Defying gravity – A picture from the Paris Olympics of surfer Gabriel Medina looks set to be an early contender for picture of the year, possibly even decade.
Captured by French photographer Jerome Brouillet, it shows the Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina celebrating the moment he “kicked out” at the end of a wave. Medina points his finger in the air after receiving a near-perfect 9.9 score.
Brouillet, who has the enviable task of photographing the event taking place in the French territory of Tahiti, was shocked to see the image when checking his camera. Speaking to the BBC he said, “He is at the back of the wave and I can’t see him, then he pops up and I took four pictures and one of them was this one. It was not hard to take the picture. It was more about anticipating the moment and where Gabriel will kick off the wave.”
At the time of writing, the image has been shared on social media more than four million times. See jeromebrouillet.com
Looking at the EXIF data for the photo, which you can see above, it was taken with the Nikon Z9, Nikon’s professional full-frame mirrorless camera, that offers impressive shooting speeds.
If you’re looking to recreate the shot, or take high-speed shots like this, where timing is critical, have a look our guide to the best cameras for action and sports photography.
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