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The story of the tournament is Swimming God Michael Phelps of the USA. He is entered in 8 events and is attempting do something never done before. Win gold medals in all eight. We will be all over him. What happens over the next 8 days is amazing. Phelps breaks 5 world records, and wins gold in 7 out of 8 events. He would have had 8 golds but one of his teammates is disqualified in the relay medley heats and team USA cannot compete in the final. I have never seen anything like him in the pool. This is a special time to be involved in swimming.

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As for us as team Getty Images. I think we get gold medals as well in several events.

Photography – I can honestly say I had no expectations going into this event. It was indoors and we had a lot against us, overall it was not ideal. But you know what? We still did our thing. Myself, Ezra Shaw, Cameron Spencer, Quinn Rooney, Robert Cianflone, Mark Dadswell, Kristian Dowling, and Vladmir Rys got down to business, and worked every angle possible in that stadium. This group of guys blew me away. Not one complaint came out of their mouths. We all rotated the positions the way it should be. It kept us fresh. It kept us motivated. They followed a heavy brief. Shot every finish. Yet they still had time to create some wonderful photographs. These guys were a pleasure to work with. Also don’t let me forget freelancer Lucas Dawson who did the entire sponsor brief. It was a tough job and he handled his business like a true pro.

The stellar editing team in action.

 

Editing – A world-class team of editors were bestowed upon us for this tournament. Captain Mark Kolbe and Senior Editor Rebecca (Queen of Red Dots} Butala led the way with their quiet, calm leadership, and stellar editing. Will (The Thrill) Jones, Dean Mouhtaropoulas, Ashlee Ralla, and Graham Denholm filtered in and out as well between water polo and fell right in step. These are the unsung heroes of this job. They help put our pictures out around the world. They deal with us hovering over their shoulders, touching their screens, asking if they sent this picture or that. That is like them coming over to us photographers and pressing the buttons on our camera while we are shooting the event. But they deal with us.

 

IT – The Lone Ranger David Lum was a one man wrecking machine. He attacked the venues with his Sweet IT skills and hooked us all up with what we needed to speedily get the pictures out. There were many setbacks but Dave was impressive!

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Day 7 of the swimming was a morning session filled with 50 meter starts. It seemed like thousands of heats with competitor’s names so long they stretched across my heat sheet. There were 5 photographers that day and we were well covered.

I decided that this would be a good time to try my 4×5 speed graphic camera and shoot some film. It keeps me motivated to try something a little different. This camera is from the 1950’s and is a whole different style of shooting.

Here I am working with the 4×5 camera.

Unlike today’s digital pro-cameras with fast motor drives and endless frames to shoot, this camera gives you a shot of one frame at a time with a manually loaded sheet of film and the camera mounted on a tripod. It takes awhile to get into a rhythm. I place myself at the starting line, shoot a few frames and then move downstairs. I have a pool bib today and have access to the pool deck. I set up at the start, check with the officials to see if I am in their way and shoot a few more frames:

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The last day comes and goes without incident. We get the job done, pack up, and it’s time to go home. As I sit on my long flight from Melbourne to LA and then to NY, I go over everything from the event in my head. By the time I am home I will have been gone for 21 days. It is hard on my family. I miss my wife and kids. It will be really good to see them. My wife Debbie is an incredible woman. I also think of the new friends that I made from Getty Images Australia. It was good for me because I was dealing with a lot of people I have not worked with before. They made my stay in Australia a wonderful experience. They are a crew full of talented people with very bright futures in this business. In the end of an event like this all you hope to get are a few laughs and a few good pictures. I think we achieved that. The situation was not ideal but we made the best of it. We came out of this event more experienced, better, educated, and the best part is I reacquainted with and made a whole bunch of new friends from down under.

 

 

 

 

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Here I am getting the underwater camera ready.

I have been in Melbourne, Australia for nine days so far and we are about to embark on the second phase of this world event. Swimming starts tomorrow and I am a little stressed. Photo positions have not been set yet and this is a concern because there are more photographers than there are positions available. This dilemma is nothing new.

