2022 Photo Contest: Georgia Soares

With 42.7% of the community vote in the ‘Match Action’ category and 34.7% of the overall best photo vote, Georgia Soares took home two prizes in our 2022 Photo Contest. After being crowned the winner by the community, we caught up with Georgia to chat about her journey with photography and the backstory behind her winning shot. From growing up in Brazil to starting photography in Philly and covering NWSL, it’s been quite a ride. 

How did you get introduced to photography, and when did it become something more serious in your life?

I’m from Brazil, and I loved taking photos in general while I was growing up. When I moved to the US in 2016, that’s when I started taking things a bit more seriously. I would go on road trips with my friends and take photos, and they told me I should maybe invest more time into it because they thought I was pretty talented. Around 2018 is when I bought a better camera and started playing around with doing portraits and weddings. I loved taking photos, but doing those things wasn’t something I was super passionate about. It wasn’t until 2020 that I realized what path I wanted to truly take with photography.

Is that when you got into sports photography?

Yeah. I played sports my whole life, mainly volleyball, and soccer back in Brazil. So I thought maybe I should give it a go and combine those two passions. A friend of mine was already doing some sports photography, so I reached out to figure out how to get into it. That’s how I went to my first Philadelphia Union game to photograph the match, and I absolutely loved it. 

What do you remember about that game? What got you hooked into shooting soccer here?

It was one of the last games of the season. I think it was when they got the Supporters’ Shield, but it was a crazy experience. I was still figuring out settings and how to navigate what worked and what didn’t. It’s funny, I look back at those pictures and think they are terrible, but it’s great to see how much I’ve changed when it comes to shooting. There’s something about the feeling of taking photos and finding the joy of shooting that doesn’t compare to anything else. I was hooked. 

Now that you have a couple of years of experience shooting soccer, what would you say are some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered in this space?

I think being a woman and doing sports photography is already hard here. Finding media outlets that want to give you a chance is also difficult. Finding someone to give you a chance for you to go and show your talent is tough for sure.

What would you say has been the most rewarding part?

The most rewarding thing has been seeing women doing and covering sports. It’s rewarding when you go to a game and see other women coming to the game or doing photography. It’s special because we don’t see it as much, and the numbers are growing. 

When did you start shooting NWSL games?

I started shooting NWSL in 2021, particularly Gotham FC games since that’s what is closest to me. I also go down to DC sometimes, which is where I got the photo that won the contest.

Walk us through the journey to taking that winning photo.

I had always wanted to shoot Christen Press, but she was in Europe for a while, COVID was going on, and things just hadn’t lined up. But I checked the NWSL schedule and saw Angel City was playing in DC, so I knew I had to go. It was a midday game, and the light was beautiful. I didn’t like much that they put us photographers off to one side, though, packed in this little corner. 

But I remember for that goal, Christen Press had the ball, and I was just following what she was doing. I thought I was going to lose focus as soon as she stepped behind the post, but I kept tracking her through the net. It wasn’t supposed to work, but I just kept clicking. I went to check the photos and just thought, ‘No way.’ I quickly took the card from my camera, put it on my computer to see it on a bigger screen, and when I looked at the picture, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe I had been able to get that shot. I was just shaking my head, and I texted my friend saying, ‘Wow, I believe I just took the best shot of my life.’

It’s been great to hear the different reactions that people have about your photograph. From your own perspective – as the person who snapped the photo – how do you feel when you see it?

I feel joy, and I like that you can see the range of emotions that happen when someone scores a goal. I still can’t believe I got the composition just right. You get to see Christen smiling as she’s about to score, and the pained reaction of the defender. I don’t have another picture that I took that compares to that one. Everything aligned just perfectly. I could have lost her behind the post or the faces could have been blurry, but everything worked out.

How did it feel to win the Best Overall Photo?

It was crazy. I was not expecting it at all. I sent the voting link to my family and a few friends, and I was thinking maybe I could win the Match Action category, but I wasn’t expecting the Best Overall Photo at all. I’m just very thankful for everyone who selected my photo. It really meant a lot to me.

With such a great year behind you, and a couple of awards too, what’s next for you now in 2023? What are some goals you have looking ahead?

Last year, I was able to cover my first USWNT game as well, which was awesome, but this year I want to cover the Brazilian national team. I’ll get to do that in a couple of weeks, which is gonna be super special. I’ve also always wanted to shoot Marta playing for Brazil, and that will be a dream come true. 

I’m also studying marketing with a minor in photography, and I’ll be graduating in about a year, so one of my big goals is to start working in sports marketing. I’m not sure to what extent yet, but that’s one of my big goals going forward – especially working to grow the women’s game. I worked for marketing companies back home in Brazil, which was a lot of fun, but I would like to combine that with my passion for the women’s game here in the States. 

What advice might you give someone who wants to get into the soccer space?

The biggest thing is to reach out to others and in a way sell yourself. Go after that first chance, and stay persistent even if that first opportunity to shoot doesn’t present itself easily. I remember I reached out to 20 different media outlets, and I only heard back from two. You just need one chance. It’s also important to build out your portfolio, so going to shoot high school games or college games can help build your work. The other big thing is to reach out to other photographers and creators because it is a very welcoming community and everyone is usually very eager to help and guide you.