Pregled posta

Marketing

Ad-free photo vests, also known as bibs. These bibs are required to be worn by photographers on assignment in major events in order to be able to shoot from the sidelines. Recent controversy sparked when a sports federation voted unanimously to use the photographers' vests as advertising tools and print sponsored ads on them. Photojournalists claim that they are not 'walking billboards'. Should the sporting federations print ads on the photo bibs, then ad-free vests would be a thing of the past. Pictured in Laval, July 27 2007, Athens 2004 Olympics bib (l), XI FINA 2005 World Swimming Championships bib (c) and U-20 2007 FIFA Soccer bib (r). (PHOTO: Dimitri Papadopoulos/QuebecPress.com)

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: Here it goes... While shooting these photo vests from the street hanging on my line, my neighbor called the police... Then she came running after me with a notepad asking who I'm, and what I think I do. She was yelling at me big time because she thought I took out my long lens to photograph her mother without her permission... I politely explained that 1) I'm shooting from a public street; 2) I'm shooting MY property; 3) I'm aiming up the skies to MY line (as opposed as aiming into her bedroom); 4) I'm not interested in her mother and 5) I never took a photo of her mother or of any person as a matter of fact. Exceptionally, I had her chimp to the photos to avoid having the police come unnecessarily... She called 9-1-1 and cancelled the call. what puzzles me is the fact that her house wasn't anywhere near where I was pointing. Ah these people - and I thought that only astronauts were under the influence of alcohol today... WORD OF ADVICE: if you'll ever be called to use your long lens at or or near your back yard, use it with caution... you never know what's on people's minds, especially if they see you using near their back yard a lens which resembles to an military-grade infrared spy telescope (to their eyes). Good lesson learned today. I guess that a paparazzi would be in stitches reading this...

Interesting is the thickness this crude ATHENS 2004 Summer Olympics bib (left). Yes, we HAD to wear this, of what seems to be like a winter coat, at temperatures well over 110 °F (43 °C) in Greece in the middle of the summer while working! Photographers were sweating big time under their 400mm f/2.8... (no worries, Canon claims they are water resistant)... See these big pockets? they used to be full of film. Ektachrome E100G, E100VS, E200, P1600, 100UC, 400UC, in both 35mm and 120 Medium Format flavors. Yes I was still pushing film up and until October 31 2004. On this Halloween day I switched to digital. I missed the smell of film and all the waiting suspense of seeing the results after processing. The 2004 Olympics were my last assignment shot entirely on film. For the record, my freezer is full of unused film rolls which I got free from the Olympics. One day, I'll use them, one day...

1067 was my PA number... (or Photographer's Access Number) It seems that this number is so deeply engraved into my memory that every time I come across it, my memories are fond. ...I was PA1067 in Greece's biggest party!...

Notice the severe discoloration and wear on it, for something I wore only 3 weeks, for the duration of the Olympics. Solid evidence of the intense moments I've been trough. The other 2 which hang on the line, they were also worn 3 weeks average: They look like new. I just hope that all 1088 accredited Olympic photographers kept their vest. I mean, I can part of the others I have, NOT this one.

Having a 4 digit number clearly shows that I validated my accreditation and picked up my vest form the Kodak Imaging Center, down the Main Press Center, just on time for the Opening Ceremony... I recall I seeing an African photographer with vest #0001, cool! These Turquoise color vests were non-pool. The pool vests were kind of silver. Pool Vests were worn by a handful of "privileged" photographers who belong to the IOPP (International Olympic Photo Pool, Sports Illustrated, Getty Images, AP, Reuters) and they had unlimited access to all places. Non-pool photographers can only shoot from predetermined photo positions. Pool vests could also be requested in advance by non-pool photographers for a short period of time. For example, I requested one for Beach Volleyball, Tennis and Synchronized Swimming to be able to get some shots from special angles. I also requested one for Sailing. The result is that I went in the sea with a boat and a captain just for myself! Cool is it? OK, I gotta stop my Olympic talk here since it will never end. The moments I lived were beyond what words can describe.

OK moving on... As for the blue vest pictured in the center, it was for the 2005 XI FINA Wold Championships. This vest was initially meant to be a Pool Vest to be worn only by Pool Photographers (Big Guys from Big Agencies: Aka: Al Bello from Getty). Then, the guy responsible for assigning photo

The night before Beebs died, we were so desperate to get her to eat something that we went to the grocery store and bought everything we knew she loved to eat and a few things she'd never had before. Doritos, potato chips, cookies, noodles, any kind of junk she liked but had never been allowed to fill up on.

She wouldn't eat any of it. She used what little energy she had to spit out whatever we put in her mouth. When she didn't have the strength to do that anymore she just let the food sit in her mouth until gravity made it fall out.

In this picture I'm holding a few things Beebs never tried, but that we tossed in our grocery cart in the blind hope that she would be tempted to swallow some out of pure curiosity.

After she rejected about four grocery bags full of food, we gave up and took her back to the vet. The items I'm holding were still sealed in their containers when we got home. Our kitchen is so depressing now. Our entire home is depressing. Beebs had so much stuff and it's everywhere. When we adopted her, all she had was a harness and a dirty leash. When she died, she had her own walk-in closet full of possessions, a portion of the fridge, freezer and kitchen cabinets, her shampoo is still sitting on the edge of my bathtub, and her hairdryer is in my bathroom. I've been cleaning and cleaning and cleaning but I'm still finding her belongings everywhere. And then I cry.

We got a card from Bebe's vet today, offering condolences. Inside were two sheets of paper with Bebe's paw prints on them and a third with the Rainbow Bridge poem. So then I'm crying again.

It will be a while before I can photograph my face.