Euro 2024 photos: The best Getty images in the photographers’ own words – BBC Sport

As the appointed photo agency of Euro 2024, Getty Images’ team of more than 50 award-winning photographers had unique access on the pitch and behind the scenes.

Getty captured a remarkable 250,000 photos during the tournament, including 20,000 in the final – and images of the opening goal were published within 46 seconds of it hitting the back of the net.

The photographers who took some of the most striking and iconic pictures explain how and why they did it.

Alex Pantling: Capturing a player heading the ball often results in compelling images, but the backlight and clean background in this shot truly emphasise the sweat spraying off Lutsharel Geertruida’s head in the Netherlands’ game against Austria. This, combined with the colour of the Netherlands kit, makes for a striking photograph.

Shaun Botterill: The exterior of the iconic Munich Football Arena is a sight to behold when it comes to life, illuminated in a multitude of colours. The Euros were a wonderful mix of fans, with both sets of supporters filtering through the entrance. For this shot, I used the massive exterior panels as a uniform backdrop, softened by a shallow depth of field, to highlight a passionate Romania fan proudly holding his flag aloft in the sunshine. I love how he could celebrate with fellow Romania supporters while mingling with Ukraine fans. The vibrant colours, combined with the patterned backdrop, worked perfectly to create an image previewing the match.

Matthias Hangst: I shot this frame during the match between England and Denmark in Frankfurt. Major football tournaments offer the rare opportunity to cover matches from the tribune – high in the stands among the fans – which I enjoy for its unique angles and perspectives. Whenever I’m up on one of these tribunes, I always think of one of the most famous football images of all time: Diego Maradona guarded by six Belgium players during the 1982 World Cup. Jude Bellingham is one of the shining stars of modern football, a character to focus on and try to capture in a distinctive way.

Boris Streubel: With the way modern football is played, it’s sometimes difficult to capture great action shots. The slick, one-touch play doesn’t often lend itself to the crunching tackles of days gone by. Usually, it’s a stray pass or a slight error that leads to those classic confrontations. This shot of Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes with his foot raised high while the Czech Republic’s Antonin Barak goes to head the ball provided a fantastic opportunity to capture an amazing image. Timing was everything for this one, as capturing it slightly before or after this moment wouldn’t have had the same impact.

Julian Finney: Austria were performing exceptionally well, topping their group. This photograph was taken during their final group match against Poland, where the Austria fans travelled in large numbers. At full-time I witnessed them celebrating and my camera was drawn to a particularly enthusiastic, topless, tattooed man. I wanted to centralise him, surrounded by fellow red-clad supporters. Berlin’s stadium is stunning for photography, and the gap in the structure allowed sunlight to stream through, creating a beautiful backlight that added to the drama of the scene.

James Baylis: When we arrived at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park stadium for Turkey’s match against Georgia the rain was torrential. Some were doubting whether it would be played, but the pitch withstood the soaking and we went on to witness one of the best games of the group stage. The photographers’ pitchside entrance was impassable before kick-off, with water flowing down the steps like a waterfall. The situation was made worse as rainwater cascaded through gaps in the roof, bouncing off seats in the front few rows.

This picture shows how hard the Dortmund stadium staff were working to sweep as much of the water down a drain as they could. It seemed a thankless and futile task because, as quickly as they swept it away, it was all around them again. Completely soaked and exhausted, they carried on regardless.

Carl Recine: I was in the tribune for the Denmark v Serbia match. This position works best when both teams are going at each other and playing football from a bygone era with long balls and strong tackles. Strong colours on a clean, green background always helps too. Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund was having a torrid time, with the Serbia defenders not giving him an inch. This image sums up Serbia’s desperation to defend their goal at all costs.

Matthias Hangst: The players are under the spotlight of the world’s media. Photographers capturing the team photo before each match present a wonderful opportunity to showcase the attention and focus on a team. With matches sometimes attracting up to 200 photographers on the pitch, all lenses are trained towards the two teams before kick-off. This symbolic photo of England’s players before the group game against Slovenia illustrates the immense interest and societal impact football can wield. It highlights 11 players who bear the responsibility for the happiness and joy of an entire nation.

Michael Regan: Kylian Mbappe was struggling with his nose injury. This was his first match wearing the protective mask, making it essential for every photographer to capture it, as we all wondered how it might impact his performance. Despite Mbappe scoring a penalty, France managed only a draw against Poland. This moment occurred during a break in play when the discomfort became too much for him and he removed the mask, revealing a pained expression that spoke volumes about France’s struggles.

