The Shot of the Games?

A deeper look into a gem

Aug 09, 2024

As things wind down on what’s established itself as my favorite Games (despite having personally worked on London & Sochi), I want to come back to this shot of rower Akoko Komlanvi, by Lindsey Wasson.

There have been so many iconic images from Paris 2024, a majority of which derive their aura from the accomplishment being captured - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wearing a crown after blitzing the field in the 400m hurdles; Steph and LeBron embracing following the completion of their comeback vs. Serbia, etc etc.

But there’s also been a subset of images capturing the ‘everyday’ beauty of Sport, on the canvas/backdrop that Paris has so beautifully provided, and no shot weaves multiple threads together more than the one above. The scene itself is the amalgamation of Impressionism (and Post) & its artists, the feeling & colors of Paris, and the perfect encapsulation of what has made these Games so great. I think the cherry on top is that there’s no one perfect piece of artwork to compare it to - you have Monet’s colors from his Lily Pond works & stripe from Impression Sunrise, Renoir’s boaters, and van Gogh’s Starry Night over the Rhône reflection. I have them in picture format below, so you can see the process my brain went through. Not much else to say other than Lindsey Wasson has cemented herself onto my Mount Rushmore of current shooters, and I encourage you to check out her library of work. Enjoy the last few days of action, and see you all on the interwebs!

-LJ