EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Petr Josek is an AP photojournalist in Prague, Czech Republic. He is an award-winning photographer who has covered World Cup tournaments and the Olympics since 2006.
Why this photo?
This photo was taken from the catwalk position. Get unique angles from as high as possible. There was another photographer in a slightly lower position, so I set up on the opposite side of the bench. This position also allowed him to shoot against the light and make good use of long shadows as the game progressed.
How this photo was made
Shooting from the catwalk is a bit difficult, especially with a 400mm lens as you can’t use a monopod. We had to find a spot between the stadium lights on the catwalk. But it worked for me.
Why this photo works
The competition focuses a lot of attention on great goalscorers, and Kylian Mbappé was one of the newsmakers who caught the eye with his outstanding performance. In this photo, he reacts to a missed scoring chance, but the spotlight is on him. The pose he struck is perfect, capturing his body movement and position on the field, that is, him alone in space, and the fact that the frame fits his entire shadow makes this photo work very well.
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