The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris came to an end a few days ago. The Games have been a special hotbed of content this year, and every day social media was flooded with photos of great athletes and sporting feats. Among the works of art that went viral, few capture those fleeting moments with the unique artistry of Geoffrey Lowe.

Lowe’s journey is made of passion, perseverance, and a deep love for both sport and the art of post production. His lens doesn’t just capture athletes in motion, but the very soul of competition – where dreams are both made and ruined in the blink of an eye.

We stepped into Geoffrey’s world: a place where time slows down, and where each image is a breathing testament to the beauty of human performance and a portrait of untold athletics stories.

Can you share with us your journey into photography? What are the origins of it?

‘It’s a long one. I remember having cameras around from a very young age. And I have fond memories of looking through big photo album books at my grandparents house. I think that’s where my fascination began. Although growing up my main passion was sports (all of them) and to compete at the Olympics was a massive dream as a kid. I always had a camera with me and very early on thought being a Sports Illustrated photographer would be a great job after the athletics career was over… as years past I ended up in a non creative and non sport related job but the passion remained.

‘I took a photography course in London while working, and became obsessed with graphic design and photoshop. In 2017 I attended the world athletics champs in London as a spectator and I had great seats but I was looking at all the photographers trackside and thought, “hmm I want to be there.” I quit my job soon after that and took a part time job working as a barista in a local cycling coffee shop and as a property photographer.’

‘I attended my first sports event as an accredited photographer early in 2018, the British Indoor athletics Championships, and then the world athletics champs in Doha 2019 and this was the first time a composite image I did of pole vaulters got a bit of international exposure and I started to see growth in my social media following. In 2020 I wanted to shoot the biggest events and Tokyo was my main goal. I felt devastated to find out that to apply for the Olympics you need to start the process 2 years out.’

‘Made it onto the plane only to arrive in Tokyo and be told I didn’t fill in a specific form and would have to fly back immediately. After many hours in the airport I was eventually allowed to attend in a bubble where if anyone tested positive it could all be over at any time. It was crazy. But the images were beautiful and I had content that could be shared for the rest of the year.’

‘From early 2022 I had been trying to get accreditation for Paris through team GB and was put straight onto a waiting list, but I was definitely ready for any opportunity to take sports full time. Still no sign of the Olympics as we went into 2024. I decided at the last minute to shoot an indoor athletics event in Paris in February. Something told me if I want to be in Paris that summer I need to be there. Soon after that I had a message from Paris 2024 saying they loved the images from that event and if we could do something together for the games, but for all the sports. This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. And exactly what I had dreamed about. So another leap of faith and an incredible chapter began, I have now finished shooting the Olympic project and who knows what’s next for me, but I have never been more excited and motivated. 

How did you develop your unique ‘post production’ style as a photographer? Were there any particular influences?

‘I was influenced heavily by cinematographers in film, fashion and music. I always had a love visually for basketball and skateboarding growing up, I love the way art and music are a huge part of the culture, the way three passions could be mashed together and I didn’t see anything like that in the track and field world at the time.’

‘I began creating the sequenced composite shots I had seen a lot of in extreme sports like skateboarding BMX etc as well as in music videos and films, but I did them for track and field, sprints, high jump, long jump etc. The images did well and composite images improved every time. Then I would do unrealistic and outrageous edits and always post the images with music that I was listening to while shooting or editing. My mood and the music I listen to inspires me a lot to edit. As camera technology and Software technology improves I always embrace these new things and look to incorporate them in my work. It’s a constant evolution but balanced with improving and perfecting old techniques.’

What does sports photography mean to you? And what is the definition of a great sports photograph?

‘Sports photography for me it’s about the soul and about dreams. It’s about images that inspire creativity, and about breaking rules and being crazy. The camera allows you to play with time and reality, so I do. What makes a great sports photograph is the moment, the emotion and the composition. it has to make you want to look deeper.’

What was it like to be a part of the Paris 2024 Olympics as a photographer? Can you describe the atmosphere and your emotions during the event?

‘To be shooting the Olympics with a simple brief of “do you, at a different sport everyday” was an absolute dream. No rules and no specific athletes or countries to cover. Just the sport. The atmosphere was incredible, I would attend two, sometimes three different venues a day, so there was constant energy from the crowds and the athletes. The days all blurred into one and time was measured by the different sports I had covered and the shots being posted. A lot of the sports I was covering for the first time and I felt very privileged and grateful for the opportunity to have my first experience, witnessing the absolute best in the world to do it.’

‘The equestrian was one of my favorites, the venue was one of the most beautiful places, but it was also the first time I had attempted an image of that scale. The original plan was to use 100 horses but after hours and hours of editing, probably till 4:00 in the morning, I had to stop at 70/71, as it was time for the next one. I was very excited to send it to the Paris 2024 team and to share it with the world. This image I believe is the one that put a lot of eyes on me for the rest of the games. Athletics will always be my first love and although I didn’t attend many sessions there, a couple beautiful moments really stood out for me. Firstly Chari Hawkins, an American Heptathlete, no score in the high jump. The heartbreak, and then the amount of love from coaches, her husband and the other athletes. And the other was Matt Hudson smith embracing with his father after the 400m, the most real emotional release I have ever seen. A really beautiful moment.’