This perfectly timed, award-winning action photo was shot with a manual focus rangefinder camera

A wrestler in white trunks and red boots leaps mid-air inside a wrestling ring. Another wrestler stands below, surprised. A referee observes the scene.

Sport photography is one of the most demanding genres – and shooting it with a manual-focus camera is nothing short of extraordinary. But photographer Jacek Salaga did it, now recognized with a top photography award.

The image Half a Second Before captures a fleeting instant: a wrestler suspended mid-air. The precision and timing required to capture this fraction of a second highlight Salaga's technical mastery.

Salaga's skills were awarded with the Event category award at the LCE Photographer of the Year competition – but if you've seen the live announcement at The Photography & Video Show, this is no big news.

The no-autofocus gear

In an age of split-second eye-detecting AF, the Leica M10-R sticks to manual focus and manual exposure, with only one aperture-priority option (Image credit: Rod Lawton / Digital Camera World)

To capture the moment, Salaga relied on a Leica M10-R – a stylish rangefinder that does not feature AF (autofocus). He paired it with the Leica Summicron-M 28mm f/2, a wide-angle manual-focus lens, and a Godox strobe for lighting – also entirely manual.

Salaga explains, "The 'Half a Second Before' photo was taken during a wrestling event in Denmark. Fast growth of interest in this form of entertainment has turned it from almost unknown to very popular, with major events sold out in the ticket presale."

Award-winning technical skills

Close-up of Half a Second Before (Image credit: Jacek Salaga)

Capturing sharp action in milliseconds without AF sounds impossible – but Salaga pulled it off. While some third-party adapters can add AF to certain lenses, this was probably not used here, as it's not evident in the shot details (EXIF Metadata).

Most likely, the photographer relied on zone focusing, a technique widely used in street photography.

By pre-setting the lens to the expected action zone and using an aperture of f/10, Salaga maximised depth of field to keep the scene sharp. The 1/180 sec shutter speed, combined with a strobe flash, helped freeze motion perfectly.

And flash doesn't automatically make an image sharp. While the strobe helped freeze the wrestler mid-air, focus still had to be precise.

With these settings – plus the right experience and anticipation for the sport – he was able to capture fast-moving action using a manual-focus-only setup.

For more insights and to see all winners, visit the LCE Photographer of the Year website.

You might like...

Browse the best cameras for sport photography, and the best lenses for sports photography.

Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from March to July.