5DMKII, 16-35mm, f/3.2 @ 1/20, ISO 6400.

I was feeling a bit down about the Olympics being over and then this happened. I guess there still is a bit of awesome left in Vancouver.

From this I learnt two valuable lessons:

1. Don’t despair. You might run into a storm trooper outside your apartment; and
2. Never leave home without a camera.

Did you see the Closing Ceremonies and wonder how the crowd experienced it?

Well I’m gonna take you behind the scenes of the Closing Ceremonies pre-show and gives you an inside peek at all the pre-show activities including, learning the ins and outs of moose antler props, gettin’ groovy with the “Sochi Snowglobe” wave, packin’ on pounds with the hospital poncho and the good and bad of blinky, flashy buttons.

iPhone snap.

The video was shot with two 5DMKIIs & a Canon PowerShot 980 IS (for the reverse angles during the show). I was shooting with a 16-35mm f/2.8 & the LensBaby Composer (at the end) & my friend, Scott was shooting with a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. Niiiice piece of glass.

I take a ride on the luxurious Alberta Train up to Whistler to experience the snowier side of the Winter Olympics. It was definitely the highlight of my Olympic experience so far!

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Shot with 5DMKII, 16/35mm f/2.8

Today six bobsleds crashed during the first two heats of the Olympic four-man bobsled event up at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

I was right at the side of the track when the USA-2 bobsled flipped over and slid side-ways over the finish line. Apparently, USA-2 pilot, John Napier, lost control during the infamous curve nicknamed “50-50.”

I was able to capture all the action in this short snapshot video that shows the entire incident, including footage of the Americans being pulled from the bobsled and being assessed for injuries. There were no major injuries, but a very tense moment for the Americans and the worried fans in the crowd.

John Kershner was watching and grabbed this screen shot of me in the sidelines.

Music credit: “How You Like Me Know” The Heavy.

Coca-Cola is Corporate Olympic Sponsorship at its very best. Free Coke, free interactive games, free picture of you with the Olympic torch and the shiniest, happiest PR people ever. Although, come to think about it they did seem a bit disgruntled when I asked if I could get Pepsi instead.

Shot with 5DMKII, 35mm f/1.4. Music cred: “St. Clinton St.” Wakey!Wakey!

From tear-jerking Gold medal victories to heartbreaking 3rd place near-misses, the Olympics is jam-packed with glittering stories that leap off the newspaper page. It’s a reporter’s dream to cover the glory and the grief of the Olympic games. But I’m not one of those reporters. I revel in finding those peculiar stories, the hidden gems if you will, that catch my eye and make me chuckle.

Yesterday I set off in search of a weird and wonderful story of Olympic pride. I wasn’t more than 100m from my place, when I heard rumours of a sock puppet mascot contest being held at the CBC. Surely enough, when I walked in the doors of the CBC, I came face-to-face with over 40 googly, glued-on eyes, pompom noses, and pipe-cleaner whiskers. Some were simple, some were practical, and others were beyond the scope of my imagination.

The winner of the CBC Vancouver Welcomes the World Mascot Contest, David Julian Abhijit Xinshi by Susi Bainard, a three-eyed moose/beaver aka “Moover” was quite laid-back about his victory. He remained both strong and silent, when asked about his new-found fame.

You can see the masterful collection of sock puppets at the CBC on the corner of Hamilton and West Georgia open from 9am-6pm everyday until February 28th. Also, make sure to check out the daily “meet and greets” held in CBC plaza where you hobnob with CBC personalities and Olympians and pick up a limited edition pin.

A lot of people are asking me what I am using to record my most recent videos covering the Olympics, so I thought I’d share my set-up with you.

It’s nothing super fancy, except for the 5DMKII :) For lenses I’ve been primarily using the 35mm because it’s the widest lens I’ve got. Plus, my 50mm f/1.4 had a small accident and is currently in the Canon’s hospital for sick camera lenses. I rented the 16-35mm f/2.8 this weekend and absolutely fell in love with it shooting the crowd scenes in the Ignite your Dream video.

I’ve experimented with longer lenses, my 85mm f/1.8 used in the stadium during the victory ceremony video and the 70-200mm IS f/2.8, but found it impossible to keep steady while shooting hand-held and possibly clapping or screaming which seems to be a requirement during the games. Also, tripods and huge swarms of people don’t seem to mix well. I tried it once during the games and nearly punctured someone’s liver.

I’m using the RØDE VideoMic (Directional Video Condenser Microphone) for sound which has worked out alright. It’s obviously not ideal to shoot in noisy crowds like this video I shot in a crowd of enthusiastic hockey fans. But it’s a great, low priced mic that I’ve used in many video projects. You can tell the difference in using the VidMic compared to the on-camera mic at the end of this video.

