There’s something wonderfully poetic about Getty Images turning to a modified Graflex Speed Graphic camera at this year’s Winter Olympics. In an era obsessed with speed, resolution, and frame rates, the decision to look backward feels quietly radical.
It’s not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake; it’s a deliberate attempt to reconnect modern Olympic storytelling with the visual language that once defined it. And in doing so, Getty has found a way to capture the magic of these Games that feels both intimate and timeless.
Seventy years ago, when the Winter Olympics last took place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, photographers relied on bulky press cameras to do the heavy lifting. The 1956 Games were covered with tools that demanded patience, precision, and intent - qualities that often shaped the images as much as the athletes themselves. By echoing the cameras used at the Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics, Getty isn’t just recreating a look; it’s revisiting a mindset.
At the heart of this experiment is the Graflex camera, an old-school large-format film camera once favored by press photographers. These were mechanical beasts - slow to operate, heavy to carry, and utterly unforgiving. Every frame mattered.
Traditionally loaded with sheet film, a Graflex demanded that the photographer slow down, observe the environment, and commit to the moment. That discipline is baked into its DNA, and it’s exactly what makes it so compelling in today’s Olympic landscape.
Of course, Getty Images doesn’t operate in a vacuum. This is a global agency built on instant delivery, real-time publishing, and images that need to travel across continents in seconds. So while I would have loved to see these Graflex cameras still loaded with film, reality intervenes.
The solution is clever: the cameras have been modified so iPhone 17 Pro smartphones capture images through the Graflex lens, allowing files to be transmitted immediately to picture editors around the world. It’s an elegant compromise between heritage and necessity.
Some will inevitably argue that if you’re not shooting film, the exercise is pointless. I get that sentiment - and I share a little of that disappointment. There’s a strong case to be made that these images could live as slower, more experimental works of art, with film adding another layer of meaning.
Yet I also understand Getty’s responsibility. These images aren’t destined for a gallery wall alone; they’re meant to be seen, shared, and felt while the Olympic flame is still burning.
What excites me most is how this approach reinforces my belief that documentary-style photography has become the new Olympic standard. These Graflex-inspired images aren’t just about frozen action or medal moments.
They’re about atmosphere, environment, and the emotional architecture of the Games - the crowds, the cold air, the quiet tension between runs. It’s storytelling that places the sport within its wider human context, and that’s where the Olympics truly come alive.
Getty’s “Back to the Future” series feels like a respectful nod to history with its eyes firmly on the present. By blending vintage tools with modern technology, it reminds us that innovation doesn’t always mean abandoning the past.
Sometimes, it means listening to it. And in doing so, Getty Images has found a beautiful way to capture the spirit of this year’s Winter Olympics - one frame at a time.
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