Morgan Harlow reframes Olympic swimming dream to pool-side sport photographer

Morgan Harlow studying on the job

“The thing is with swimming, there’s so much to it but there’s also only so much that you can photograph. So, finding photographers that have found a different angle, it’s always interesting to see how they’ve worked it, and to still be trying to think creatively so many years on from when those photos were taken, it’s really difficult,” mentioned Harlow, who additionally cited one other sport images icon Bob Martin, as an inspiration.

“Every time you come into a new event, new swimming pool, new venue, you’re like, what can I do differently without getting on people’s nerves or disrupting the swimmers, because at the end of the day you can’t disrupt the athletes, but you do want to come away with a photo that people think, oh that’s different, that’s really good.”

Learning tips on how to steadiness getting the right shot inside the parameters of the venue, the velocity of sending pictures to the media, whereas additionally telling the story of the race can be a fantastic artwork that Harlow is honing.

“I do try and think outside of the box as much as possible, which is difficult when you’re limited to what facilities have,” mentioned Harlow, when requested if she had a signature model. “But I feel one thing that I’ve continued to do for a couple of years now, I try to shoot by means of objects, simply making an attempt to be a bit extra summary.

“You do not wish to be too summary since you do not wish to take away from the game, however as you say, there’s solely so many instances that you may get a diver not pulling a face, which is absolutely troublesome, it is simply the character of the game.

“So, you just have to do a little bit of a recce of the venue and think what can I do, where can I go, what is different to what’s already been done, just trying to make a name for yourself with something different to what everyone else is doing.”

That’s the place the previous swimmer’s eye view comes into play, not solely in positioning herself for the shot, but in addition understanding what an athlete is aiming for, and due to this fact the feelings which may include a end result.

“Having that information of what the swimmer wants helps me know which swimmer to take a look at as a result of what time they’re chasing, what time they should get for the qualifying time… and that means… I do know who to deal with and it is simply ready for that response.

“Yes, you can get a really good action shot, but the ones that people want to see are those emotions. You never know how emotional you’re going to be, whether you’ve got the time or not. Unfortunately, when you don’t get the time, it still makes a good photo, which is horrible, but it’s all about telling that story and getting the moment that captures the whole event perfectly.”