The organizers wait for the host television people to say where we can and can’t go. The television stations put the money up for the rights to broadcast the event so they call all the shots. The photographers are treated as an annoyance by TV. If you do not play nice with them then they drop the hammer and take away positions or get you thrown out of the event for arguing. I’ve seen it happen.

Ezra and I getting things in place.

I still need to find time to drop the underwater remote camera in the pool. This is easier said then done. I have recruited my good friend and stellar senior photographer Ezra Shaw to help me out. It’s a good thing he is helping me because he has been interested in learning how to set up and use the underwater housing unit. Once we get it set up, we will have another photographer set up and execute the underwater remote.

Getting to the pool is a task in itself. We have so much stuff to carry, it’s crazy. We have 4 large 60LB Pelican cases full of cameras, remotes, underwater stuff, cords, and lenses. Also, we have two sets of scuba gear, masks, flippers, diving weights, computer gear, and tools.

Once we get to the pool, getting inside is another fiasco. We get to the checkpoint outside the stadium and we have to unload all of the bags and open them for inspection. Then we have to find the entrance into the pool for photographers, the only one we can seem to find is for television and security won’t let us in that way.

We finally get to the pool and start setting up camp. Since we started using underwater cameras at these events and getting good results, other agencies have caught on. There will be a total of 7 underwater cameras in the pool. Spots will be limited and there will be underwater cables everywhere.

Here I am in my full scuba gear, getting in to set everything up.

This pool is inside which gives us another obstacle. We now have to battle an ugly stadium ceiling, television lights, crossbars, and trussles as a background. And the pool is cloudy. For some reason the filtration system in the pool is not clearing up the water correctly. The visibility is about 8 feet. What can you do?

Swimmers warm up while I test out the clarity and light of the water.

Ezra and I set up the camera, run the remote cable through the pool floor and finally get our photo positions. They are not great, but I have seen worse. We test the camera, fire the remote, position, expose, etc. The camera is mounted to a floor plate and is weighted down with about 15 Lb of diving weights. We are ready to go! For the next 8 days my schedule is as follows.

6:45AM Wake up

7AM Shove breakfast down throat and choke down vitamins

7:20AM Leave for pool

7:40AM Dive in pool to check underwater camera

8:10AM Sit with Ezra in media room and dole out photo positions and swimmers to shoot for 4 photographers with highlight pen for the days heats.

8:45AM Bathroom time

9:15AM Meet editors and go over any last minute assignments.

9:30AM Meet with each photographer and exchange ideas for the day.

9:40AM Set up computer to spool pictures to editors

10AM shoot the swimming heats

1:30PM dive in pool and get disk from camera

2PM Look at underwater pictures, readjust any mistakes I make, dive back in pool and reset camera

3PM Lunch

4:30PM redo the schedule again for the finals

5pm Bathroom time

5:30 Meet editors again

6: PM Meet with photographers again

6:15PM Set up computer again

7PM Shoot swim finals

10PM Dive in pool again, check remote

10:30PM Look at pictures, adjust, and dive back in pool to set up for next morning.

11PM Leave pool

11:30PM Bed

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After a 51/2 hour flight from NY to LA , a 3 hour layover and then another 15 ½ hours in the air, I landed in Melbourne, Australia for the World Aquatics Championships.

My first impressions of Melbourne are great. The people are fantastic, so friendly, willing to help and easy with a smile. The weather is pleasant. It is the end of summer here and the temperatures are in the high 70’s.

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For the first few days, I spent my time exploring the 3 venues I would be working in. Most of the events are indoors which, is kind of a downer, because you don’t get the chance to work with the sunlight at different times of the day. Nothing beats outdoor swimming events. All of the water splashing around and some late day sun makes some very nice images. I guess it’s not to be this time around but at least I won’t have to worry about sunburns.

It will be more difficult to get great pictures, but that does not mean they are not out there. I will have to give it a shot and see what happens.

