There’s something missing from Ryan Pierse’s spellbinding shot of the Australian Men’s Waterpolo team. He explains how he captured this remarkable photo.
One morning in May I was running past Bondi Icebergs pool in Sydney when I noticed it was empty for cleaning. I thought this would be a great location for a shoot. The light was bouncing everywhere on the bright, white walls, contrasting with the long black lines of the lanes. It looked amazing – all I needed was a subject.
Around six months before each Olympic Games my employer, Getty Images, produces a series of preview portrait shoots with established and upcoming athletes. I had already completed some shoots, but the Australian Men’s Water Polo team was still on my list. I contacted their captain, Thomas Whalan, and floated the idea of getting some of the team down to the pool for a photo shoot, but with a twist. When I photograph athletes I prefer to capture them out of their comfort zone.
So the following Thursday, when the pool was empty, we gathered at sunrise. We quickly realised our window to shoot would be shorter than we first thought. The tide was moving in fast and waves were starting to crash over the side, filling up the pool. With our lighting set up still on the pool floor we had to race through the last few shots and get out quick.
Once we’d repositioned the lights on the pool deck, I moved up onto the roof of the building where I shot this picture. At one stage I asked the guys to jump in unison to give the effect they were treading water in an empty pool. I had a similar image in my mind before the shoot, so to be able to bring that idea to life was very satisfying. The following morning I was thrilled to hear this picture ran in major newspapers in both Sydney and Melbourne.
Details: Canon EOS 1D Mk IV, 70-200mm F/2.8 lens, 1/200s @ f/9, ISO 50. Lighting: Three Paul C. Buff Einstein Heads each with a 47" Octabox.
Article first published in Australian Photography + digital (June, 2013).