The 2024 Summer Olympics have begun, and while all eyes are on the athletes, Paris is a stunning backdrop for the Games. If there was ever any doubt about that, just look at Greg Martin‘s incredible photo of the full moon rising into the center of the Olympic Rings that are hanging on the Eiffel Tower.
Martin works for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a Senior Producer and Digital Content Producer, and is the IOC President's Photographer. He took the image just a few days before the opening ceremonies. His colleague Ignacio Lagger, an astronomy enthusiast, alerted him to this unique photography opportunity.
“He has a vast knowledge when it comes to the movement of the Moon and its angles,” Martin tells My Modern Met. “Two days prior to us going to the Trocadero to capture the shot, Ignacio sent me a photo of the angle of the Moon in relation to the Eiffel Tower and alerted me to the possibility of us maybe getting the trifecta alignment!”
After arranging all the necessary permissions to gain access to the area, which is blocked off for the Games, Martin set up. At first, cloud cover looked like it was going to ruin the opportunity for this unique image, but his patience paid off, as a cloud disappeared just as the Moon came into view inside the central ring.
While Martin never anticipated that the photo would be viewed by more than friends and family, he's thrilled with the reception the image received after he shared it on Instagram.
“I think what has been great is how people have been very complimentary about the image. I never expected for a minute that it would have been shared wider than my friends and family, but I think that it was right place, right time with some planning.”
In the end, Martin's photo is a wonderful way to kick off the next two weeks of Olympic activity and a reminder that more special moments are ahead.
Just ahead of the Paris Olympics, Greg Martin captured a unique photo of the full moon rising into the Olympic Rings.