Things seem pretty strict for the first few days as far as where the photographers can and cannot go. This is par for the course and it is a matter of convincing the organizing committee that we actually do know what we are doing. For example, at the open water swimming event. (it’s out in the ocean and the swimmers race around a track constructed in the water) I wanted to get in the water and shoot the start from under the starting pontoon where the swimmers would dive over me. I went through the process of getting permission and got clearance, or so I thought. The morning of the first race I got all of my underwater stuff to the venue and was about to jump on a boat to go to the start. The venue manager came up and told me I was not going anywhere and that they had decided against my plan. When I asked why, I only received a shoulder shrug for an answer. “Maybe the next race,” he said.

In the past, I might have been yelled back at him why, why why?! Instead I shrug my shoulders back and say “OK, maybe the next race.” I have learned that yelling and screaming doesn’t get you anywhere. It only makes people mad and it was not worth starting things off on the wrong foot.

Later in the day, before the second race, I don’t hear anything from the manager and I assume that I am not going out there to get this picture. Five minutes before the start of the second race, the venue manager comes up to me and says I am cleared and can go out there. I rush to get my gear together and jump in the boat. On my way to the starting line I watch the race start and the swimmers dive into the water. “Marvelous!” I say to myself. I missed it again. I must wait two more days before the next race.

On the day of the third race the weather is not good. Rainy and choppy water make for difficult conditions. I decide to postpone the shot for the next day’s race. On the fourth day, the weather is much better. It is sunny and the water is calm. I make sure I am good to go with the race people. I get a boat out to the start. The race is at high noon. I am concerned that the sun is too high and the light too harsh for a good picture going with the sunlight. I decide to go for a silhouette instead, shooting into the sun.

There I am in the yellow life jacket.

As the swimmers start to make their way to the starting pontoon I get myself in the water to get in position. In the previous days the swimmers had been getting stung by blue bottle jellyfish which is very painful. I was hoping I would not be the next victim.

There were starting boats, medical boats, and photo boats everywhere around the starting line. Keeping the background of my picture clean and free of these boats was going to be harder than I thought. I had to position myself just right, without having the swimmers dive on top of me. The water current was moderate, but was still pushing me around. I hung on to the pontoon till the last possible second. I waded out to the side of the swimmers.

Camera ready, I looked through the viewfinder. The starting gun went off. I saw a blur of swimmers, followed by splashing, and then sky. They were gone. I fired 8 frames. Four days of work for one second of shooting. I got on the boat and headed back to the shore. Luckily I escaped the wrath of the blue bottle jellyfish.

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Editor Mark Kolbe was at the media tent waiting for me. We looked at the pictures together and we got a few frames out of it. I think the pictures could have been better but they were pretty good. I was glad the effort did not go to waste as it does sometimes.

After the open water swimming I mixed in some water polo, and some synchro swimming or “water dancing” as my friend and fellow Getty Images photographer Ezra Shaw calls it. These two sports, while totally different, are the same in one way. You are treading water for a very long time. I don’t know how they do it.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Al Bello/Getty Images

Al Bello/Getty Images

I also got some diving in this week. It was extremely difficult. The backgrounds were horrible with signs everywhere. I found myself walking all over the venue looking for something, anything, to work with. I was very glad when the session was over.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Another thing I have been working on during my time here is shooting travel pictures. It’s the latest opportunity Getty Images has presented the photographers while we are away on assignments around the world. I am very new to this but have been giving it a shot. It is a much different pace than covering a big event. There is nobody telling you that you can’t go here or there. I just walked around the city one day and shot what I thought was cool. I must say it was hard work but enjoyable. The pictures don’t just happen in front of you as they do at events. You have to search for the pictures.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Al Bello/Getty Images

Al Bello/Getty Images

Several people came up to me while I was shooting and were interested in what I was doing. One guy even gave me a ride to a place he thought was good for pictures. Again, they are very friendly here in Australia. I went to St. Kilda beach and the riverwalk in the Southgate area of Melbourne. It was a good diversion from the political madness of a world sporting event. Nobody was shoving me around. Nobody was blocking my view. No TV camera person stepped in my way at the big moment.

But now I go back to reality. The real swimming competition starts this weekend with the best swimmers in the world going at it. It’s going to get intense again, real soon.

 

 

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