2012 Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
“Team swimming view starting with 2,000 athletes from my position hanging from a helicopter door. This is a moment in time that you can’t see anymore – they are now sending athletes in waves instead of sending them all at once.”
Donald Meral has just returned from the Los Angeles Marathon, where he and his team of assisting photographers have captured the annual siege: nearly 40,000 athletes systematically descend on the city. From the starting line at Dodger Stadium, where Miralle soared above the crowd at dawn on the cherry picker, to the finish line at Avenue of the Stars. After capturing the thrill of the start - 80,000 feet suddenly moving - they hop on motorbikes to cruise around town and capture the momentous moments on the entire 26.2-mile course. His wife, Lauren, and their two sons are thrilled to be back on solid ground in their home in Leucadia, but they know it won't be long before the award-winning photographer sets out on his next adventure.
By Jet Ski, helicopter, or her feet, Miralle has gone far to capture the world's most prolific athletes (Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in the early 2000s, all gold medal events of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps), the biggest events (the Super Bowl, the Summer Olympics and winter), and remote places, such as diving in the isolated rocky caves of Tulum.
“The moment I step into the scene, I take the camera away from my face and look around, taking in my surroundings,” Meral says. “When your face is in deception, you lose a lot of things. Go back, watch the scene unfold, and see the bigger picture.”
From alternative facts just below the surface in the Yucatan Peninsula to the highest cycling race on Earth in Nepal, Miralle's massive purse is a visual love letter to the great outdoors. His "anything for it" style has taken over his business New York times And Sports Illustratedand has received more than 50 international awards, including six from the World Press Photo Foundation and seven from the International Sports Photographer of the Year Photo Contest of the Year. For our annual outdoor issue, Miralle shares some of his greatest snapshots of his adventures ever. - Erica Nichols
China men's 10m synchronized platform diving at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
“This is a crazy sport, where divers have to be in perfect sync. This photo captures that dynamic multi-exposure motion that shows the courses and dives they are doing.”
Caleb Dressel: Men's 100m Butterfly at Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics
“Dressel is one of the strongest swimmers on the planet. I sat with a very long 600mm lens pre-focused on where I predicted it was going to come up and I caught him blasting out of the water, on his way to getting the gold.”
The ultimate free swimming team in the World Football Championship 2019
“The moment Team Russia gets into the water, the water is still really calm - I flipped the image so that its reflection was off the bottom of the pond. I had to really imagine what I wanted before the moment came here. The camera is fixed, placed in an underwater box installed in the A pool with about 200 feet of cable running out of the pool and onto the pool deck, where the shot was fired with a remote control."
Professional surfer Lucas "Chumpo" Chianca in the Mavericks at Half Moon Bay, 2017
A massive swell hit the California coast, where conditions predicted waves of 35 to 50 feet for several days. I was stationed on a jet ski, picking up Xianca as she fell and past this avalanche.”
2014 US Open Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach
"fire Sports Illustrated. I stopped from a helicopter to capture this wonderful view and graphics for spectators along the pier and the turbulence in the water as the surfer paddles.”
Bioluminescence waves under a full moon in Carlsbad, 2020
“Amidst COVID, we treated bioluminescence and the full moon. With a couple of friends, we went to a secret place at night. It was a hidden mission for them paddling in the water, and I wait in the dark to watch them stream. Magician.”
Black reef sharks in Bora Bora, 2016
“I was in Tahiti to compete in an open water race. On my day off, I spent the morning swimming with these blackheaded sharks and was able to appreciate the beauty of the crystal clear waters there – it’s crystal clear, with a beautiful ecosystem.”
Fish moving among the reefs in Bermuda, 2018
“On my last day on a business trip for Condé Nast, I took a boat out to the reef and snorkeled 30 feet deep, caught this gorgeous, beautiful marine propeller and fish moving all around.”
2016 Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
“I found myself at the bottom of the bay, six in the morning, as nearly 2,000 athletes were waiting in the water above me to start the signal. There was this expectation in the air when I saw this green [sea turtle] Swimming next to my lens. I could hardly believe it. It's one of my most popular sports photos and it captures mana [soul] of the event and the Hawaiian Islands".
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