THOMAS CHU PHOTO

Photography Tutorial · 2024-08-13

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe?

During the recent Paris Olympics, photographer Geoff Lowe went viral with a series of sports photos created using time-compositing technology.

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 1

In fact, "time compositing" is widely used in sports, landscape, and street photography. In today's photography tutorial, Thomas will share how this technique is achieved and the post-processing skills involved, so you can try this creative approach when shooting school sports meets, street sports venues, tourist attractions, and so on.

Video

▶ Watch the video tutorial on Bilibili

This is the illustrated companion to the video above. During the Paris Olympics, Geoff Lowe's time-blend sports photos went viral, while American photographer Pelle Cass had long pushed the genre furthest. In this video Thomas decodes both styles, then uses his own shoot at Beijing's Shougang Sports Park to demonstrate the complete capture-and-Photoshop workflow behind such images.

Start with the signature image: one athlete's consecutive movements frozen into a single frame, like stop-motion animation tracing a chase, a burst of motion (at 0:17 in the video).

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 2

01 Two Styles: One Athlete, Whole Field

Geoff Lowe keeps returning to a single athlete, collecting different moments or a full continuous movement so the uniquely human beauty of sport reads like a visual study — hurdle cycles, a handball dive (at 0:44 in the video). Pelle Cass compresses far longer spans into one frame: the densest state of a playing field, where basketballs cluster, where people wander on the court — endlessly amusing (at 0:13, 0:05 and 0:07).

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 3 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 4 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 5 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 6 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 7

02 Capture: Position, Burst, Volume

Thomas shot a similar series at Shougang Sports Park: tripod-less, he braced the camera on a railing, which left slight shifts — for this genre, use a tripod, then burst away. Good moments abound: a near-fall, an odd posture, all worth banking (source frames at 1:55 in the video). He himself shot only five minutes and ran short; aim for an hour, and under overcast sky you can happily camp on one ground all day.

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 8

03 Post: Stack, Align, Mask

Filter first: from fifty-odd frames keep only the dozen five-star picks, then load them via File → Scripts → Load Files into Stack (at 2:35 in the video). Before blending, select all layers and run Edit → Auto-Align Layers — indispensable if you skipped the tripod (at 2:45). Choose a base image, give each donor layer a black mask, and paint people in with a white brush at 100% opacity and flow: lower hardness when alignment is perfect, higher when it is not. Always paint the shadow in with the person — it transforms realism — and near existing people switch to a tiny brush or protect them with a selection first (at 4:00).

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 9 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 10

Selection in today's Photoshop is remarkably strong: hover the Object Selection tool over a person and a precise mask appears, with Quick Selection and Lasso covering the rest; after masking, feather about 0.4 pixels and paint the shadow back with a slightly larger white brush. Thomas even blended the monorail train crossing the top of the frame — the charm of the time blend: one space, many moments. Technically it is easy; ideas and patience are the real cost. Finish as a Smart Object with filters and grading (the mask view at 4:24, the final composite at 6:53).

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 11 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 12 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 13

04 Transferring the Idea

The method also runs in reverse: subtract the crowd instead of adding it and you get an empty, timeless landmark. And do not fence the idea inside stadiums — shops, attractions, public buildings and street corners all reward a fixed-camera time blend. Technique is no longer the barrier; the real investment is observation and ideas.

1. The time-blend formula is simple: a locked-off camera, bursts or long video, then paint people and their shadows in through masks; 2. The tripod sets your ceiling — the truer the alignment, the easier the brushing; 3. Volume sets your floor: an hour beats five minutes, and an overcast day can fill a whole day; 4. Technique is never the hard part — noticing which moments deserve to share a frame is the soul of the genre.

Full Tutorial List:

Full Photography Tutorial Directory (updated 2024.4.16)

HD video:

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1qT42167KH/

Appreciating the Work of Pelle Cass

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 14 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 15 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 16 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 17 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 18 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 19 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 20 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 21 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 22 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 23 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 24 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 25 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 26 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 27 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 28 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 29 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 30 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 31 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 32 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 33 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 34 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 35 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 36 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 37 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 38 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 39 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 40 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 41 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 42 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 43 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 44 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 45 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 46 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 47 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 48 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 49 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 50 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 51 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 52 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 53 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 54 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 55 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 56 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 57 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 58 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 59

Appreciating the Work of Geoff Lowe

The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 60 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 61 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 62 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 63 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 64 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 65 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 66 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 67 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 68 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 69 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 70 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 71 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 72 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 73 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 74 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 75 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 76 The Viral Paris Olympics Photos! How to Shoot and Edit Photography in the Style of Geoff Lowe? · Fig. 77

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