The Sydney-based photographer who took what some are hailing as the best ever image of sprinter Usain Bolt says he had three minutes to set up the snap.
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"His pose, his stride and perfect technique, and then the big grin and the fact that he's looking where I was standing, made that image all come together," Getty photographer Cameron Spencer said.
"Sometimes there's luck involved but you also need to to back yourself.
"It's a picture I'm so happy with ... it's up there as one of my favourites."
Spencer said Getty Images had 11 photographers and 38 different cameras shooting the 100-metre semis and finals, which allowed him to take a creative risk.
"I had three remote cameras set up on the finish line as well as my hand-held camera and I think if because you have that many angles you can afford to take a risk," he said.
But the careful planning didn't mean the image was easy to take. Spencer was shooting the high-jump qualifications in the middle of the field and had 3½ minutes to get to the semi-finals to shoot Bolt.
"So I thought I would take a risk from mid-field and try and shoot a slow pan shot of Bolt going past in the semi-finals," he said.
"I was on the 70-metre mark and I had to track with him and hope that I was moving at the same speed with the camera as he was going.
"When you're shooting slow there's a lot of movement in the picture and ideally I wanted to get his head and torso sharp," he said.
"At the time I didn't realise he was smiling at me.
"When I looked at the images on my camera and saw he was smiling and looking in my direction I was like 'Wow, this is special'.
"It was unexpected and I think that's what makes the picture.
"Because it was a risky, technical image to capture and it paid off, that's why it's rewarding."
Spencer has shot Bolt at three other Olympics and said the track and field showman known for his flashy style is a great subject to photograph.
"With history you look at these moments and say 'That was the world's fastest man in Rio, doing what he does best, with a smile on his face looking at the other competitors, basically enjoying life and enjoying what he does best, which is running faster than anyone else ever has in history'."
But he says it's not the best image he thinks he has captured, saying one of tennis player Gael Monfils diving across the court at this year's 2016 Australian Open is his favourite.
