ATLANTA (AP) — Eric Lesser is an Atlanta-based freelance photographer with 40 years of professional experience covering sports, politics, breaking news and features. this is his first time world cup I work for the Associated Press.
why this photo
I was following Lionel Messi as he left Argentina’s celebrations and a group of disappointed England players approached my position. I was hoping that he might have some interaction with England captain Harry Kane. Of course, both players are global soccer stars, so it was important to capture them together at the end of the match.
How this photo was made
This was taken with my main camera, and I was using a 100-300 2.8 lens with a 1.4 converter. This gave me extra distance to capture these moments, but also meant I wouldn’t loosen up the lens too much if something happened nearby.
Why is it effective?
This image shows the genuine respect these two have for each other. Kane’s body language shows his disappointment, but Messi doesn’t smile and acts like a gentleman. It’s as if Kane is saying, “He beat us fair and square.” I was lucky that I could see both faces and the background was beautiful.
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