This day had balls!

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

When I decided to cover the four Canadians competing in tennis today I was a little worried.

We have all watched Wimbledon over the years, and when I got this chance to go I was a little worried.

You watch the grand slam tournament on television and you get the impression that it might be very photographer unfriendly.

Was I wrong, large pictures of past champions are on the walls of the main press building, even in the stairwells and throughout Court One. The photo area of the media centre allows for photographers to protect our gear like no other venue I have been too! 

And the photo positions and access to those photo positions, incredible!

The place drips history.

Canada had a great day on the courts, Raonic, Wozniak, Nestor and Pospisil were all winners and I couldn't help but think I won too!

Aleksandra Wozniak defeats New Zealand's Marina Erakovic 6-2 6-1 in first round action in the Olympic Tennis tournament at the London 2012 Olympic Games at Wimbledon. 

My Olympic sure things.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

Olympics are somewhat comforting in the simpla fact that there are somethings you can bank on!

Some are pet peeves, some are madly annoying and some are comforting.

What are they?

A volunteer will give you the worst directions and make you extremely late/miss an event.

You cannot yell at that volunteer because, heck, they are a volunteer.

You will spend 2 hours a day, at least, on buses with sweaty stinky journalists, present company included.

You will break or lose something valuable like a lens or a wedding ring.

Emilie Heymans will win a medal when I'm at the pool.

I have the pleasure of witnessing Emilie Heymans winning three of her four diving medals. I was there in 2000, 2008 and yesterday!

SYDNEY, 2000

Canada's Emilie Heymans, right and Anne Montminy perform one of the five dives that scored them high enough to win silver at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The image is a little rough, shot on the Canon D2000, whooping 2 mega-pixel digital camera. There have been five new generations of pro digital cameras since!

 

The emotions of being a homer.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

It is tough.

When I'm at the Olympics I realize how much of a homer I am. As a journalist I'd love to be objective, but during the Olympics as a Canadian I want the home side to do well and get on the podium! I'm sure it is the same for all my collegues here too.

Tonight as a former swimmer and a Canadian it was hard to watch Scott Dickens swim. He came in with a good morning swim, setting new national record,  that fueled hopes for his semi-final.

I'm sure the other Canadian photographer that were covering that race feel it too.

At the Olympics, that happen once every four years, we see and begin to understand their commitment to their sport.

Canada's emotional state at the pool was already compromised when Ryan Cochrane was bumped to first alternate in the final after South Korean Park Tae-hwan, who had been disqualified won his appeal. This bumped Cochrane out of the final.

As crappy of a day it might seem to Dickens, he still has the 200 breast to look forward to. 

Good luck Scott!

Team Canada members cheer as Scott Dickens is introduced before the 100 metre breastroke semi-final. The top eight times in the two semi-finals advance.

Opening Ceremonies = a long day + Clicker Ticker abuse!

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

I tell my daughters, "you get what you get and you don't get upset."

Now if only I could follow my own advice. I had a less than ideal position for the Opening Ceremony. I took it out on my fellow photographers and a poor guy that works at the COC. 

I don't really feel bad though, part of the job is to try to get the best possible position for the paper.

But it truly was a really bad spot.

Here are some of my favourites from the opening!

Spectators wait for the show to start to kick off the 30th Olympiad!

I travelled 24 hours to cover a soccer game! And the unveiling of the Russell Clicker Ticker!

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

Well,..., I travelled a lot more than to cover a soccer game. 

After I got word that a game was scheduled in Coventry at 3pm the day I was to arrive in London, I wanted to cover it.

It was a challenge, I made my way from Downtown Toronto at 2:30 p.m. to the airport to catch a flight was to arrive at 7 a.m. London Time. After landing I had to make my way to Paddington Station, to my hotel and then to the Olympic Park.

At the Olympic park I had to finish my accreditation process getting the required photo vest, getting a locker and certifying my radio remotes.

Thankfully the time of the match was 5 pm, I needed those two hours.

I had to get to Coventry, a process that took me two rapid transit trips with a 15 minute walk and a train trip that was lengthened and required a transfer after a fatality occurred on the route. 

Arrival in Coventry meant another 25 minutes in a bus and a 20 minute walk to the media entrance at the pitch.

I made it, just after the original game time, sweaty, tired and with just one hour of sleep in the prior 36 hours.

Here are some pictures from my journey and pictures from the game I travelled 25 hours to cover!

