For award-winning Associated Press photographer Ashley Landis, the 21-year veteran of visual journalism based in Houston, Texas, capturing those once-in-a-tournament split-second moments is what makes sports photography unforgettable. Over six of her two decades in the industry, Landis has built her career covering everything from breaking hard news to intimate human interest features, with a core focus on sports storytelling. In a behind-the-scenes breakdown, Landis has opened up about how she captured one of the most vivid images from the 2022 FIFA World Cup: the celebration of Argentina’s match-winning goal against Switzerland.
It was a decisive overtime contest that would send Argentina through to the next round of the tournament, and when Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez slotted the game-winning goal past the Swiss defense, he reacted in a way few players do in the heat of the moment. Rather than immediately running back to join his teammates on the pitch, Martinez lept over the sideline’s LED advertising boards to share his joy with the Argentine fans packed into the front row of the stands. Recognizing that this unscripted, emotional moment would not come again, Landis made the split-second call to keep her lens locked on Martinez rather than panning back to the rest of the team’s celebration. As she recounts, Martinez stopped to share high-fives with the cheering fans in the front row before turning back to the pitch to join his squad, creating a candid frame that blends player joy and fan passion into one iconic shot.
Landis explains the technical choices that allowed her to nail the shot from her position across the pitch. She had already captured the moment of the goal from her vantage point, and kept Martinez tracked through the celebration with a long 400mm f/2.8 telephoto lens — the go-to tool for sports photographers needing to isolate action from a distance. With crowds of players and fans swarming around the striker, Landis deliberately kept her camera’s focus locked on Martinez to ensure he stayed sharp amid the chaos.
Looking at why the image resonates so strongly with viewers, Landis notes that Martinez’s unfiltered, explosive reaction was so clear it read even from her distant position across the field. Even with dozens of fans and teammates all clad in Argentina’s iconic albiceleste jersey filling the frame, Martinez stands out sharply thanks to his overjoyed facial expression and raw, peak emotion. The surrounding fans, their arms thrown high in celebration as they surround the striker, create a natural frame that draws the viewer’s eye directly to Martinez in the bottom center of the composition, anchoring the moment’s energy. This shot, which captures both the elation of a star player and the joy of the fans who supported him, stands as a perfect example of how sports photography can distill the raw emotion of global football into a single, unforgettable frame. More of The Associated Press’ full coverage of the World Cup is available to view on their official platform.