SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Jae C. Hong is a Los Angeles-based staff photojournalist for The Associated Press. Hong has spent 20 years covering local and international news, including the Olympic Games, presidential elections, the Russia-Ukraine war, and stories across Asia.
Why this photo?
I wanted to show how a World Cup match was being experienced in a setting away from the stadium. I had already photographed a watch party at a stadium, so I wanted something smaller and more intimate. Ye Olde King鈥檚 Head in Santa Monica felt like the right place. It is a locally famous English pub filled with souvenirs, flags and decorations.
How I made this photo
The bar was dark, packed and very busy on Wednesday. I had to work around the low light and the tight space. I used a 35mm f/1.4 lens, which let me stay close to the fans. By shooting at f/1.4, I could get a cleaner background while still showing enough detail of the room. I shot at ISO 6400 so I could keep a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the reaction. I listened to the game and the room as I waited for a goal. Being at an English pub, I knew the best reaction photo would come if England scored. When Harry Kane scored against Croatia, the reaction all at once.
Why it works
What I like about the photo is that it is not a clean, perfect celebration picture. It feels crowded, loud and a little chaotic, which is exactly what the room felt like. There are enough details in each layer of the photo. The fan in the foreground adds a lot of energy to the picture. The smiling man in the center anchors the frame. The raised arms, phones, flags, and faces in the background show different reactions, including a server barely visible in a blown-out background. The photo shows a global sporting moment through a very local place and through people in everyday clothes.
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