Some imagine already that this photo will be reused in 2050, to talk about the current NBA era. The photo has all the ingredients to go down in history. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. The magic trio of Team USA at the Paris Olympics, at the heart of the final against France.
Three basketball monuments on a mission in the same setting. Three postures, three looks that do not meet. They all three have one foot survey (editor’s note: a heel, precisely)they are all in whole (from head to toe)”, adds the author of the photo in question, Malik Djoulait, contacted by BasketUSA. ” This is the picture I imagined. Better than I imagined. ” he corrects himself.
It is difficult to navigate further in this photographic imagination taking into account a central element of context: our man had never handled a camera before these Olympic Games!
“And if it sucks, tell me so I'll stop right away.”
A year earlier, the Parisian, who has always been immersed in the world of basketball and also works in social networks (notably in charge of communications for Quai 54), had bought himself seats, located near the court, to attend the final stages of the Games, including the grand finale.
As hostilities approach, the thirty-year-old (34 years old), also a teacher at the Sorbonne and in several universities in France, said to himself that he could immortalize the moment in a way other than with his smartphone. I might as well try to keep some memories of it and get into photography a bit. “On Twitter, he warned his thousand followers of his approach: ” What if it sucks? tell me I'll stop right away (sic). »
I started taking photos yesterday, for these Olympic Games.
Small thread of my pictures to check the progress in 1 year, if you have any advice in the meantime, do not hesitate. And if it sucks, tell me so I can stop right away. pic.twitter.com/iJyWGJi3IX— Malik D. (@MalikDjoulait) August 9, 2024
The day before the quarter-final, he borrowed a Sony Alpha 7 III from a photographer friend. A ” old stuff that was lying around at his place, some 'back-up' material. “Enough to take quality photos and have access to the stands without any problems. Training on the camera? Express.” He quickly showed me the principle of ISO… »
No more than 15 successful photos out of 1,000
Not easy. Taking a photo of a static subject is one thing, taking such phenomena on a court is quite another. Result: during the quarter-final he attends, Malik misses most of his shots. Overexposed, blurred… I was taking over 1,000 photos per game. Out of the 1,000, I had no more than 15 to save. »
But our photographer learns quickly, around the parquet floors, but also around the athletics tracks where he also shoots. He even happens to contact his ” pal » on Whatsapp in the middle of a match for technical details!
The final between France and the United States arrives. That day, he stands in the stands, near the families of the American players installed behind the baseline in one of the corners, with one goal in mind: to take the three “fantastics”, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, together.
So the fan follows them closely, zooming in to the maximum, during free throws, timeouts or even on defense. He no longer remembers a specific moment when he succeeded, but thinks it was the second half.
The “Avengers” in action
The photo is taken, but Malik doesn't realize its quality yet. The preview screen is sometimes misleading. And the match isn't over. When Curry catches fire, I put the camera down “, confides the one who obviously did not deprive himself of having fun following the game alongside his photos.
The day after the final, he realizes he has a gem. For me, it's the Avengers. I couldn't give it a better title than that. The way they're positioned, it's reminiscent of the movie poster. ” says the photographer who posts the image on his networks.
His relatives and the initiates seize it, until they go back to the FIBA accounts, from Sports Center and ESPN (who asks him for permission to take it back, ” I said, 'With pleasure, of course, I don't mind. »)…
Then, while this Kobe Bryant fan is in the middle of a padel game, he is told that his photo has been taken by LeBron James. For his Instagram profile picture (at the time of writing, this was still the case)!
A store now equips it
” It was cool, it was cool, it was nice. I've been consuming photography for 20 years, but I'm really a beginner in taking photos. It's cool to show that even at an amateur level, you can do good things. ” he delivers.
No excess enthusiasm from our man. Humble? I don't know. It's just a picture. I have a cool head. I've always been detached from all that. Even brands have contacted me to work… I've accepted some things, refused others. »
Diving fully into the world of photography is therefore not on the agenda for the moment. Even if since then, the specialist store “Objectif Bastille” has lent him equipment so that he can continue to ” progress ” Malik will soon be going to the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore and will be taking pictures for him. Better equipped therefore, and above all more experienced.
Photos: Malik Djoulait
