One Extraordinary Photo: Capturing the moment the Olympic cauldron was lit in Milan

MILAN — Bernat Armangue is based in Madrid and has worked for The Associated Press for 20 years, covering news and sports across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Here’s what he had to say about this extraordinary photo.

Why this photo?

When the Olympic flame lights up the cauldron, the Games are said to begin. Athletes will compete for days in their arenas, yet the competition began years earlier when they chose to challenge themselves. And it does not end when the cauldron flame dies out, since life goes on and brings with it new challenges.

Fire is hypnotic. You can stare at it, trying to read its movements, only for it to surprise you again and again. Perhaps that is why we cannot look away.

How I made this photo

From a technical point of view, there is no mystery: a slow shutter speed to give a sense of movement; a camera mounted on a static head to avoid unnecessary motion from a shaking human hand; a closed aperture to increase depth of field. The shot was taken with a remote, because we often need to shoot multiple images from multiple cameras at the same time.

Why this photo works

Perhaps for the same reason that, on a cold Friday evening, Milan residents and visitors gathered patiently at Arco della Pace to welcome the Olympic flame as it reached its destination.

Because we seek understanding; because we do not know if it will be the last time; because maybe one day we will share our knowledge and our challenges with future generations. Maybe our memories, like the Olympic flame, will travel through time and across continents.