Philippines - Jijo De Guzman - RF Lens World - Canon South & Southeast Asia

Water Polo is such a special and unique sport. For one reason, it’s the only Olympic ball sport that is played in the water. In the photo is Philippines National Water Polo Team veteran Maui Valdez. When shooting sports, I always try to look for additional elements that can add dynamism to a shot and make it more compelling. Here, I captured the water movement as it trailed the ball after the player picked it up. This action was a delightful addition to the intense emotion of the player.

Swimming is close to my heart. I grew up as a competitive swimmer and still swim regularly up to now. In the photo is my 14-year-old godson Enzi. I framed tight to capture the character of the water and positioned on a spot that will give me a bit of side-lighting for nice soft shadows, all to produce an engaging shot. A swimmer doing the breaststroke will go in and out of the water. The AF capabilities of the EOS R3 dealt with that specific shooting condition flawlessly.

Austin Reeves of Team USA (#15) was the most popular player during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. He was clearly the crowd favourite. He's a slasher and I'm so glad that I was able to capture him doing one of his midair acrobatic moves. It was my first time to use the RF100-300mm f/2.8L IS USM in shooting basketball and I immediately loved it. The f/2.8 opening and the 300mm reach are perfect when shooting behind the baseline.