images
At the Phoenix Snow Park where the snowboarding events are taking place, they don’t do the medal ceremony on the hill and only a flower ceremony takes place. Usually what happens after that is the athletes will then return to the podium with their country’s flag for a second photo opportunity.
Today USA Gold medalist Shaun White stayed behind on the podium by himself allowing me to take this humbling photo of him as he takes a bow to the crowd, thanking them for their support. I’m always waiting for a moment like this, a unique moment that is unscripted and yet speaks to many. It is my favourite photograph that I captured at the Snowboard Men's Halfpipe Final.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director, Editorial Photography,
Getty Images Photo 1& 2 - Sean M. Haffey

It isn’t just the athletes who can be injured at Olympic Games – sports photography is
dangerous too! Today Lara Gut of Switzerland crashed during the Ladies' Giant Slalom and wiped out Getty Images photographer Sean Haffey. Haffey is all ok as is his gear - and like a true professional he was shooting the entire time capturing these amazing images of Gut sliding directly towards him.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director, Editorial Photography,
Getty Images Photo 1& 2 - Sean M. Haffey

It isn’t just the athletes who can be injured at Olympic Games – sports photography is
dangerous too! Today Lara Gut of Switzerland crashed during the Ladies' Giant Slalom and wiped out Getty Images photographer Sean Haffey. Haffey is all ok as is his gear - and like a true professional he was shooting the entire time capturing these amazing images of Gut sliding directly towards him.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director, Editorial Photography, Getty Images Photo - Bruce Bennett

The officials in most sports prefer to be invisible. If people are talking about the officiating, it usually means controversy. But in a sport like hockey, it’s easy to forget just how close to the action and how athletic the officials are. In this image from Getty Images photographer Bruce Bennett, you can see an official jumping up on top of the goal to simultaneously avoid a collision and still be able to see the goal line in the scrum of hockey players below.

Michael Heiman, Senior Director, Editorial Operations
Photo - Al Bello
When capturing an Olympic Games, it is equally important to capture the atmosphere as it is to capture the action. In this image Getty Images photographer Al Bello has used a wide perspective to show the terrain of the Alpine Skiing Men's Giant Slalom. His use of the shadow of the skier and the silhouette of the gates along with the spray of the snow perfectly illustrates the path of the skier.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director, Editorial Photography, Getty Images Photo - Matthias Hangst

In this photo Getty Images photographer Matthias Hangst has chosen to use a variable plane focus lens which shifts the plane of focus so that it's no longer parallel to the film plane. The effect in this image of a snowboarder in the women's big air competition highlights just how tiny the athlete is in compared to the massive ramps that launches them in the air.

Ken Mainardis, Senior Vice President, Editorial, Getty Images Photo - Dean Mouhtaropoulos

This photograph was captured with a remote camera positioned overhead at the figure skating. It provides a unique perspective of the Olympic Games while also putting the action into context through the framing of the athletes within the Olympic Rings. What makes this a great image is how the photographer Dean Mouhtaropoulos was able to capture the movement of the athlete’s dress to mirror one of the Rings.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director, Editorial Photography, Getty Images Photo - Ezra Shaw

Lindsey Vonn in likely her last Olympics run shows how at age 33 she can still compete with the best in the world. Today she became the oldest female Alpine Olympic medalist. In this photo you can see her racing down her final run in a near vertical part of the run showing how much power and control she has even out on the very edge of both skis.

Michael Heiman, Senior Director, Editorial Operations Photo 1 & 2- Bruce Bennett

By using a remote camera mounted on the back of the hockey net, veteran hockey photographer Bruce Bennett was able to capture a unique angle of the game that no actual photographer could ever do.

Michael Heiman, Senior Director, Editorial Operations Photo 1 & 2- Bruce Bennett

Bruce triggered the remote camera using a wireless remote, and at the same time triggered another remote camera located behind the net, to capture two images of the same moment. In this case that moment was the winning goal during the penalty shootout of the women’s hockey gold medal match. A unique perspective that takes the viewer right into that gold medal moment.

Ryan Pierse, Chief Photographer, Editorial, Getty Images
Photo - Ryan Pierse
I took this photograph at the Freestyle Skiing Ladies' Ski Cross finish line position, which is a crucial photo position for reactions given it’s a final. I had to use 600mm lens, which is one of our bigger lens, in order to not only get the finish line shot but also the last few jumps. It was lightly snowing during this shot which makes it tricky to capture anything further than a 100m away as the image won’t come out as clear as it usually would, but it definitely adds a different feeling to the photo given that it has barely snowed the last few weeks in PyeongChang. Athletes always time their lunge to the finish line, runners do it and so also do skiers, but it’s not just the skier who has to time their lunge, so does the photographer. It is that split-second crossing that makes this photo for me.

Stuart Hannagan, VP of Editorial, Getty Images
Photo - Lars Baron
4-man Bobsleigh moves as fast as any winter sports possibly can. The Getty Images photographer Lars Baron has not only captured a terrific image of the aerodynamic wind resistant position of the athletes (heads down) but the large crowds who turned out each day to witness the events. Lars has framed the image in almost a three dimensional way with the crowd in the foreground, the bobsled in the middle and the PyeongChang sign appears in the third dimension.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director of Sports Photography, Getty Images
Photo - Harry How
With all of the focus and distraction facing the Olympic athletes from Russia leading into the Olympic Games, that the men’s hockey team could remain focused on the task at hand and bring home one of the most high profile gold medals of the games is a testament to their discipline. In this picture from Harry How, you can see the unrestricted joy and pride the athletes show in the moment all of their training and discipline in the face of mounting distractions all paid off.

Travis Lindquist, Senior Director of Sports Photography, Getty Images
Photo - Ryan Pierse
A great image to wrap up 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang South Korea. The Olympics has long
sort to distance itself above politics and in the spirit of cooperation and competition they combined
Korean team competed as one, an example for the world to follow. Ryan was positioned on the south-
west corner of the stadium and his use of a long lens provides the perception of compressing the team.