Photographing the Winter Games: Jean Fruth

Photographing the Winter Games: Jean Fruth

April 16, 2026 · 1h 12m

About this episode

Jean Fruth discusses her experiences and challenges as a sports photographer at the Winter Games.

Sports photography hinges on freezing peak action—transforming a high-speed blur into a dramatic portrayal of human effort. When you combine that with the unyielding drive of elite athletes on the world stage, the pressure to nail the shot provides an incredible adrenaline rush. In today's podcast, we discuss the unique challenges of documenting history in the making and unpacking stories from the Winter Games with renowned sports photographer Jean Fruth, recently back from her first Olympics. From a hectic scramble on arrival in Milan—getting to the arena and gearing up as her first game was already in progress—to the detailed planning and creative insights she brought to every second of the ensuing competition, Jean shares her front row seat at the Games. We also follow her behind the scenes and learn how she negotiated a special request for access and her diplomatic response that transformed an unqualified maybe into a yes. As she notes during our chat, "My Olympics was an intense women's hockey Olympics. It was—I have a chance to make something special, something different. I have two and three games per day. I'm here for almost three weeks. I have a chance to make all kinds…

People in this episode

Host: B&H Photo & Video

Guest: Jean Fruth

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Milan, Olympics

More episodes of B&H Photography Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the B&H Photography Podcast podcast page.