Диана — Югра: как я снимал самый напряженный матч женского водного пол

Some games feel tense even before the first whistle. This one at Nevskaya Volna Aquatics Center in Saint Petersburg was exactly like that: women’s water polo, Diana vs Yugra, 8th round of the Eurasian Women’s Water Polo League 2025–2026. Warm, humid air above the pool, echoing shouts, splashes cutting through the silence between attacks. As a sports photographer Saint Petersburg clubs often call for big games, I knew this was going to be a fun kind of chaos.

Diana conceded the first goal but hit back immediately, and from there it was a classic back-and-forth. One moment the home team is up, the next Yugra is leading again. My job is to surf that rhythm: slide along the deck, switch angles, stay one step ahead of the play. I focus on the small things that tell the story — clenched fists after a goal, the goalkeeper’s reaction to a save, the visiting coach shouting at the referees like it’s a Russian Premier League night with Zenit facing Dynamo at Gazprom Arena. At one point a Diana player has her cap knocked off in a brutal fight for position. Water everywhere, players still battling for the ball and, in the middle of it, a perfect sequence for match photography that no storyboard could predict.

In the fourth period Diana finally pulls ahead and keeps the 10–9 lead to the buzzer. While the last seconds tick away, I’m already thinking about what my clients will need: strong key visuals for the league, character shots for the teams, emotional frames brands can use in their social feeds and sponsorship decks. That’s the beauty of sports photography when it’s planned properly — one intense game gives organizers, federations, clubs and partners a whole season’s worth of visual content.

See the full gallery with the best moments from Diana vs Yugra women’s water polo match here: Diana (Saint Petersburg) — Yugra (Khanty-Mansiysk).