Imad Bolotok (@imadshoots) has been LAFC’s lead photographer since the club was founded in 2016. Here are his Top 10 photos from the 2024 Preseason – the seventh one he has covered for the club.
"Probably my favorite shot from preseason. I love finding moments where players can isolate for a minute before rejoining the group for training."
"I like the simplicity of this one, just a net, green grass and palm trees. Coachella Valley is a beautiful place to hold a preseason tournament."
"I love symmetry in photography. Whenever there are group shots or huddles I look for any positioning that's symmetrical and then I turn them into black and white to emphasize it."
"This frame is a nod to all the people who help put the Coachella tournament on every year and do all the hard work."
"Before our preseason match against St. Louis Dénis was off on the second field about to warm up. When he started juggling the ball I rushed over to take a few frames. The iconic rainbow tower in Coachella, the mountains, and palm trees were the perfect backdrop for this quiet moment."
"Right before the match against St. Louis our guys were looking over to the other side to size up their opponent before heading out. I wanted to get a more unique angle so I crouched down and included the field boards in the frame - I liked how the line leads you across the entire starting 11."
"Just before our match ended I was walking towards our bench to capture post game reactions. As the light was fading away I saw a good opportunity to capture the palm trees backlight against the mountains and took a few frames."
"Having access to the team means trying to capture moments up close that most don't get to see. This frame of Muri in thought before heading out to the field is one of my favorites."
"I was on the far end of the field at our training facility and saw an opportunity to try and capture some motion from this training session. The composition with the wing at the top makes it for me."
"Some training days, I'll pick something to work on. This day I wanted to execute on shadows and backlighting since it was a bright out (as it usually is in LA). Right before training Dénis was speaking with one of the coaches and walked back towards me, I saw an opportunity to capture this from a low angle and get the sun right behind him. The profile and hair make him easily identifiable which I think makes the frame perfect."