For extra lighting in night scenes or in door shooting, I’m using a Litepanels Micro LED light. This small LED light panel runs on 4 AA batteries and has an integrated dimmer dial that allows you to control your lighting output. You can also put coloured gels in the flip-down filter holder to correct any white balancing issues.
The mic and the litepanel are connected to my camera’s hotshoe using the Cool-Lux MD300 light and sound bracket.

This is my first time shooting with the 5DMKII and it has absolutely blown my mind how crisp and vibrant the footage looks even at ISO6400. Well, that is when it’s in focus! It is definitely a challenge to grab focus in night time shoots, but I’m slowly getting the hang of it.

Any questions or comments?

One of the most uplifting nighttime highlights at the 2010 Olympics is Robson Square’s impressive light and laser show, Ignite the Dream. Situated right in the heart of the downtown buzz, this amazing light show captivates thousands of eager on-lookers everyday.

There are two nightly shows starting at 9:30pm and 11pm. Arrive 30 minute early to secure a decent spot and to avoid the drunken rowdies, who, in their own way add a whole new dimension to the Olympic experience.

Shot with a Canon 5DMKII, 35mm f/1.4, & Micro LED Lightpanel.

Hockey is to Canadians as candy is to children. They crave it when they don’t have it, complain loudly when they do have it and it’s not what they want, and sky rocket to the moon when they get their favourite kind of sugar high. That is of course, a Team Canada win at the Olympics on home ice.

Yesterday after the tense victory over the Swiss, crowds leaving GM Place whooped and hollered loud enough to wake granny in North Van. The downtown streets sounded like the Battle at Helm’s Deep with someone making excellent use of their commemorative Lord of The Rings Orc Horn.

Although I’m not usually a hockey fan, don’t judge me, it’s a long story involving heartbreak and toe picks, I have been swept into this Team Canada hockey mania with the rest of Vancouver. Last night, I willingly watched the CAN-SWI game over the Men’s free program, much to my mother’s chagrin, who has remained a die hard figure skating fan years after I packed away my sequined unitards and mini gloves.

I won’t deny it, I got a little crush on King Crosby after witnessing his excellent puck control and fearless focus during the sudden death shoot-out. And although phrases like “icing”, “power play” and “off-side” are still quite new to me, I do understand “he shoots, he scores!” quite well. I think that phrase is hard-wired in Canadian brains from birth. That and overbearing politeness. Because even in the most rowdy of Canada hockey mobs, someone will inevitably say, “oh sorry eh” for stepping on your toe.

(Shot with a Canon 7D.)

It’s been about two years since I stepped on the ice, and almost ten since I competed, but French reporter, Gaston Tartarin managed to convince me to return to the sport I love for one more inspiring performance. We hit the ice at GE Plaza in Robson Square yesterday, and I can honestly say that anyone managing to get a glimpse of Gaston’s little skin-tight metallic number, was changed forever.

Gaston discovers that skating shoes aren’t the most comfortable shoes.

Well, maybe we have a bit of practicing to do, but the passion is definitely there. 2012! Vive la France!

Last night I went to a schmoozy Tourism BC event at the Vancouver Art Gallery (BC Pavillion) and I had an amazing view of Robson Square and the Ignite the Dream light show for the 2010 Olympics. I captured the light show on video with my 5DMKII and it looks super sweet. I’ll put that up in a bit.

I couldn’t help but get a little trigger happy last night. Such incredible photo ops during this Olympics. Wish I had more time to shoot!

Canada loves them some hockey!

There are piles of clothes accumulating in my apartment. Every red t-shirt, sweater, and hat I own is heaped on the floor. There is a row of empty Venti Starbucks cups, chocolate wrappers, and a pile of gadgets cluttering my desk. I’ve been living off caffeine and KD, and I’m out of frozen dinners. I’ve actually resorted to boiling eggs and eating them straight out of the pot because I have no clean dishes, and now, no clean pots.

Outside Vancouver is jumping up and down and screaming, “Go Canada Go!” and I’m here just trying to catch a cat nap before I have to buckle down and get to work again. It’s hard to stay focused in this madness. The irresponsible me wants to join in the party with reckless abandon, while the responsible me knows that it’s two hours before deadline and I’m staring at an empty page.

Since the Olympics started, the city never seems to sleep. This morning I was jarred awake by a noisy Chinese dragon announcing the Year of the Tiger with what felt like the loudest cymbals ever. Once the crashing noise had dissipated, my Swiss neighbour started rockin’ the cowbell. I reckon he thinks he’s a cow bell virtuoso. Clang. Clang. Cu-Clang. There’s almost a beat there. A Bossa Nova perhaps?

Later on Canada wins Gold and everyone erupts in celebration. I hear cheers, w00ts, whistles and air horns well into the early morning. 4am to be exact. Not that I noticed. (I did).

