ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo

30 November, 2017

At ITU, we are so lucky to work with some of the best triathlon photographer's in the world. Capturing events such as the World Triathlon Series, World Cups and the Multisport World Championships, their images showcase the beauty and power of our sport. So we are so pleased to draw the attention over to them and put them in the spotlight to allow them to share with triathlon fans across the globe what their favourite photos were from the 2017 season.

First up with the Brazilian Caipirinha himself: Wagner Araujo!

Araujo has been a triathlon photographer and himself a triathlete for more than 10 years. His passion for the sport and photography put him on the map when he won a National Geographic photo contest in 2013. His image from the start line of an aquathlon race is still one of the few multisport images inside of the NatGeo archives. In the same year, he covered his first race for ITU, the duathlon race at the Cali World Games. Then in 2015, he became one of our main photographers, specializing mostly with the races in the Americas.

Araujo's work is more than just filling the frame with pixels, it's about how to capture sports and outdoor emotions and feeling through light, as well as by creating unique perspectives that only can be achieved by whom has already felt the same feelings and emotions.

Here is a collection of fifteen photos that Araujo has selected to showcase his best work from the 2017 season. So enjoy his gallery and make sure to see his past, present and future work shared on the @worldtriathlon social media channels and follow Araujo on Instagram @wags.photo

ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
The water splashes backlit by the sun and the dark suits made a perfect opportunity to shoot with B&W in mind. There is so much energy in this image!
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
The stripes of light among the old building of Montreal allowed me to create a very contrasting and powerful image. Almost 70% of the frame is black, 30% of light is more than enough to tell the story though.
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
Every time ITU has a race finishing in the late afternoon we can enjoy the beautiful golden hour light. The world cup in Merida, Mexico, was delayed due to the heat, but as a photographer I couldn’t complain at all!
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
Richard Murray (RSA) knows how to celebrate!
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
Sometimes we need to focus on details to tell the story of the race. During the Cross Triathlon World Championship in Penticton, Canada it was essential to show how different the sport is from regular road triathlon. So I grabbed my underwater gear and jumped into the water to show the action!
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
This photo has a very interesting light difference between the background and the foreground that makes the paratriathlete jump into the frame. Once more the frame is full of black, creating a clean, crisp and powerful image.
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
I absolutely love ultra wide angle lenses as they enhance the perspective of some scenes. I usually just make a few frames with them in a race. During the grand final the athletes were literally flying from the plateau and I wanted an image showing how crazy that was.
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
This is my favorite panning of the entire season, when Jonny Brownlee (GBR) was trying to make a brake and escape from the pack. Putting him on the edge of the frame creates a tension in the viewer expressing as if he would be also trying to escape from the frame. Small ideas make huge impact on the final images.
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
Silhouettes are always an easy trick for photographers that’s why you should use them with scarcely and in very specific situations. This shot is more about the environment and the beautiful early morning light, creating what I like to call “Sportscape”.
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
Expressions can summarize a race in one single shot. After his win under the Mexican heat, Irving Perez deserved that shower!
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
Another “sportscape” photo taken in this absolutely beautiful park in Rotterdam during the 2017 Grand Final. My idea was to show how peaceful this place was (well at least until Elvis showed up…)
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
The early fall colours and wet grass made a perfect scenario to show how strong Flora Duffy is on the bike. This image tells the story of the entire season: Duffy riding in crazy fast speeds in solo flights ahead of the pack.
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
The Penticton Multisport World Championships was a great success in every single aspect. For our photographers it was a paradise. 10 days of different kind of races in gorgeous landscapes like this one.
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
This experimental shot was taken during the Cross Triathlon World Championships. It requires a dark environment and a flash in slow sync fired in the second curtain. For the geeks, the speed was 1/6 sec. The technique looks simple: just rotate the camera in a fixed axis. But it takes a lot of practice to get a sharp subject in the center of the image with correct flash exposure.
ITU Photographer’s Best of 2017 Gallery: Wagner Araujo
There were so many amazing finish line shots this year but none can beat Javi’s expression in this photo. It was his first WTS win since 2015 and was proof to himself he could be at the top again after the bike crash that took him out of the Rio Olympics.