Today on the GMM podcast we sit down with SwimSwam’s Chief Photographer, Jack Spitser, fresh off capturing unforgettable moments at the 2025 World Championships.
Before we dive into Worlds, I wanted Jack to share his story, the journey that led him to becoming SwimSwam’s eyes at the biggest meets in the sport. When he joined us seven years ago, Jack said his goal was simple: he wanted to shoot the Olympic Games.
In this conversation, Jack pulls back the curtain. He talks about how he pieced together his gear (no small feat when photography equipment costs more than most used cars), and how he taught himself a craft that blends technical mastery with raw endurance. Capturing images can sometimes be ugly, a grind, pure brute force. But every so often, the work nets gold: that one image that transcends words and burns itself into the memory of millions of fans. Those are the photos that outlive the moment and become history.
I’m proud of Jack, not just for the images he delivers, but for the grit, artistry, and persistence behind them. And I’m grateful for the relationship we’ve built at SwimSwam. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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Many thanks to Swimoutlet.com for their 13 years partnership and support of this swimming news and media.
This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
My back hurt more after shooting my team’s meets with big lenses than it EVER did competing. I would never try to shoot a meet I was competing at.
Shooting rowing is less painful. You can plop down in a camping chair with the lens on the tripod. Since the athletes are seated, they are at eye level and you can just pan across and hold the shutter down. I was actually able to race and shoot at the same regatta and not need to guzzle an entire bottle of ibuprofen.
Enjoyed the interview. As an amateur photographer and former coach who’d put together team slideshows at the end of year banquets, it was great to hear how Jack got his start and has grown a business in this creative field.
Jack – Love how you look to capture a story and not just a photo.
Jack has been amazing. He took a lot of photos of my hero and our journey wouldn’t have been the same without his images!
Take pictures at the olympics
Can’t believe it’s been 7 years since Junior Nats in 2018! Loved it all ever since, nothing better than getting to work around and capture my favorite sport with the best media company out there. Let’s keep it going…
…for anyone who doesn’t watch the full podcast, the one big takeaway moment–Jack shot over 9,000 photos the first time he covered NCAA DI Champs for us…
The 9000 isn’t an impressive number in an of itself, considering he shot with a digital camera. What’s really impressive is that he slogged through all 9000 to get the best ones. If he had used film, and swimswam had paid for the developing and scanning, I’d be doubly impressed.
….very true, it’s sourcing from the 9k that’s entirely the workload!