Photo: At The World Cup Winter Games/ 2009Current Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada/ 49°17′60.0″N 123°4′60″W
When you hoist a camera for a daily wage, it's bound to pay off in more ways than my weekly stipend. Girls stare, old geezers strike a pose--while kids wonder if that fury thing on my camera is a puppet or a dead cat. Whether I'm shooting in a war zone or covering a sporting event, the camera on my shoulder usually gets me access to some of the coolest places on earth--allowing me to see in real life what others only get to see on television.
I'm here in Vancouver, covering the 2009 World Cup Winter Games--a pre-qualifier to the 2010 Olympics next year. So far, I've frozen my butt off, been spoken to in Chinese, German, and Polish, and even was mistaken for as a shooter from Mexican TV--Do I really look Mexican? All in all, I'm here to capture the world's need for speed, document the science behind the games, and interview those who race for a living--on the ice and around the track, skaters and bob sledders, skiers and Lugers alike.
Even though I'm shooting from within my own country, it still feels like I'm shooting abroad--on a foreign assignment. The mountainous landscape here is absolutely amazing, breath taking at times, yet awe inspiring to realize that this is my country, my Canada! I understand their English, speak their lingo and can appreciate a good poutine! Google it if you don't know what that is. You'll definitely want one, eh.
I've met reporters and photographers from all over the world: Latvia, Russia, Romania, and Italy, to name just a few. Yesterday, I had the privilege of dining with a few guys from Sports Illustrated--that was cool! We shared exposure settings and dined on hot dogs. Life was good.
Tomorrow, I'll be shooting a story on the secrets of making ice. Yup, ice! Should be interesting. Will write soon.
Be well.
Ron
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
11 comments:
Winter Games? Hmmm... never fancy that... The cold puts me off.
Looking great, Ron :)
NOTE: To unfreeze a frozen butt, please follow these simple steps...
1. Buy some firecrackers
2. Tie the firecrackers to your butt
3. Light the fuse
4. Think of beautiful things
In no time, your butt will unfreeze. Cheers!
wowwww can we trade lives? hah :) that is quite the camera equipment. and i've been mistaken for mexican too sometimes. whats up with people thinking asians are hispanics?
I guess in a few years, you'll want to see all this on TV and not in real life, certainly not as a hard working photographer. But in the meantime, enjoy yourself as much as you can.
Ron, Canada doesn't count as a country. Let's not kid ourselves here.
:)
Ey Ron, welcome back dude. I've missed your post. I've been mistaken to be Latina/Hispanic, too, but I think the dude who thought so just had really bad eyesight.
I'll keep looking for your posts so I can live through you! Have a great time working, stay warm.
Canada is sooo a country!!!!
Where do u live in canada...
:D
Ron - all good Canadians know Vancouver isn't cold... suck it up buddy, you'll be in warm temps in no time over here! Assume you're in Whistler - stop in at Monks bar and have a drink with my friend Brady - he's a bartender there.
ps: all is well in Dubai - sun is shining and it's 28C!
Nancy
I don't think you look Mexican...bah, some people just don't know what they're talking about.
Winter games, that sounds fun!
Don't feel bad, when I would go back east people thought I was Asian because I didn't look Dominican heehee
hahaha! Someone I knew who was of mixed Indian-Chinese parentage was always getting mistaken as a Mexican or some other South/Latin American when he studied in New Jersey. He was always asked "Habla Espanol?", to which he always replied, "No habla, no habla!"
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