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CNS Olympic Favourites: Jean Levac

Gallery: Canwest photogs favourite shots

Thousands of images have been shot during...

 
 
 
 

Gallery: Canwest Olympic photographers' favourite shots

 

Thousands of images have been shot during the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games by Canwest's group of nine accredited photographers. We asked each of them to select their one favourite image.

 
February 27, 2010
 
 
 
Switzerland's Simon Ammann soars through the air in the normal ski jumping event on Feb. 13, en route to the gold medal. It is one of the rare occasions during the Games where I've felt the purity of the moment, far away from the crowds.
 

Switzerland's Simon Ammann soars through the air in the normal ski jumping event on Feb. 13, en route to the gold medal. It is one of the rare occasions during the Games where I've felt the purity of the moment, far away from the crowds.

Photograph by: Jean Levac, Canwest News Service

 
Switzerland's Simon Ammann soars through the air in the normal ski jumping event on Feb. 13, en route to the gold medal. It is one of the rare occasions during the Games where I've felt the purity of the moment, far away from the crowds.
Steve Omischl from Canada (right) who placed eighth in the men's aerial competition, hugs fellow competitor Jeret Peterson from the United States after the Feb. 25 competition. Peterson won the silver medal, and although the two were competing against each other, Omischl was able to put on a brave face to congratulate the American jumper. The look of disappointment on Omischl's face is evident, but in true Olympic spirit, he was able to put his own feelings aside to congratulate Peterson.
When the long-awaited first men's downhill finally got underway at Whistler's Creekside, there was a buzz in the air. The marquee event of the men's alpine had been postponed due to thick fog, which had hung around the course for several days. The first ski racer, Sweden's Patrik Jaerbyn, likely took more speed into the finish area than he'd planned, landing himself deep into the massive padded bags lining the finish. I like the fact the photograph shows Jaerbyn's real-life humility on the world stage, and it made for a very entertaining opening run.
My favourite photo is of Clara Hughes leading Canada's Olympic athletes into BC Place for the opening ceremony on Feb. 12. The bearer of the flag is subject to much speculation leading up to the Games and Hughes was a worthy choice to lead the team. Looking through the lens, I was concentrating on composition and focus and only realized when I looked at the photo closer, after the ceremony was over, that it contained the likes of Jeff Pain, Jesse Lumsden, Shelley-Ann Brown and Joannie Rochette.
The story of Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette losing her mother to a heart attack two days before she competed in the Games was very emotional. Rochette was torn between going home or continuing her Olympic quest for a medal — the first one for Canada in women's figure skating since Elizabeth Manley's 1988 silver. She decided to skate because "that's what my mother would have wanted me to do." Rochette won the bronze medal after an impassioned performance and I think you can see this in this particular image taken during the long program on Feb. 25.
I chose this photo because to me, it was the moment that really felt like the Games were here. k.d. lang is a Canadian icon and everyone I spoke to after the ceremony ranked it as their favourite moment of the night. I felt very fortunate to have seen it and feel that this photo, and the lights everyone was holding, encompasses the spirit that was in the stadium.
One of my favourite photos was from the women's two-man bobsled event. The body language of Canadian Helen Upperton reaching back and embracing her teammate Shelley-Ann Brown, and the look of elation in their eyes after realizing they had captured the silver medal, portrays the emotional climax of years of hard training. It also epitomizes what every Olympic athlete strives for.
Glory, upset, anger, passion and determination are all mainstay emotions photographed at large events such as the Olympics. But odd moments most definitely have their place, showing our readers the lighter side of sport. When France's Emmanuel Jonnier approached the finish line on Feb. 24, at Whistler Olympic Park in fourth place in the men's 4x10-kilometre cross-country skiing relay, he pulled his numbers bib over his head as a fun sign of surrender.
I have shot a number of snowboarders twisting and inverted, but it has always been difficult to show how high these athletes get as they fly out of the pipe. The backgrounds are usually quite messy and it makes for photos that do not read well. The Olympic halfpipe event was held in the evening on a clear night. With an enormous amount of light on the venue for television's HD coverage, it all contributed to a nice seamless black background. This picture of American gold medallist Shaun White on Feb. 17 really illustrates the huge amount of air White gets during his routine.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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