LAKE Macquarie photographer Jacob Gower grabbed his dream opportunity to work at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and ran with it.
Gower, 21, graduated from TAFE with a Diploma in Photography and Digital Media in June, just before learning he had secured a spot to cover athletics in Paris for global company Citius Mag and Australia's Straight At It.
"I was thrown into the deep end, which, to be honest, I loved," Gower said.
"Straight At It's owner Mitch Dyer and I had travelled around Australia during the summer track and field season, creating content and building connections and relationships with athletes and fellow media.
"With only a few weeks to go before the Games, to our surprise, and after months of trying, these connections helped us get media accreditation into the Olympics. Paris was a dream come true."
Gower's profile grew during the Games as he added images daily to his online portfolio, which was praised for its depth and creativity.
Marvelling at - and motivated by - the talent surrounding him in the Stade de France, Gower, a keen distance runner, immersed himself in the experience.
"It was 11 days straight with barely any sleep and there was not a moment when I was not thinking about my next photo, how I could edit something differently or what I could improve on," he said.
Gower quickly discovered that competition between photographers for a winning shot was as fierce as any rivalry on the stadium's purple track.
"I found out very fast that if you didn't get your elbows out and know where to be and when, you were going to miss a good shot. Also, being one of the youngest there came with its challenges.
"That being said, I met some truly amazing and inspiring photographers. The technical brilliance and creativity that surrounds you in such a space motivated me to try to rise to them."
It was sometimes hard to separate work from fandom.
"I remember when [Australian pole vaulter] Nina Kennedy won gold I honestly forgot I was a photographer for a second and was just celebrating," Gower said.
"With [high jump medallists] Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers, I missed most of their post-jump clearance celebrations because I was clapping. It's hard to stay emotionless when you've gotten to know the athletes and they're doing such amazing things."
Gower said support for his photos had far exceeded his expectations.
His series on Sweden's Mondo Duplantis breaking the pole vault world record had received the most attention. Gower's favourites were his shots of the women's marathon - "the spotted lighting through the trees made for some interesting compositions" - and Australia's Jessica Hull, who showed "pure, unfiltered shock and happiness" at coming second in the 1500 metres.
"The highlight of the Olympics for me was getting to capture the powerful stories and emotions of the Games, and it's something I will always be thankful for," he said.
"For now, there's much more to learn and experience, as well as perspectives to discover. I genuinely cannot wait for what's next."
