Washington, July 6(ANI): The emergence of portraits of the U.S. Olympic athletes, such as of stars like Michael Phelps, is facing prevalent criticism for its shoddy lighting and awkward poses.
But photographer Joe Klamar, who clicked these pictures, has said these portraits were the result of a lack of preparation time and supplies.
The photos were leaked online this week, landing on the aggregation website Reddit, where they unleashed a blaze of criticism over how they portray the athletes.
The pictures feature swimmer Phelps cast in nearly total darkness, with his face and body partially hidden, as well as gymnasts holding awkward poses against small-screen backdrops.
A large, wrinkled American flag hangs behind one athlete, while another poses atop ripped white paper.
"I saw the first photo and went, hmmm, it's not horrible, and then it just went downhill. My stomach drops and I just get so upset when I see stuff like this," The ABC news quoted a Reddit user, as saying.
"They're photographing some of the world's most elite athletes, they've spent years of dedicated training and perhaps their entire lives to the sport. Countless hours, sweat, grit, determination into their craft. The picture is supposed to represent them in all their glory, their determination, the fact that they're not even the one percent but the .01 percent of the world's athletic group," another Reddit user wrote.
Klamar said the real reason the photos came out looking the way they did was because he didn't know he was being sent to take portraits.
I thought I was going to photograph athletes on stage, or during a press conference. But when I arrived in the morning, all my colleagues had already set up their mini-studio with professional lighting, backdrops, props and ... Me, nobody told me there would be the possibility to set up a studio. It was a very embarrassing situation," Klamar said in a statement. (ANI)
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