A tradition dating back to ancient Greece, the Olympic Games offer a proving ground for top athletes from around the world.  They also offer some amazing photo opportunities.  Loweprofessional Jed Jacobsohn traveled to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil to capture the competitors in action.  Jed shares his experience below.

Team USA at Rio Olympic Games

From lane one, the U.S. women’s 4x100m relay defends its Olympic gold.

Shooting the Olympics requires a lot of logistics, from travel to technology, to managing and transporting your photo gear. Having the right equipment is crucial. I covered the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for the Players’ Tribune. I was the only representative of my company so I was a bit of a one man band. This required me to be ready to shoot up to 3 assignments a day of various sports. Planning and transporting my gear was an important part of day. 

Victory at Rio Olympic Games

Age ain’t nothing but a number.  At 35, Anthony Ervin is the oldest Olympic swimmer to ever win an individual event.

My go to everyday set up was the Pro Roller x200AW to get my gear to the venues from the media village, which required at least two buses. In the Pro Roller I would carry 2 Canon 1Dx’s, 200-400, 70-200, 24-70, 50 1.2 and a 16-35, plus batteries, cards and a small flash. From there, i would lock up my roller in a locker provided my the IOC and then use the Photo Sport BP 200 AW to carry my 13″ laptop which I needed with me at all times, and various small lenses.

Basketball at Rio Olympic Games

Kevin Durant – making it look easy.

The Photo Sport was the perfect bag to have on all the time, not too big, not too small and the side access pouch allows for as easy access as a belt pack. I could also access my computer in the back portion easily, as well, at all times to transmit.

Fencer at Rio Olympic Games

History achieved. Ibtijah Muhammad becomes the first hijab-wearing Muslim woman to win an Olympic medal for Team USA.

Overall, having the proper bags from Lowepro allowed me to cover the Olympics in a much more efficient manner.

Ready at the Rio Olympic Games

Love what you do.

About Jed Jacobsohn

Jed Jacobsohn is a photographer and visual storyteller. His work has appeared in major publications around the world, including the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine as well as for commercial clients such as Nike, Unilever and Apple. His work has been awarded top prizes in many prestigious contests such as World Press Photo and Pictures of the Year. When he’s not dodging athletes either on set or at the stadium, he’s most likely teaching his two kids how to throw a two-seam fastball. He’s based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jessica Medina

About Jessica Medina

Jessica Medina is the WW Marketing Communications Manager for Lowepro. You can reach her at jmedina@daymen.com

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