Vancouver Olympics, Entry 8
We’re off to the ski jump hill, then short track speed skating today.
I continue to be indebted to Donald Miralle for his help with pans (also, a BIG congrats to him for winning World Press – check it out HERE). I’ll get an OK panning shot at 1/60th of a second, he can get a tac-sharp shot at 1/4 of a second. No man knows how he does it.
How does one go about taking such preposterous photos as the last two? Well, let me tell you – you stick close to Al Bello and Don Miralle for the day, and you are bound to end of up a situation like the photo below…
Hanging out under the ski jump. The hands on the far left of the frame belong the Sports Illustrated’s Bob Martin. Left to right is Getty’s chief of sports photography for north america, Al Bello, former Getty-photog-gone-freelance, Don Miralle, and yours truly. I don’t want to make some ridiculous comparison for what it is like hanging out under a ski jump, but It is pretty eerie. You start taking photos when the whistling sounds like it is going to land on top of you. Then, only silence and shutters clicking.
Next, we’re headed to hang out with the Apolo Ohno, but first, some Chinese vs. Korean tension, slowed down.
This old chap was kind enough to leave his foot still (for the most part) for 1/8 of a second.
And now – Apolo Ohno’s seventh medal, with photos from the qualifying, semi and final round.
Apolo hangs out with friends.
His signature tactic – hanging out in the back of the pack, drafting, then making a mad dash for the front in one of the last laps.
Like everyone at the Olympics, these guys move fast. Also, they seem to be able to skate horizontally.
Apolo taking first place in the semi-final round to advance to the finals. I would dare to consider this a decisive moment.
Token celebration shot. To be honest, this guy is incredibly cool, calm and collected. The photographer next to me pointed out Apolo was skating around and yawning before the final race (he really was). When he skates, he seems to move slower, and much more gracefully, rhythmically than the other skaters, who look they are getting ready to collapse. Whatever he is doing, it is clearly working well for him, and it is pretty awesome to watch. My second favorite athlete to photograph these games, behind Shaun White.