Diana’s comeback in Saint Petersburg: my first water polo assignment

A quiet evening outside the city, TV humming with a men’s water polo broadcast. I get hooked by the pace and the geometry of splashes. Back in Saint Petersburg I discover the women’s club Diana plays here, at Nevskaya Volna Aquatics Center. I arrange access, get a quick briefing on where I’m allowed to stand and when to switch sides. As a sports photographer in Saint Petersburg, I live for this kind of fast, honest action.

Conflict. It’s the 3rd round of the Eurasian Women’s Water Polo League. Spartak Volgograd start sharply, Diana answer with rapid counterattacks. Water does half the storytelling: every stop is a burst, every duel a fan of droplets. The light makes it tricky — some overhead fixtures flicker, so exposure can jump frame to frame. High shutter, continuous bursts and patience keep me in the game. A five-meter penalty becomes my favorite sequence: the keeper’s focus, a breath of silence, the throw, and a curtain of spray freezing mid-air. Diana keep pushing, the momentum shifts, and the pool gets loud.

Resolution. Final score 14–12 to the hosts. Handshakes, water calms down, and my cards hold the arc of the match — tension, grit, release. Water polo loves the camera: clean lines, explosive motion, tactics you feel more than see. 

See the full gallery with the best moments from Diana vs Spartak Volgograd here.