Ah, but who can possibly be an Olympics grinch, when everyone is so uplifted and happy? I even saw someone try to get angry at a volunteer for having to wait so long in a line at LiveCity Vancouver, but the volunteer was so lovely they ended up high-fiving and exchanging email addresses after 5 minutes.

That is my Olympic experience so far. Every time I get worked up over road closures, slow moving pedestrians, or general Olympic headaches, some fantastic, moving moment happens and I’m swelling with Canadian pride. So Vancouver, my advice: stock up on aspirins, ear plugs, and bucket loads of patience because this 17-day party has only just begun.

Ahem, can all those people celebrating the Olympics please turn the volume down a few decibles? Some of us have to get up and go to work tomorrow.

Agoraphobia and the Olympics don’t mix well. *hides under blanket for a few days. holds Macbook Air tightly*

Featured Editorial in Today’s Province.

Maybe I’m biased because I’m a proud Vancouverite and ex-figure skater, but this Winter Olympics feels immense to me. I feel massive amounts of pride and nervous tension, as I hold my breath for the next 17 days. But, while I was throughly weeping watching Clara Hughes’ teary eyes as she lead the Canadian team into the stadium, the internet shrugged, said “meh” and asked, “what’s happening on YouTube?”

The 2010 organizers are vocal about being the first Olympics to have a “Global Social Media” campaign, but they are still miles away from connecting to heartbeat of the internet and engaging with the masses of apathetic, web-addicted cynics like, well, me. 

Comments of Twitter directly following the Opening ceremonies ranged from the inquisitive, “Dude, what happened with the torch?? #torchfail  to the whining, “How hard would it have been for Gretzky to shoot a flaming puck into the cauldron?” to the bitter, “Lol @Canada. Thanks for showing up how to NOT do Olympics & healthcare” to the sarcastic “This just in: Olympic torch pillars being recalled by Toyota”. 

There was a much more positive “Go Canada” vibe on Facebook, but then again people are generally nicer on Facebook. I think it’s the whole “if you happen to find me tagged in a drunken, embarrassing photo, please don’t forward it to my mom” silent agreement that keeps troll comments to a minimum. Most of my Canadian friends on Facebook were w00ting and my American contacts where complaining about the crappy NBC coverage of the Opening Ceremonies and giggling at their own “Blame Canada” jokes. 

While I wasn’t surprised that the internet latched on to the “epic torch fail” moment, I was surprised at how little people were actually talking about the Olympics online. In fact, the Olympics only trended on Twitter for about three hours, then it was booted off in favor of #thuglife. Blame violent video games, Michael Bay movies, or Wikipedia, but the internet audience has about as much attentiveness as a flee circus. Days, weeks, and months seem to mash into one giant lol, fml, pwn or fail. At the end of one day’s “torchfail”, another “OMG rofl” moment is born somewhere else, most likely on a Japanese game show.

Perhaps it is the buzz of just living in Vancouver, footsteps away from the heart of the action, that has sold me on this Olympic Games. I’m loving every minute of 2010 excitement and even my overwhelming desire to make snide comments about the four phallic-shaped totems that slowly rose from the ground as dancers shook and shimmied around them has been squelched. 

Aerial View of huge crowd gathering in front of BC Place to protest the 2010 Olympic games. Chanting: “We want peace!” & “No Olympics”. I was shaking holding the camera because it was so intense and unexpected.

There is now a line of police and Olympic officials stopping them from disrupting the Torch Relay, but the protesters are slowly creeping through.

Quickly ran out and took this video with my 5DMKII as the Olympic Torch Relay came down my street. It was madness, but happy madness. I have never seen so many cameras in all my life. So many 70-200mms & pro cameras! Jealous.

I love the USA vs Canada shout off in the crowd.

Canada clearly won.

The Olympics haven’t even started and I’m pooped! There is so much going on, it’s hard to keep track of it all. This is why I spent most of my day surfing the internet and observing Olympic related traffic jams from my apartment.

I decided to head out into the wilds of Yaletown to catch the end of the Torch Relay and the first night of fireworks. I arrived at 8pm thinking I would be able to just sneak in and see Michael Buble light the cauldron in David Lam Park, and so did 50,000 other people.

I caught a glimpse at the Olympic Torch and so did one little kid who’s annoyed father said, “you’ve seen the flame now let’s go”.

I wasn’t even close to the LiveCity Yaletown stage, but somehow it was more fun to be amidst the animated crowd. Thousands of people, dressed in their finest Canadian apparel, waved flags and cheered as the fireworks lit up the sky.

Today, we open our city to the world. I can’t wait to see what is next.

“The fireworks were really fun!” And you can quote me. :P