RNPS - PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2014 - PHOTOGRAPHERS' STORY
Four out of five Olympic rings are seen lit up during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, in this February 7, 2014 file photo.
This image is a great example of the cliche 'always expect the unexpected'.
Two days before, at the Olympic opening ceremony rehearsal, I had seen that the Olympic rings were supposed to open from a small, flower-shaped ball and then explode in flash of extreme brightness. The massive changes in light required a quick estimation as to how to adjust the exposure, so every photographer was anxious, knowing what was supposed to come next.
I had just reduced my ISO and increased my shutter speed when I noticed the top-right ring was not forming like the others. So I took a few photographs, still anticipating the next stage. But no. Nothing. The incomplete Olympic symbol just hung there before disappearing completely.
Did I manage to correctly adjust the camera settings for the unpredicted dull Olympic ring? Thankfully, you see the answer before you. Needless to say, it was the talking point of the opening ceremony, and became one of the most memorable images of the Sochi Olympic Games. - David Gray
REUTERS/David Gray (RUSSIA - Tags: OLYMPICS SPORT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
ATTENTION EDITORS: THIS PICTURE IS PART OF THE PACKAGE 'PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2014 - THE PHOTOGRAPHERS' STORY'. SEARCH 'PHOTOGRAPHERS' STORY' FOR ALL IMAGES'