One Extraordinary Photo: Reflections and reality meet at the finish

BORMIO, Italy — John Locher is an Associated Press staff photographer who has been based in Las Vegas for the past 12 years. He covers a variety of sports as well as breaking news, features, and enterprise stories.

Why this photo?

As a photographer covering the Olympics, my primary focus is to capture the action and emotions of athletes competing at the highest levels of sport. But there is always a drive to capture something a little bit different. Especially when covering a sport for weeks, you’re always looking to make something a bit more unique.

How I made this photo

I noticed this window that overlooked the finish area of the Stelvio Ski Center on a previous competition day. I was on my way to another photo position that I was assigned to cover, so I wasn’t able to take pictures with it, but it looked interesting, so I kept it in the back of my mind to return when I had an opportunity. On this day, we had all the other necessary photo positions covered, and I was able to have a little freedom to try something different. I photographed several different skiers as they arrived in the finish area while framing them with the reflection of Bormio in the window, and this was I think the most successful attempt.

Why this photo works

I like to try and make pictures that make you pause for a moment when looking at them. I think this photo works because it’s a bit unusual for a skiing sports photograph, and hopefully gets you to stop scrolling to take a look. And with the reflection, it can give you a sense of the area where the action is taking place.