Q&A: What It Takes to Photograph the 2024 Olympic Games

This article is courtesy of BizBash and is authored by Claire Hoffman.

Mike Heiman, Getty Images’ head of sports, takes us behind the scenes of the complex logistical feat, which will involve cutting-edge technology, 140 photographers and editors, and an expected 5 million images.

Have you ever wondered how those stunning images of athletes pop up on news outlets in what feels like real time during a hectic event like the Olympics? For the 2024 Olympic Games, which take place in Paris from July 26 to Aug. 11, the answer is a whopping 140 photographers and editors, all working to create 5 million images across 38 venues around the city.

The team behind this impressive feat is Getty Images, the official photographic agency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that has been photographing the Games since 1968 (when it operated under the name Allsport). Getty Images is also the official photographer or photographic partner to over 120 of the world’s leading sport governing bodies, leagues, and clubs, including the PGA, FIFA, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, and PGA of America—so it's safe to say the team knows what it's doing.

Last week, BizBash caught up with Mike Heiman, Getty’s head of sports, who had already been on the ground in Paris for weeks coordinating the logistics. Zooming in from a crowded gear closet in the company's temporary on-site office, he shared some behind-the-scenes details of this logistical feat, the new technology being utilized this year, his tips for event professionals, and more. 

Can you share a glimpse at what your life looks like right now? What goes into preparing for a project like this?

It's a lot of planning. This will be my ninth Olympics, so I've been through it a few times—but every one is different. Typically, we start about seven years out. Our partnership with the IOC as the official photography provider allows us to get in and start planning early. The early planning is a lot of looking at maps and where venues might be, where office space could be, and getting oriented with a city we may not have been to before, like Pyeongchang, South Korea, or Rio de Janeiro.

The IOC and the organizing committee usually host what's called the World Press Briefing two years out, which is pretty high level, but then a year out is when we really have a solid plan.

We have 140 total people covering these games. There will be about 87 photographers on the ground here in Paris and throughout France and Tahiti, and they’ll be supported by another 40 editors—25 of whom will be in London that will be looking at our content in real time. We'll also have satellite desks in Asia, the U.S., and Latin America.

From the management side, what have you been doing since you first arrived in Paris in late June?

The first order of business was to get our office up and running. We have a pretty big footprint here. We essentially build an office for all of our staff, including desks, chairs, tables, TVs, phones, and computers.

We also have 38 venues that we're responsible for. A lot of the work that goes into the preplanning is really technology-based, so it’s making sure we have our infrastructure in every venue across Paris and France—so when our photographers show up, they’re able to plug their cameras directly into our network. They shoot the pictures, and in real time those can be seen by our editors. We're able to move content in under 30 seconds.

We have a proprietary editing software we use that allows our content to go into the cloud and be worked on by whoever needs to do it. The different time zones allow us to work around the clock, which is usually needed for the Olympic Games.

I cover a lot of entertainment events—and I’m always amazed by how quickly the Getty team turns around photos. But this feels like a whole other level. 

Yeah. The Oscars and the Grammys and all those events are huge operations, and we have an absolutely amazing entertainment team. The Olympics is kind of like that on steroids, because it's not just one three-hour event—it's 16 to 17 straight days of events starting at 10 a.m. and going until midnight. So it just really amplifies it.

Other than the technology setups, how do you ensure the photographers are up for this challenge?

Similar to our entertainment team, we have a dedicated sports team, which I'm the head of. It’s made up of specialists in specific areas, so we have tennis specialists, cycling specialists, underwater specialists, etc. They cover those events throughout the year—so when they come to the Olympics, they already have a unique understanding of the sport and the photos that can come out of the sport. They know what to look for, really.

Some of these sports are so niche. You can just show up to shoot gymnastics—but you're not familiar with what an athlete like Simone Biles does, how she reacts, which way she turns, how she interacts with her coaches, her teammates, her fans, her family. Having all that institutional knowledge is really helpful.

You touched a bit on the process of setting up infrastructure at 38 venues across France. I know a lot of that involves robotic cameras. Can you share more?

We're going to use a lot of robotics and remote cameras at these games. I believe we're at about 15 robotic cameras, both hung in the indoor venues and also underwater and in various other positions, like head-on at the 100-meter dash. For a robotic rig, it’s hung on a truss. The truss is lowered from the roof; we mount to it, connect the network and the power, and it's then lifted above the field of play. Our photographers are then able to control it remotely from either here in the office or in the seat to the venue.

We've been using robotic cameras since 2012 in London, but the technology is advancing quicker and quicker. We also have a smaller robotic camera, which, again, hangs in venues and works great for something like weightlifting, where the athlete is stationary and you don't have to follow them as much, or basketball, where it can be above the basket for when they dunk or go up for a rebound.

And a lot of this planning is possible because of the amount of experience we've had at the Olympics. We’ve been the official partner since 1968. We have some members of the team that have done 15 or 20 Olympics. So just having that experience to know when the pictures happen, where they happen, is really important.

Is there any new technology you’re using this year?

We have our brand-new underwater robotic, which was just unveiled in February. We spent about a year developing it; it’s proprietary and there are only two of them. They will go sit on the floor of the pool in La Défense Arena, which is hosting swimming events, and the new Aquatic Centre for diving. Just like the above-ground robots, we'll be able to control and follow the action, but from under the water. It operates in real time, with no delay, which makes for some amazing photos.

What's it like working with the IOC?

Our partnership with the IOC is one of our longest and most collaborative. There are two different operations we have here in Paris. We have a team dedicated to editorial, and the only thing the IOC looks for there is beautiful pictures to serve their websites and future Olympic Games—so even LA 2028 is receiving our content, and they’ll use it on their website and social feeds.

We have another team of about 27 photographers dedicated to the IOC, and their work could include anything from photographs of President Thomas Bach to servicing their top sponsors at events. That team is also documenting the Games for future editions to show what the media center looked like, what the entrance venues looked like, etc.

What Olympics event or moment are you most excited about this year? 

The 100-meter dash is always amazing. You’re in the venue with 90,000 people and the hush that comes over the crowd—it's like a golf tournament. But the second that gun goes off, the roar just doesn't stop, because it only lasts about 10 seconds. They’re so fast.

The opening ceremonies are also amazing. This year's Opening Ceremony is going to be, logistically, the most complicated event we've ever covered. We've been joking internally that it's like a royal funeral and a royal wedding all rolled into one. We’ll have 40 to 50 photographers set up on the 6-kilometer route along the Seine, and all of our editors will be on, regardless of time zone. Everyone is going to be pitching in on that one. Having an opening ceremony throughout the city is going to be logistically challenging—but spectacular.

Getty photographers are the experts at capturing complex, high-profile events. Do you have any advice on how event professionals should be working with photographers?

It's really about planning. Photographers prefer as much information as they can get ahead of an event. Our Olympics photographers have their schedules, they know exactly what they’re going to shoot, and they’re experts on what sport they’re shooting.

But not everyone is in that situation. There are a lot of photographers who show up to an event and have never covered it before—so it’s about planning and research. It's looking at the venues, looking at photo positions, looking at how to get to the venue and where to enter, making sure you have all the right equipment and the right lenses. 

The times I've seen any event—a sporting event, an entertainment event, even a wedding—go wrong is when a photographer doesn't know what's needed. What shots are you looking for? What's the flow going to be? Where's the athlete going to perform, where's the talent going to arrive, how far is the stage from where I'm shooting? 

Photographers are pretty flexible; they're agile and they adapt. But the more information, the more planning, the more communication—the better.