Behind the Photo: How Olympic Photographer Jerome Brouillet Got The Shot

Every four years, a few lucky photographers covering the Olympic Games head home knowing they got The Shot. On Day 3, French photographer Jerome Brouillet got his. Brouillet’s image of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina floating above the ocean mid-air giving the No. 1 sign has quickly become the defining image of triumph of the 2024 Summer Games.

Speaking to TIME, Brouillet says he is surprised by the amount of attention that his photograph of Medina is getting. He explains that there are two media boats capturing the surfing events, which are held on the waters off the French territory of Tahiti, “so to be fair, if all conditions are met—weather, waves, light, if the boat driver is in the right position, and if you know how to use your camera—you can take good images of surfing in Teahupo'o.” He adds: “All the rest is experience, timing, and a bit of luck! This differentiates a good shot from a great shot.”

All the photographers on site are shooting in “bursts”, meaning they’re capturing over 20 images per second, so Brouillet is eager to point out that he likely shot several frames at the exact same time other photographers were capturing this very moment. Brouillet suspects he took four frames of Medina in the air and knew right away that this shot was the best, but he says it was a “team effort,” crediting the global response to the image to his editor at the AFP who recognized the now-viral frame as extraordinary and posted it immediately for the world to see.

Brouillet knows the waters of Teahupo'o well, having moved to Tahiti around 10 years ago from Marseilles, after falling in love with the region during a holiday with his girlfriend. He has been working for the AFP for several years, preparing for the 2024 Olympics, working his way up to be in the primary media boat where he found himself on July 29th. 

Brouillet says he’s also a surfer himself, but for him even small waves in Teahupo'o are dangerous. “I’m not sure I want to take the risk,” he says. He’s much more comfortable on the media boat, taking a risk with serendipity and using his camera to help define the spirit of the Olympic Games.