Photographing the Winter Games: Jean Fruth
04/16/2026Sports 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.
Above photograph © Jean Fruth
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 of pictures. So, I’m not going to play it safe.”
Guest: Jean Fruth
Episode Timeline
- 2:24: Jean’s shift from baseball to hockey to promoting women’s sports, plus her path to photographing hockey at her first Olympics.
- 13:11: The high-pressure logistics behind Jean’s arrival in Milan with her first game already in progress.
- 21:52: Photographing day two and connecting with her photography heroes.
- 24:30: Jean’s creative approach to photographing hockey at the Games, plus the challenge of shooting through plexiglass.
- 28:07: Chasing the story behind Women’s Olympic hockey games and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
- 30:02: The ask to shoot behind-the-scenes and Jean’s approach to dealing with a maybe.
- 35:06: Episode Break
- 35:51: Jean talks about her gear and the tools available to photographers in the media center.
- 44:21: Lugging her gear to a prime Opening Ceremonies vantage point despite wrong directions, plus the pizza delivery service that sustained her during overnight editing sessions.
- 50:57: Derek and Jean talk lighting, camera settings, and using a preset to pan with action shots.
- 54:26: The challenges of shooting through plexiglass, plus getting creative with different elements to keep it interesting—from panning techniques to playing with colors.
- 1:01:24: The dream moments at the end of the competition, and how Jean hustled to capture both the view from above and a central position for the team shot with medals.
- 1:04:25: Jean’s biggest take away from the Olympics—the collaborative aspect of performing at the highest level. It felt good to be nervous and then overcome it.
- 1:07:14: Jean’s parting advice—you belong here, having confidence in yourself, and being prepared to shift.
Guest Bio
Jean Fruth does more than take pictures of sports; she tells stories of vibrant personalities and local cultures.
As a Sony Artisan of Imagery, Jean has covered nearly every sport, though baseball remains her specialty. After helping to build the archive of the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, she co-founded the Grassroots Baseball non-profit in 2019 to celebrate the amateur game worldwide.
Jean is also a filmmaker and the author of three books. Her latest project See Her Be Her includes a documentary film, a book, and a non-profit aimed at shining an overdue spotlight on women athletes, or “unsung sheroes,” as she calls them.
Jean’s work is regularly featured in prestige media and has been exhibited in major institutions from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum to the Smithsonian to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Most recently, she was honored with the 2025 United Nations International Photographic Council Achievement Award.
Host: Derek Fahsbender
Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
Senior Producer: Mike Weinstein
Executive Producer: Dana Glidden