Getty photographer Francois Nel on shooting soccer at the Olympics

Getty photographer Francois Nel talked with FanSided about the challenges, highs, lows and most iconic sports photos from this year’s Olympic soccer events.

The Olympics always create a slew of iconic sports photos and this year, Getty Images helped us round up the best. We’re also talking with specific Getty photographers about the challenges of the sports they covered and some of their favorite moments and photos. Here, Francois Nel talked about shooting Olympic soccer.

What makes photographing soccer different, challenging, or exciting at the Olympics?

The weather in Tokyo was very hot with high humidity. The players definitely felt it and it was tough to work in for the photographers as well. I am based in Dubai and I thought I knew what to expect when working in hot weather, but this was right up there as some of the tougher conditions that I’ve ever worked in. The matches happened mainly in the later afternoon and at night, but it still felt you couldn’t escape the heat and humidity.

One thing the Olympic Games is used to having for football is a crowded stadium with fans cheering and screaming for their countries. With no crowds, it was a bit more challenging for the players and even us photographers. Having a stadium full of fans adds many more possibilities for us creatively and enhances the depth of our coverage. Backgrounds usually are more colorful with fans in them as they add so much more to the atmosphere in our photos and at the event as well. Fans especially lift the intensity and pace of the game, as well as the ways in which players celebrate important moments. Despite the lack of fans this year, the players brought the same amount of pizzazz and intensity to the competition and you couldn’t help but smile at the sense of pride they had playing for their countries. It truly was incredible to witness and really special and unique to the Olympic Games.

What’s the story behind some of your favorite images?

There were two highlights for me during the women’s tournament. One was an image of Adriana Leon of Team Canada and Julie Ertz of Team USA during the Women’s semifinal match. Semifinal matches are always great to photograph as you can always expect such good action. This image showcases peak action with both players going for the ball and you can see the level of intensity during this moment from their facial expressions and movement. This was a crucial match for both teams as it determined who would move onto the gold medal game, in which Canada pulled out the win in the end. The other highlight was from the Final match between Canada and Sweden which went all the way into a penalty shootout. Sweden had missed a shot and it was up to Canada to take the penalty kick for the win. At this moment, I decided to take a chance and focus on the Canadian players, hoping they would run past the Swedish players to show jubilation and dejection all in the same image.

For the men’s tournament, I really love this image of Ragnar Ache of Team Germany. Germany had a tough match against Saudi Arabia, and it was not going their way. However, when Ache scored his side’s second goal, I was hoping he would run toward my position to get his reaction, but he didn’t. I decided to stay focused on Ache as he suddenly changed his direction and ran towards me celebrating the goal, making for a unique celebration picture with this gesture. Another great moment was of Dani Alves of Team Brazil during the Men’s Football Competition Medal Ceremony. I knew if Brazil won there would be a big celebration and unique moments with the players and their medals after the ceremony. I positioned myself closer to the Brazilian team photographer as I knew the players would recognize and move towards him. This opened up more photo opportunities to show the celebration in a more fun, relaxed way.

What’s your favorite part of photographing athletes and the Olympics?

This was by far one of the most unique experiences I have had as a photographer. It came with a lot of challenges — from the heat and getting around Tokyo to different venues to staying safe and respecting and following the local rules and Covid protocols. I think at Getty Images we are so lucky to have a very experienced team with us, and all the work that goes on behind-the-scenes to give photographers the best chance to have creative freedom and get the job done is truly amazing. For sports photographers, the Olympics is a major highlight getting to photograph the best athletes in the world daily and making great pictures with action and lots of emotion. It’s really an honor and privilege.