How to photograph swimming? With passion!

You don’t need to be a professional photographer or own equipment worth thousands to capture what’s most beautiful in sports—emotion, energy, and the tension of the moment. All it takes is passion, a bit of patience, and a few practical tips.

Wiktoria Rożnowska—a photographer with the soul of an athlete, who transitioned from equestrian arenas to icy pools—shares how to take compelling sports photos (not just outdoors). She documents the challenges of winter swimmers and brings a unique perspective to action photography.

In this guide, she shares her experience and proves that a great shot isn’t just about technical skill, but also about timing, understanding movement, and... a genuine curiosity about people.

Photography is key to promoting swim schools, clubs, and now more than ever, as the open water competition season kicks into full gear. It’s the perfect time to pick up your camera (or phone!) and give it a try. Whether you're shooting at the edge of a pool, from the stands, near the finish line, or even in the water—this guide is for you, if you want to take photos with soul.

Sporting Passions as a Source of Photographic Inspiration

Your Facebook profile is filled with photos of horses and riders… How did you end up photographing swimmers—especially winter swimmers?

It’s quite a leap from the equestrian arena to the swimming pool, but the common thread is my passion for both sports. People say that if you combine your job with your passion, you’ll never work a day in your life. [smiles]

At first, I wanted swimming—and winter swimming in particular—to be my break from work, but as I mentioned, I genuinely love both. And when, just before the Polish Winter Swimming Championships in Świętochłowice, it turned out they needed someone to help with the event and no one was filling that role—I threw my original plan out the window.

From Gallop to Butterfly Stroke – What Working with Different Athletes Teaches You

Sports photography—especially when it comes to swimming—isn’t easy... Or does it make no difference whether you're photographing a rider or a swimmer?

Whether it's a rider, a horse, or a swimmer, the key is to understand the biomechanics of movement, so you know which phase of the action looks best in a photo. When photographing horses, the timing of the shot depends on the gait—what matters is the positioning and motion of the legs, as well as the neck and head.

Thanks to this knowledge, it’s much easier for me to switch to photographing swimmers. For example, in the butterfly stroke, the most impactful photos are usually taken when the swimmer is taking a breath and their arms are fully extended.

Emotion in the Frame – How to Capture the Spirit of Sport

Do you have to be a swimmer to truly capture all the emotions connected to the sport in your photos?

Not necessarily, but having the soul of an athlete helps a lot. You need to tune into the atmosphere of the competition and be able to anticipate key moments. The most emotional photos are usually taken right after the start, when the tension leaves the athletes’ faces and all that’s left is raw emotion.

In equestrian photography, I know the athletes well enough to predict when they might show a gesture or emotion worth capturing.

I’m still getting to know winter swimmers, but by the end of my trip to Italy, I could already see a huge difference. It quickly becomes clear who’s the type to do something playful before the start—like high-fiving the crowd—and who’s completely switched off, lost in their own world.

Swimming as a Story About People, Not Just a Sport

How should swimming be photographed to make the images appealing to viewers and sponsors—effectively “selling” the sport?

In addition to action shots from the swim itself, it’s definitely worth capturing emotions and behind-the-scenes moments—details from pre-race preparations or fans with swimmers in the background, for example. To draw people into our world, we have to show them that it’s not just swimming that defines the sport—it’s the people behind it.

How to Take Better Swimming Photos with Your Phone

What advice would you give to our readers—swim school owners, amateur groups, or casual swimmers—to help improve their swimming photography using, for example, just a phone?

• First of all, it’s always a good idea to take more shots than you think you’ll need, so you can later select the best images from the best moments. Most modern smartphones have burst mode, which is really helpful for capturing the ideal phase of a swimmer’s movement.
• Also, try to get as close to the swimmer as possible—sometimes even at the cost of getting in the water—especially if your phone only has a wide-angle lens. Being closer without using digital zoom will not only improve image quality but also give you much better depth of field, allowing your camera to "lock in" on the swimmer. The background will be pleasantly blurred. Zooming in digitally won’t achieve the same effect.
• Different strokes should also be photographed from different angles: Butterfly: best captured from the front or at a slight diagonal angle from the front. Backstroke and freestyle: shoot from the side, ideally perpendicular to the swimmer. Breaststroke: front angle works best, but position yourself at about a 45° angle to the swimmer.

And most importantly: keep trying. You’ll go through thousands of shots before you capture that one perfect image—but it’s worth it. Don’t give up.

Interview by: Maciej Mazerant / Editor-in-Chief, AQUA SPEED Magazine
Photos courtesy of Wiktoria Rożnowska and the IISA Poland branch