Essential equipment for any ultra high tech, modern studio.

The olympics were amazing.  The best part about them was lurking about in an ocean of humanity for days on end and not seeing so much as a dirty look.  Everybody was happy, all the time.  5 hour lineups to zip line?  Hooray!  Rain during outdoor showings of games?  Hooray!  Granted, if we'd lost a crucial hockey game the collective mood's color cast might've darkened a shade or three, but overall I'm still in shock that people forgot that they hated each other, if only for a couple weeks.  Let's do the olympics in Vancouver again next year!

The pic above is us watching the mens semi final hockey game in the rain at Robson Square.  The province handed out rain ponchos for us to wear.  In yellow.  Thanks, Canada.  Before this game was the womens curling gold medal match against Sweden, and we all looked like we were cheering for Sweden.  

Cookie Monster and a couple of Teletubbie pals came out for the party.

So did, uh....Captain Canuck?

Even Batman and Robin showed up for the festivities.

Well, I flew in to shoot just for portfolio stuff, and let's be honest, to enjoy my hometown's Olympics.  Now I'm shooting for ACTV.   Makes it a bit easier to piggyback what feels like a pudgy midget around.  My 34 pound backpack was death, but easier when it's for a reason that includes my wallet.  This morning was brutal though. I woke up at 4:10 to get downtown to stand in line to see and hold the Olympic and Paralympic medals.  The medal above is the paralympic silver.  It has braille on the back, which is pretty cool. The pavilion opened at 9, I was in line before 6.  I had to rush through and run straight to the lineup where my friends were in line to get into a pub to watch Canada's mens gold medal game.  I lost 3 pounds during the game from increased heart rate alone.  If I was a bunny, I'd've had a heart attack for sure.

This is the first time the public has been allowed to handle the medals.  To get near the medals, you have to Michael Jackson it with one white glove.  Really strict rules about photographing them.  It was worth the wait to hold the gold though.  

Need I say anything about the game?  This was the mayhem in downtown Vancouver.

I've been hearing all about the warm, beautiful weather Vancouver's been having.  I got off the plane to warm sunshine.  I barely remember sunshine it's been so long. It lasted all of 8 hours.  The next morning it started raining.  Turns out it'll be rainy here until pretty much the day I leave.  Puts a monkey wrench into my plans a bit, but we'll see.  Last night I got a fun shot though.  I drove past a light show I'd just been shooting where I saw someone in an Olympic jacket and I had to go back and get a pic.  Mr Jacket prefers to go by the name of John.  I tried some shots of him, then he let me wear his jacket and I got a few shots with me in it.  I'm always behind the lens so I never get any shots of myself (which normally suits me just fine).  I didn't have to face the camera so I was all over it.  It's the perfect souvenir shot for this trip for me.  

Thanks again John for being so gracious and allowing me to snap some pics

I'm off to the winter Olympics.   And the summer Olympics.  Thankfully they're happening at the same time in Vancouver, right now.  I might be a bit late to the party though.  I decided two days ago I was going.  The fact that the opening ceremonies happened more than two days ago doesn't seem to be holding me back.  I'm all over it.  Clearly I'm too late to get a press pass, so I'm going to fake it as best I can.  Soon as I get there and see what a legit pass looks like, I'm going to make a cheap knockoff, complete with spelling errors.  Spelling errors keep me away from copyright jail.  All I need is something around my neck that makes me look important.  Nobody questions a lanyard.  I just need something that lets people know I'm an actual photographer, and not a creepy lurker who's taking close-ups of things they shouldn't. 


Too bad I can't shoot any athletes.  <s>Freeze my as</s> sit still in a 2 foot square for hours on end in the winter?  Sure!  Get the exact same angle with the exact same equipment as the guys to my left and right?  Sounds like heaven.
No thanks.  I'm going to experience the Olympics in my hometown, with a hopeful side order of some portfolio, or at least fun personal shooting.