Winner
Quinn Rooney – ‘Australians in the Pool’
Publication
Getty Images
Year
2024
Category
Sport Photography
Quinn Rooney’s five images showcase Australians on their quest for gold in the pool at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’s a portfolio that captures the beauty and drama of aquatic sports, with Rooney’s skill and experience on show.
The judges said the five classic pool shots illustrate Rooney’s ability to render a dynamic moment with artistry. The well-edited suite shows a diversity of sports and moments, with clean backgrounds to let the athletes shine. He shot from below as a swimmer dived in for her relay leg, catching her body half submerged. “Bubble” is an image that could only be taken in the first lap of a race, capitalising on the water’s surface tension.
Quinn Rooney is an Australian-based staff photographer with Getty Images. His passion for sports photography has carried him around the world, covering major sporting events including Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Swimming Championships. Rooney won the Walkley for Sports Photography in 2023.
Judges’ comments:
“Five classic pool shots from Quinn Rooney illustrate his stunning ability as a sports photographer to render artistry in dynamic moments, with clean backgrounds that let the athletes shine. Shooting athletes in the water is technically challenging, and Rooney’s experience shines through in his ability to anticipate peak moments in an arena where milliseconds are the difference between an average picture and a brilliant one.”