Oops, shooting from the hip

With the games nearly over I was looking at some of the pictures I had taken and as I went through some of the files I found, usually at the beginning or the end of a card, the accidental images. These are the images that occur when my cameras are slung on my shoulder and sitting on my hip.

For the games I carry a backpack with my laptop and other odds and ends, my shoulder bag that has batteries and a couple pouches to put lenses in, and pull a rolly case with a 300 + 400/500 (depends on what the major event is that day), a monopod and two camera bodies (one with a 16-35, the other a 70-200).

The batteries are so good now that I usually leave the cameras on all the time, that way they are ready to go!

It also means that as the mountain of gear moves around me sometimes the shutter ends up firing on one of bodies.

Here are a few of my favourite accidental images.

Outside the Stadium in Tainjin, where women's soccer was being played.

Getting off the golf cart shuttle that takes us from our building in the media village to the shuttle to the Main Press Centre. Those legs belong to Jean Levac of the Ottawa Citizen.

On the subway in Beijing - I'm a married guy, I don't know who those legs belong to!

-Steve Russell

Strip Camera

Sports Illustrated’s famed photographer, Heinz Kluetmeier, has been touring the moat and recording the action at Beijing’s National Stadium with a digital strip camera. The camera, operated by a laptop, comes with its own technician, who stands beside the photographer.

How does the camera work? In simple terms the ‘film’ travels at the same speed as the runner as it is exposed in multiple vertical strip exposures. The background is blurred and the subject is captured in a series of thin vertical pictures that constitutes one photograph on one piece of ‘film.’

The technology has been around been around for decades. The most notable photograph captured in recent history is of American runner Marion Jones at the Sydney Olympics by Sports Illustrated’s Bill Frakes and David Callow who used a film version of the camera.

Keep an eye out for Kluetmeier's work in the next edition of SI.

-Lucas

Triathlete a class act

I was at the triathalon venue yesterday just outside of Beijing when Simon Whitfield won his silver. He is definitely one of Canada's marquee athletes after his coming from nowhere for his gold medal win in 2000 and he's a real class act. Here is a guy who is ranked in the top 10 in the world, has won many races and is a big name in triathalon for sure. I was waiting at the finish as he came through second with typical understated Canadian reaction.
Following his two-hour race, he goes through the medal ceremony, greets well wishers, does trackside TV and press interviews, holds a press conference - a bit of a busy time for him. Finally, after I had sent off my photos and packed up my equipment, I'm beat from the heat and the event and head out to catch a bus. Who do I pass by but Whitfield, shirt off, medal in hand posing for photos with volunteers and some of the workers. Impressive.

-Richard Lautens

An underwater photo position I don't want

During a trip to the Yingdong Natatorium to cover a water polo game, I had a little surprise when my helpers started to take me to the underwater shooting position.
If you have been looking at our photo galleries you'll know that I did make the trip to the viewing area - and I did make another stop along the way too!

Steve Russell

"Excuse me, I have a question about.... um.... underwear."

The goal was to use some pictures on this blog that wouldn't get into the paper.
But the story behind this picture that ran on the Second Look feature on page two of the Olympics section gives a unique behind-the-scenes look that does fit with the spirit of the blog.

There are about 15 press attachés at the Olympics that deal with one, two or sometimes three different Canadian sports here at the Olympics.
The attachés deal with us, the press, then decide who will be granted interview. They schedule availability, take requests from the media as to when the practice times are, listen in the mixed zone interviews and provide quotes to the reporters who couldn't make it to the event because they were at another event or were back home.
Depending on the sport or athlete, they deal will all the media, not just the Canadian contingent.
Their numbers are the first we program into our phones when we get here.

While shooting the wrestling I noticed that Tonya Verbeek had something written on her underwear. She was a little far to see but I made a mental note to keep an eye out for it later.
Sure enough in a later bout she went for a double leg grab and there it was.
As plain as day, I could read "Kicking butt since _____, continuing in 2008!!
Always looking for a different picture for the paper, I knew I was going to move it.
But first I have to know all the words, and with that I called Mylène Croteau, the press attaché, who I was sure would be busy with two athletes in the medal round later.
So I called ....

" Hi, this is Steve Russell, a photographer with the Toronto Star here at the games."
"Hello Steve, what can I do for you?"
"Well, I have a question about Tonya Verbeek's.........umm.......underwear"
pause, just before it gets uncomfortable, I continue....
"Well, when she wears her red singlet you can see something written on it...."
still silent on the other end
"Well, it says,  "Kicking butt since BLANK, continuing in 2008. I'm trying to find out what BLANK is."
Laughs, "Well, I'll ask her and get back to you."

Less than half an hour later, Mylène calls back with the answer: 1993.
I would have loved to have been there when she asked Verbeek!

-Steve Russell

Photographers Dress Code

The Olympics is an amazing place. Not only are we in a large and diverse country like China, we in the media get to rub shoulders with colleagues from all around the world. 10,000 or so media have come here to cover The Games and we all work together, live together, eat together, ride busses together and socialize together.
As an example, the first day here I met a very nice photographer from the Cayman Islands. She picked me out of a crowd because of my Canadian pin and her opening statement was 'We have many Canadians in my small country and they are all very nice, could you help me out?' It turns out she is unused to large events particularly on the scope of the Olympics and was trying to figure out how things work around here. I have bumped into her once or twice since and I think I have a new friend from the Cayman Islands now.
It is fascinating to talk with writers and photographers from many different countries and find out about their working conditions, journalistic styles but the thing that surprised me the most was the uniform of the photographers. Every Photographer I have seen wears this uniform every day - knee length cargo shorts, short socks, hiking shoes or trainers, a t-shirt/golf shirt/short sleeve button shirt, vest and a fanny pack worn in the front and a backpack. Granted the vest is mandatory here but it is nice to know it is not only Toronto photographers who dress so badly. -Richard Lautens