Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
All sport should be like the Beach Volleyball Olympic finals. Here’s the recipe for success. Loud music, the “Beach Girls” and Brazilians in the stands. I don’t care if there are Brazilians in the sport—you should just give some tickets to Brazilian fans each time there’s an event. Beach Volleyball has figured out this recipe and it works brilliantly. I didn’t need coffee to stay awake here—I was up and having fun.
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
Talking of “The Beach Girls,” they’ve been a bit of a story on their own at the Games, with photographers hurrying back from sessions at the beach to report on what the girls where wearing this time. While they were a titillating sidebar to the sport, at this point in the Games they constitute what I would call cruel and unusual punishment. Anyhoo, I’ll be home soon, ‘nuff said…
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
The finals were held in the middle of the day with all that goes with that, including a nasty, contrasty overhead sun. I know it’s supposed to be a beach scene but the nighttime atmosphere is so much better. The U.S. team won handily in the 3rd set and literally as they where dropping to floor in celebration about two hundred volunteers with rakes and shovels ran onto the court to start prepping it for the medal ceremony. For crying out loud give the guys a sec to get their jubo done and more importantly let me shoot it! I was blocked on the best images and of course they where happening toward me. What ya gonna do?
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
Another night at track and I was banging my head against the wall to try and pull something out the bag. Going over to the long jump I found the ugliest, messiest pit I have ever tried to work at. Instead of being the pro and trying to make it work I shot a couple of frames and left. Long jump didn’t happen in my world tonight. This set the tone and I went to the back of the photographers stand to sulk and shoot a little long glass.
I was a little down on myself for taking the easy way out. A chat with some old friends also licking their Olympic wounds of one description or another, Pascal Rondeau of L’Equipe, Koji Aoki of AfloSport and so on (it’s quite an international bunch) got me back on track. We’re not all down on the Games, it’s just late in the game and we’ve all picked up some scars.
The last lap of the women’s 5000m and I switch to a wide lens and drop the shutter speed and try a slow pan of the pack. It a technique I used on the velodrome a few days ago but these guys are much further away and going much slower, which makes this a really low percentage shot. Well it saved the night for me (see pic #1)
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
Bryan Clay of the U.S.S. comes in at the end of the decathlon 1500m but wins the decathlon gold.
Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
Men’s 4 x 400 semi’s. Photograph by Mike Powell for NEWSWEEK
