The high-diving competition from the Bir-Hakeim Bridge in Paris, with a view of the Eiffel Tower, captured widespread attention thanks to a remarkable photograph. The shot was taken by Associated Press photojournalist Aurelien Morissard. According to him, this image was the most anticipated moment of the first week of the European Aquatics Championships.
Morissard said he knew a beautiful shot could be created with the Eiffel Tower in the background, but reaching the right spot was challenging. Initially, the offered positions were not particularly exciting, so they negotiated to access different photographer positions during training sessions. On the official competition day, that location would not have been accessible.
Only 30 minutes were allotted for taking photos. Because the impact with the water is intense, the divers cannot do many jumps during training. At first, they were slightly off axis from the diving platform; the photos were beautiful but not spectacular enough. Then Morissard positioned himself on the 10-meter platform, underneath the 20-meter platform where the divers were training, to have the divers falling more directly in line with the Eiffel Tower.
The dive happens extremely quickly, and the most beautiful part of the diver's movement is at the very beginning of the jump. The photographer used a relatively narrow aperture to retain as much detail as possible and a sufficiently fast shutter speed to freeze the movement. From his position, the fall lasts barely three seconds, so he had to react immediately.
Morissard said this photo is his favorite among all the shots he took during training and competition. It is minimalist: you only see part of the Eiffel Tower, some clouds, and a diver with her arms wide open, resembling an angel or a bird. Even just this section of the Eiffel Tower would have made a beautiful photograph, but adding the diver elevates the image to a new artistic dimension.