Workin’ It: Going Canadian
Photos by Lindsay Morris
Chris Furlong (left) is on the IOC Photography team, doing corporate assignments for the IOC’s top sponsors. He is from the UK and has been a photographer for Getty Images for six years. The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games is the first Olympics Chris has covered. Being the IOC’s photographer, he is constantly trying to “capture the spirit of the Olympics. It is an amazing event to cover. To see the people, the places and the moments with every emotion, from happiness to sadness.” For Chris, the most challenging thing about covering the Games is traveling to all the different events and venues, “it’s getting from point A to B and then back to A.” His favorite moment at the Games so far was when Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada’s first gold medal during the men’s moguls.
When Chris landed in Vancouver he saw a group of Canadians wearing the hat pictured above. “I saw these hunky Canadian guys walking around wearing these hats and I thought surely it would make me hunky too…but it doesn’t.” While opinions surely differ on that conclusion, Chris says that he also wears the hat ‘out and aboot’ Vancouver for more practical purposes. “I wear it to keep my treasure island warm (laughing while pointing to the back of his head).”
Jono Powell (right) is the Manager of Events Technology for Getty Images. He has worked at Getty Images for 12 years and on four Olympic Games. During the Vancouver Olympics, Jono’s main job is to install all of the networking. “For the last three Olympics, the work began about 2-4 years before the Games.”We have to work out how many photographers, how many editors, how they are going to work, how we connect the photographers together, what to put in the office … the list is endless.” Jono has many favorite parts from working at the Olympic Games. “The good bits are being in the crowds when something momentous happens. Every games has something special. In 2004, I was firing remote cameras during the men’s 100m final, hiding behind the photographers and trying to see on the big screen when the athletes went past the mark where I needed to start firing. In Turin, it was the noise of the crowd during the speed skating finals. The challenge is to keep going even when things are going wrong and you’re so tired you just want to stop and give up.”
Jono is also from the UK, however he too has “gone Canadian” during his time in Vancouver. He has been seen sporting the red Canada hat pictured above around the different venues as well as the Media Center. “Near the end of Turin Olympic Games, my colleague Janey Marks came back from the Canada House with this hat. She gave it to me and said “See you in Canada”, and that’s exactly what happened. It is a red baseball cap with “Canada ’06″ on it. No one else has one like it that I’ve seen.” When asked why he too has decided to “go Canadian” Jono explained, “We’re guests here but we’re also in a privileged position because we’re part of the coverage of the games. Picking up the language, the local customs and generally fitting in is the friendly thing to do. It’s a bit easier here because we’re all speaking English, but there are a few differences eh?”
When Chris was asked about time working with his “Canadian” colleague Jono he said, “I think Jono runs the Internet… But he still always has time for the little problems that photographers have with their laptops. He always solves your problems with a smile. The last time I asked for a technical problem it turns out I had just forgotten to turn it on, but he still sorted it out with a smile.”
When Jono was asked about his time with his equally “Canadian” colleague Chris he recalled, “I promised Chris my jacket after the Olympics in Turin and I never delivered on my promise (I loved the jacket too much), and he’s never held it against me.”
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