And as a bonus, the unvwiling of my Olympic feature, the Steve Russell Clicker Ticker!

The trip got off to a great start, a double truck picture of Jennifer Abel in the Olympic peview issue of Maclean's Magazine.

Olympic prep, take a peek inside my camera bag

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

Most of the debate for photographers before an Olympics is not about a specific athletes medal chances. Photographers debate gear and what to pack.

We might be covering a sport for the first time or covering a sport with memories of covering it with a camera that is now two generations past. 

But what it breaks down to is how much gear do you want to haul around with you.

This year I'm cutting down on my kit, and hoping that the Canon camera pool at the Olympics can help me out with a few lenses during the games. I'm hoping that the new 200-400 is there!

A the guts of the gear I'm bringing, 2 Canon 1DXs, Canon 1D mkIV, 14mm, 16-35, 24-70, 70-200, 300 f/2.8, 500 f/4 (which is my favourite sports lens), some remote gear, cards, extra glasses. And, of course, pit stick, also known as "Shower in a tube"

The most important things, passport and media accreditation! What are the Green markers for? Find out here!

Pocket Wizards on a remote camera give us another angle on an event.

The iPhone is a must piece of kit, the battery case equaly important.

A piece of kit that I love to use next to one I hate to use. The Canon angle finder allows me to line up a picture without having to lay down on the ground, great for low angle photography. The rain covers are a must in England. While I hate taking pictures in the rain, I love pictures taken in the rain. I know its strange!

The pair of newly released Canon 1DX in my kit require me to read the manual. Very different from the previous generation.

Everytime I'm lucky enough to shoot an Olympics I get a T-shirt made up for it. This year I had a pair of T-shirt's made up, each pays tribute to a friend that will not be at the Olympics. The black EP shirt, is a take off on the Queen's ER logo. EP is the designation for Photographer's on Olympic credentials. The crown has the initials SB in it for Shaun Best, a Reuters photographer who passed away last year. The Red shirt is the Toronto Star team shirt that reads "Keep Calm and File Fast" honours our Olympic writer Randy Starkman who passed away suddenly a couple months ago with a RS in the crown.

 

Summer Olympics past as I look to Olympics future

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

Tonight I board an airplane to make my way to cover my third Summer Games.

While I look forward to the challenge, I worry about the assignment. Just like and athlete before a big event I feel the butterflies.

Here are some of my favourite pictures from my two previous Olympic experiences, Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008.

Some of the pictures are not the greatest but they are special to me.

The Harbour Bridge climb at Sydney Harbour takes three hours and allows you a different view of the Harbour. Climber are taken to the summit of the bridge, almost 150 metres over the water.

Jamaica's Future Olympians

Bernard Weil, Chief Photographer/Multimedia - @bernardweil

 

Since 1910, athletes from high schools throughout Jamaica make the annual pilgrimage to the Kingston National Stadium to compete in the Inter-Secondary Schools Boys and Girls Championships, also known as CHAMPS. It's a four day extravaganza that's been a springboard for some of the top athletes in the world. 

Having photographed many high school track and field meets in my career, this was unlike any I've covered. The level of organization and calibre of athletes approached that of the Olympics, four of which I have photographed for the Star. Star reporter Royson James and I went to Jamaica to find out why so many top atheletes are coming from this country of less than 3 million people.

 

Framed by mansions on the hilltop, Jamie Lee Gordon, of Manchester High School, flies past a judge in the girls 13-19year-old long jump.

 

Olympic gear? For Graham Bezant in '72 it included a 500mm mirror lens, a green marker and wine.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

My trip to London is less than a week away.

The arrival of my Olympic credential starts the clock ticking with much left to do.

I have a new camera to learn and a new workflow to figure out as well.

But, the first thing I double checked, well triple checked was to make sure that my credential had the all important "EP" classification.

The EP is the designation for Photographers, writers credentials just have an E on them.

While researching a story on a group of  Canadian water polo players who witnessed the tragic events in Munich I came across  the work of retired Toronto Star photographer Graham Bezant's work from those games.

Canadian high jumper Debbie Brill jumps, Graham Bezant shot this image with a 500 mm mirror lens giving it the interesting background. 

FINALLY, some rain for July's heat

Rick Madonik, Staff Photographer - @RMadonik

Seven-year-old German Shepherd Angel shakes off the water after being hosed down by owner Joanne Boudreault. Its a daily routine between owner and pet during the hot, humid, summer weather.