In Memory of....

My thoughts are with my long standing client, Conair Group, in their loss of two pilots - Tim Whiting and Brian Tilley.

July 31, 2010

2010 Games - Never wanted to be anywhere else...

Despite some of the trekking with too much gear......jostling.....bad photo positions....cowbells ringing steady for 8 minutes within 10 ft of me......racing to get to short track on the tightly scheduled days, I never wanted to be anywhere else.

Unlike other careers where I would look at jets overhead and want to be on them going somewhere, anywhere but where I was, it never happened at the Games.

A good sign and a welcome one.

As always, immense respect for the athletes.

Here is one, Charles Hamelin, just prior to going on ice and winning gold in the 500m.

More later.

2010 Games

I will try to keep postings on a daily basis on the run up and during the Games. I will be shooting long track and short track for Speed Skating Canada. Accreditation has arrived and I have had my preliminary visit to the media centre at Canada Place. There will be several SSC press conferences and a few more visits to the MMC once it is fully operational. So far so good. These things tend to be very fluid and one needs to be open to random changes and last minute adjustments.

The long...the short.....and a bit on volunteering.

The long.....looking forward to the four long track events at the Olympic Oval starting December 27th.

The short.......having fun doing some studio shots of a pair of short track skates on loan from Bryce Holbech.

A bit on volunteering.......2 years ago while in Starbucks I overheard (ok..I was eavesdropping) a group of women talking about kids, cancer and a volunteer organization. I introduced myself and without knowing who they were, offered my photo services at n/c. As it turns out, it was Starlight Starbright, a non-profit group who help seriously ill children and their parents in any way they can. They have grown and now enjoy the sponsorship and assistance of many large companies and generous individuals. I have enjoyed helping out with photography and recently did their Sparkle Gala that was well attended. One of my shots is being used to promote "Fuzzy Thomas".

A bit more on volunteering....... I had the occasion to rescue a Harrier Hawk that was hobbling around at the side of the road with a broken wing. Guided over the by phone the vet at O.W.L. Orphaned Wildlife Rescue in Ladner, I manged to safely gather up the hawk and drove her to their facility. Two months later they called to tell me she had fully recovered and was ready to be released. I had the privilege of taking this beauty back to Abbotsford where I found her to then see her blast out of the carrier and fly off...looking like a hawk should. This started me on a path of various pick up and deliveries of owls and hawks between rescuers and the facility. I decided recently to inquire on stepping up my involvement with them and am now in the process of becoming an eagle handler for the Abbotsford area. Am looking forward to picking up my first Eagle!! Hopefully someone will have a few Band Aids and a camera ready!

More Photos....Less Banter

My final sort and processing is now done ..... Vanoc will be getting a great spread of skating, venue, coaching and officiating shots (in my opinion anyway). I have some real favorites and will post a few here. Enjoyed watching the CBC one hour highlight show. It was good to see the whole race and how things develop.

Fisheye

Although a fisheye lens can become boring fast as the uniqueness of the images become mundane.....I enjoyed using a 10.5 DX on my D3. Clambering around the catwalk of the Pacific Coliseum paid off.

Why I Love Photography

As I sort through hundreds of photos from the World Cup.....I have created a 'fun' folder. This one tops it. More later.