Clive Mason: As expected for a home team fixture in a major tournament, the stadium was packed and buzzing with excitement. Germany fans were in full force, but there was also a passionate contingent of Hungary supporters, despite being heavily outnumbered. From my elevated position, I was captivated by the vibrant colours of the Hungarian flags, which their fans waved frantically, creating a sea of colour that stretched from wall to wall. I particularly appreciated the contrast in the bottom right third of the frame, where a harsh shadow added an angular aspect to the picture.

Robbie Jay Barrett: Like every photographer at the Euros, I was waiting for that big Cristiano Ronaldo moment. He hadn’t scored yet in the tournament and when he picked up the ball for an extra-time penalty in Portugal’s last-16 game against Slovenia, I presumed this was the moment. He missed. Thankfully I stayed on him on my long lens waiting for any reaction as he had been quite emotive in every game, appearing desperate to score.

At the end of the first half of extra time Ronaldo walked towards the bench and players flocked around to console him. I stuck with him with his back to me during the team talk as I could see he was emotional. It wasn’t until he turned around to get in position to start the second half that I could actually see his face. He was in floods of tears.

Dan Mullan: This image was taken using a small remote camera attached to the top corner of the net, providing a unique perspective on a critical moment in the match between Turkey and Austria. Turkey keeper Mert Gunok denied Christoph Baumgartner an equaliser in the dying moments of the last-16 match. Some pundits compared this save to Gordon Banks’ legendary stop against Pele in the 1970 World Cup. The comparison is flattering, and I am thrilled that the time invested in setting up the camera for this shot paid off.

Oliver Hardt: Thanks to our co-operation with Uefa, I secured an exclusive photo position in the stands among the fans. As the England-Slovakia match neared its end, I strategically sought out the best spot for any potential extra time and a possible penalty shootout, aiming to capture those special moments. However, football often surprises us with its twists, and this match was no exception. Positioned perfectly, I was able to capture the golden moment of Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick goal with a telephoto zoom lens, highlighting the drama and excitement of the game.

Alex Pantling: I am confident that the Spain-France semi-final will be remembered as the Lamine Yamal show. Scoring a goal of such calibre in a match of this magnitude at just 16 years old is truly special. Thanks to our Uefa on-field privileged access, I was able to capture this remarkable event up close. As the match concluded, forward Lamine walked over to the Spain supporters on his own. I followed him across the pitch, leading to a wonderful moment as he celebrated with them. Being able to document such an intimate and joyous occasion was a testament to the incredible access we had during this unforgettable match.

Alex Livesey: Covering football matches as a photographer is exhilarating, especially when capturing those split-second moments that define the game. The pressure to stay focused until the last second makes the job both challenging and rewarding.

After capturing Ollie Watkins scoring the last-minute winner for England as this semi-final against the Netherlands was heading into extra time, I instinctively stayed on my wider lens instead of switching to a telephoto lens.

A wider shot allowed me to show the entire atmosphere: Watkins’ ecstatic and stunned realisation of his match-winning goal, juxtaposed with the stunned reactions of Virgil van Dijk and Joey Veerman. This kind of shot tells a fuller story, showing not just the moment of triumph but the raw emotions of everyone involved.

Oliver Hardt: As a photographer, there’s the inevitable pressure to capture big moments and great pictures. Images can be missed in the blink of an eye. This pressure is amplified by the occasion, and it doesn’t get much bigger than the European Championship final. Capturing the winning goal – scored by Mikel Oyarzabal as Spain beat England 2-1 – not only brings great satisfaction but also creates an iconic image that defines a moment in sporting history.

Stu Forster: What would have been the equalising goal from Marc Guehi’s header was perfectly captured by a remote camera positioned in the stadium roof. The image clearly shows Dani Olmo heading the ball off the line. So much effort and planning goes into the placement of these cameras that it’s a nice reward to capture unique angles and defining moments like this.

Joosep Martinson: Shooting from an exclusive position in the stands provided a fantastic vantage point for the end of the match, and this moment at the final whistle perfectly sums up the night. Dani Olmo and Dani Carvajal are in utter delirium, a stark contrast to the dejected mood of Ollie Watkins, who is experiencing the complete opposite emotion.

Michael Regan: A cruel twist of the presentation ceremony is that the losing team have to file past the trophy just before watching the winners lift it. While it’s an important part of the night’s story, it wasn’t a picture I wanted to take. This image shouldn’t define the Gareth Southgate era as England manager.

Alex Pantling: I covered Spain in my first game of the tournament in Berlin and, from that game on, it was evident that they had incredible unity and team spirit. This photograph, with head coach Luis de la Fuente at the center of the squad holding the trophy, perfectly encapsulates why they deserved to win Euro 2024. England faced the best team in the tournament by far.