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13:19 August 17th, 2009

Fastest photographer on the track

Posted by: Kai Pfaffenbach
Tags: Reuters Photographers, , , ,

There was a second lightning bolt on the track with Jamaica’s Usain Bolt on Sunday night, Reuters photographer Kai Pfaffenbach. Below Kai talks about what it was like to keep up with the fastest man in the world.

You can see Kai in action in this You Tube video.

Despite setting up two remote cameras at the finish line myself, my colleague Michael Dalder (aka the remote king) set up six remotes and secured the best pictures of the finish line (above).

Kai keeps up with Usain Bolt after the men’s 100 meters final at the world athletics championships at the Olympic stadium in Berlin August 16, 2009.  EPA/DPA Hannibal Hanschke

I shot the finish line handheld on a 135mm Canon Mark3 and had an EOS5D Mk 2 with a 16-35mm ready on my lap. Bolt was running so fast on the outer curve that I decided to take a shortcut and cut the curve and catch up with him on the other side of the stadium, ahead of the other snappers. Running beside the world record holder, I was shooting on 1000 ISO at 1/800 sec f2.8.

This was my tenth 100m final including Olympics and World Championships.  It definitely was the most exciting race. Of course I knew before the race that I would have to chase him but I didn’t expect him to be going that fast!

24 comments so far

Nice work Kai, as a Jamaican and a photography nut, this was a proud moment for me. Gold medal for Bolt, Gold Medal for Kai.

- Posted by Gary McKenzie

Excellent work and timming.

- Posted by Silviu Matei

Yuh SICK wid it my YUTE!!!!
Faster than a speeding bullet…more powerful than a locomotive…out on the track…it\’s a bird, it\’s a plane, it\’s INSANE…It\’s Usain Bolt!!!!
You are ALL NATURAL, UNADULTERATED, RAW INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH POWER!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you my brother!

- Posted by Juneplum6

Jamaica has the fastest man on track Usain Bolt and reuters has the fastest photographer Kai Pfaffenbach

- Posted by kaaza

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