Wait for it . . . wait for it . . .
This photography thing is much like life . . . you hurry and scramble to get to a certain spot and then wait. And then wait. And wait some more. Wait for what? Fireworks of course!
That was our situation last night while waiting outside of the Birds Nest stadium. The dress rehearsal was taking place and the photographers who did not get a ticket to go inside to watch all gathered about 200 meters away to make pretty pictures of the stadium under fireworks. The air was clear and the temperature was pleasant. Perfect conditions, really. Like spawning salmon, we swam against thousands of opening ceremony participants waiting outside the stadium to reach our vantage point. Guards, police and other official-looking folks dotted the area and people off the street posed for snapshots, craned their necks to take in the scene and buzzed with excitement.
We arrived at our spot at approximately 7:20pm. We all found our own cramped working space along a rail overlooking a body of water. The stadium's reflection danced off of this pool of water. Perfect ingredients to make a nice photo. We busily clamped things down, set things up, adjusted levels, panned in and panned out - you know, doing all the things "professional" photographers do. It occurred to me then that this was my first shoot at the Olympics. I was excited. And nervous, which is unusual for me. I started to think and over think. "What aperture do I want for this photo? Is my ISO setting Okay? How long do I need to exposure to make the fireworks leave a long trail?" Much to my surprise, all the seasoned pros were asking the same questions outloud. And to each other! Whew. The long and short of such situations is that there are countless ways to set up a photo and your experience will guide you. No two people see the same scene the same way. This was an epiphany of sorts. I always knew this in my mind, but it was comforting to see it in practice with the pros.
Cue the music. Check the time: 8:08pm. The show begins. The neon lights of the stadium glow and change like a cuttle fish. Shutters click. But nothing goes "boom." No craning necks. No "ohhhs" and "ahhs." No fireworks. We figure the fireworks will be set at the end of the ceremony rehearsals. So we wait. We make the occasion photo of the stadium. We check camera settings. We change camera settings. We tell stories to each other. We discuss meals we've eaten while in Beijing. But mostly we wait. Until 10:15. Cue the fat lady. The Olympic them is played. Okay, here it is. Fingers on the triggers. Wait for it . . . wait for it.
Nothing.
Not one firecracker. Not even a stinkin' sparkler. So we pack our gear, weave in and out of the sea of humanity and make photos "on the street" as the opportunities arise.
That was our situation last night while waiting outside of the Birds Nest stadium. The dress rehearsal was taking place and the photographers who did not get a ticket to go inside to watch all gathered about 200 meters away to make pretty pictures of the stadium under fireworks. The air was clear and the temperature was pleasant. Perfect conditions, really. Like spawning salmon, we swam against thousands of opening ceremony participants waiting outside the stadium to reach our vantage point. Guards, police and other official-looking folks dotted the area and people off the street posed for snapshots, craned their necks to take in the scene and buzzed with excitement.
We arrived at our spot at approximately 7:20pm. We all found our own cramped working space along a rail overlooking a body of water. The stadium's reflection danced off of this pool of water. Perfect ingredients to make a nice photo. We busily clamped things down, set things up, adjusted levels, panned in and panned out - you know, doing all the things "professional" photographers do. It occurred to me then that this was my first shoot at the Olympics. I was excited. And nervous, which is unusual for me. I started to think and over think. "What aperture do I want for this photo? Is my ISO setting Okay? How long do I need to exposure to make the fireworks leave a long trail?" Much to my surprise, all the seasoned pros were asking the same questions outloud. And to each other! Whew. The long and short of such situations is that there are countless ways to set up a photo and your experience will guide you. No two people see the same scene the same way. This was an epiphany of sorts. I always knew this in my mind, but it was comforting to see it in practice with the pros.
Cue the music. Check the time: 8:08pm. The show begins. The neon lights of the stadium glow and change like a cuttle fish. Shutters click. But nothing goes "boom." No craning necks. No "ohhhs" and "ahhs." No fireworks. We figure the fireworks will be set at the end of the ceremony rehearsals. So we wait. We make the occasion photo of the stadium. We check camera settings. We change camera settings. We tell stories to each other. We discuss meals we've eaten while in Beijing. But mostly we wait. Until 10:15. Cue the fat lady. The Olympic them is played. Okay, here it is. Fingers on the triggers. Wait for it . . . wait for it.
Nothing.
Not one firecracker. Not even a stinkin' sparkler. So we pack our gear, weave in and out of the sea of humanity and make photos "on the street" as the opportunities arise.
posted by huja at 8:21 AM
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