This mesmerizing image captures what the human eye cannot perceive - every split-second of an Olympic-caliber pole vault frozen in a single frame! Edgerton used his revolutionary high-speed stroboscopic flash to reveal the complete athletic sequence invisible to natural vision. Multiple exposures create ethereal figures that transform athletic motion into visual poetry.

Originally shot in 1964 during a track and field meet at Boston Garden, this photograph features David Tork, an accomplished American pole vaulter who set his personal best of 5.08 meters that year. Born August 25, 1934, Tork competed internationally while serving as a Marine Corps officer. The image was later printed as a dye-transfer print in 1977 under Edgerton's supervision for his legendary "Seeing the Unseen" portfolio.

Each ghostly figure reveals the complex physics of pole vaulting - how the athlete plants the pole, transfers kinetic energy through the bend, and uses the recoil to propel upward. Edgerton's technique required precise timing, with strobes firing at calculated intervals while the camera shutter remained open in darkness.

This work bridges scientific documentation and aesthetic beauty. The dye-transfer process's rich colors and razor-sharp detail showcase one of photography's most stunning achievements in motion study - revealing poetry in physics itself.