A magical moment with the greatest Olympian of all time

Michael & Nicole Phelps Swimming with Boomer. © Fernando Decillis
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Michael & Nicole Phelps Swimming with Boomer.

Simply, I can say I was there for a Huggies Little Swimmersad shoot, but the truth is more. In a way, everything that happened up to this point in my life led up to me being here to document the Phelps family doing what they love together.

I love to observe and make pictures of people where they have a great sense of belonging. For me, my camera is like a physical, portable sense of belonging. It gives me a reason to ask people for just a little more connection, a little more truth.

That’s why I love this image. Because it’s not so much of the greatest Olympian of all time as it is Michael Phelps, the father, playing with his son.

Fernando Decillis received 1st place for this image at the 2018 American Photographic Artists (APA) Awards Celebrity/Musician. Another of his images received 1st place in the Documentary/Editorial category.

Fernando Decillis BTS

Fernando Decillis is an Atlanta-based photographer specialising in advertising and documentary projects. Decillis was born in Montevideo, Uruguay to a teenage seamstress and an airport ramp agent. He spent his childhood roaming his town, Shangri La, asking local fisherman for advice and riding through Uruguay’s flat country roads as one of four passengers on his dad’s moped.

In an effort to escape Uruguay’s military dictatorship, the Decillis family set out for the United States. At ten years old, speaking no English, Fernando attended public school in what is known today as the Dekalb International Corridor of Atlanta, or Buford Highway.

His love of fútbol was his path to making friends with other immigrant children from all over the globe, who were simultaneously assimilating to life in the U.S. De quickly learned to rely on nonverbal communication to foster a sense of oneness on the field with teammates who all spoke different languages.

Decillis translates this skillset fluidly to photograph people from all walks of life, from world leaders to celebrities to local farmers. His award-winning photography teases a humanistic beauty out of everyday situations.

Decillis has worked on campaigns for Coca-Cola, Reebok, Wild Turkey Bourbon, and many more. His work has been featured in publications such as AdWeek, Smithsonian Magazine, CNN and Bloomberg Businessweek. In 2015 Fernando was honored by the International Photography Awards with the title of Advertising Photographer of the Year and won a Communication Arts Award of Excellence. He was nominated for International Photographer of the Year for the 2015 Lucie Awards.