Hi, and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. Back in 2004 at the conclusion of the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece I decided to move forward in my career and take on new challenges, new projects, and new photographic techniques. This decision marked the end of my deep participation with the sport of gymnastics that I had been involved with beginning at age 8 as a student, a competitor, a coach, and a photojournalist. With the conclusion of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy I intentionally severed the tie from Olympic photographic coverage and proceeded onto new photographic endeavors …… until October 12, 2009.

Hi, and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. Back in 2004 at the conclusion of the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece I decided to move forward in my career and take on new challenges, new projects, and new photographic techniques. This decision marked the end of my deep participation with the sport of gymnastics that I had been involved with beginning at age 8 as a student, a competitor, a coach, and a photojournalist. With the conclusion of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy I intentionally severed the tie from Olympic photographic coverage and proceeded onto new photographic endeavors …… until October 12, 2009.

Via a couple of casual emails between life time friend/publisher Paul Ziert and myself, we simultaneously concluded it would be good for me to return to the sport to photograph the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London, England. Like Peter Pan, Paul’s encouragement made it reality for this trip across the big pond, and I would not work solo as Paul’s staff of gymnastics photographers would have their own responsibilities to the IG publications. I had not covered a gymnastics competition for five years, but I owe Paul my sincere gratitude in offering me a wonderful opportunity to Return to Neverland………….

Image #1       Jolly Olde … My wife Susan would be joining me on this adventure and so we flew to the “second star on the right and straight on till morning” then touched down in London’s Heathrow Airport at 6:45 am. We then scurried off to Windsor Castle were we meet up with Peter and the Lost Boys,… I mean Paul, his magazine/website staff, and the ever enthusiastic IG Tour group that would be attending the competition. Rather than sleepily disembark from an long international flight, lasso a photo credential around my neck, and start shooting pictures of cart-wheeling athletes training, a morning at Windsor seemed a nicer way to begin the week. Although Queen Elizabeth was in residence this morning she did not answer the door ….. guess she’s too grown up for a Pan, Hook, and all the rest. Nikon D700, ISO400, 1/250 at f16, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5560K, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #2       London’s O2 Arena … Welcome to the O2 Arena, home to the Olympic Gymnastics and Basketball competitions for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. These World Artistic Gymnastics Championships would be the inaugural Olympic sports competition for the the O2 and London, a sort of test event that by the way ran “spot on.” The O2 is huge with room to breathe. Not only will it house the two Olympic competitions and up to 20,000 fans, but it also provides space for the working press operations, training facilities for the athletes, a shopping mall, night club, cinema, and extensive midway of over 30 restaurants (I highly recommend the Slug and Lettuce.) Nikon D700, ISO1000, 1/50 at f2.8, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB, 5560K, Lexar 16G Flash Card. The O2 is so large that finding a suitable angle to photograph it from was difficult. This image was taken from a boat on the Thames River at twilight.

Image #3       Off to Neverland … I must admit that I was a bit nervous walking into the O2 competition area. Not of Pirates, Indians, and crocodiles, but it had been 5 years since I had photographed competitive gymnastics and thoughts that I had grown up crossed my mind. All fears slipped away faster than you can say “Bob’s your uncle” once I made my way from the press room through the seating area of international journalists and onto the arena floor. My 26 years of World and Olympic sports coverage and timing for gymnastics returned quickly. I was greeted by some good friends including Great Britains own Eileen Langsley, perhaps the BEST photographer of gymnastics that the sport has ever known. “Welcome to London” she said…….(welcome to Neverland I thought in my head.) A return to my youth, a return to familiar surroundings, and a return to a sport that I once knew well …. but, things had changed here in Neverland. For example, the equipment I was using was different from 2004. Today’s Nikon D3 camera was capable of clean High ISO settings of 3200 and 6400 rather than a mere ISO800 or 1200 back in Athens and Torino. And for the first time ever, I would not bring my Nikon 400mm f2.8 lens, but would instead make use of the lighter and more versatile Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom f4.0 lens. I was relying on using the D3 camera’s high ISO setting of 6400 in exchange for giving up the f2.8 aperture of the larger and heavier 400mm fixed lens. Nikon D3, ISO2000, 1/400 at f4.0, Nikon 14-24mm lens, WB Fluorescent, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #4       Queen for a Day … Bridget Sloan of the USA captured the Women’s ALL Around title, but she didn’t do it by scoring high 9’s. Another change in Neverland was the absence of the score of 10.0 and in my opinion, gone also was the necessity for perfection. Today the gymnast is on a quest for a score of 14, 15, or even 16. My life time of evolvement with the sport seemed far away and sometimes useless when assessing a current performance. Routines that appeared complex and near perfect did not always measure up to the code and place an athlete on the podium. Form breaks and unstable landings used to spell doom for a gymnast, but under the protection of today’s code of points rule book all is forgiven as long as you can “throw and go…and keep on throwing and going.” Bridget Sloan was a worthy All Around champion. She never gave up pushing herself to finish strong and I applaud her for her undying competitiveness. Where others seem to wind down like worn out clock springs attempting to compile tricks/points Miss Sloan kept on tick-tocking like Big Ben. Nikon D3, ISO3200, 1/640 at f4.0, Nikon 200-400 G VR Zoom lens, WB Fluorescent, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #5       He-mazing … He Kexin of China is the current Olympic Champion and showed the capacity crowd at the O2 why she still reigns as number one in the world. Perhaps He’s Uneven Parallel Bar routine is an example of why the sport abandoned the 10.0 system. In the finals He was first to compete. This was a definite disadvantage to all others as no one could measure up to her “High Bar” standard of accumulated skills, execution, and dynamic style. I had only been in Neverland a few days, but it was easy to see why she, or He had no equal. Nikon D3, ISO6400, 1/1250 at f4, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens, WB Fluorescent, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #6       Rising Daughter … Koko Tsurumi was Japan’s female highlight and a long time awaited balance to the powerful Japanese mens program. All business and all around capable she captured the Bronze medal in the All Around competition and was a pleasure to photograph. At only 4’7″ Koko is another good reason for photographers to bring a 600mm lens to Olympic gymnastics in 2012. Nikon D3, ISO3200, 1/640 at f4.0, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens, WB Fluorescent, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #7       Russian Flight … Another change in Neverland was the absence of Russian dominance. The event finals lineup seemed nearly void of names ending with ova. Ekaterina Kurbatova, Anna Myzdrikova, and this image of Ksenia Semenova provided brief glimpses of former Russian greatness. Nikon D3, ISO6400, 1/640 at f5.6, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens with Nikon 1.4 TC14E Teleconverter, WB Fluorescent, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #8       Upper Flat … The O2 Arena will be a marvelous venue for the Olympics in 2012, but photographically there is a major hurdle to overcome …… the O2 blue line. If you take another look at image #3 you will notice a bright blue line that runs through the picture and around the arena. This is an electronic marquee similar to those of most modern arenas here in the US. While it does not carry advertising it is illuminated continually throughout the competition and is a major obstacle to making great imagery. My greatest challenge during my return to Neverland was not regaining my timing for the sport, but choosing long lens angles to shoot from that had a clean background and especially a background that did not include the dreaded blue line. The O2 is “steep and deep” which offers excellent shooting opportunities from the 4th level nose bleed seats. Preliminary competition days offered plenty of open seating up high and a terrific view looking down on the competing athletes. Nikon D3, ISO4000, 1/500 at f5.6, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens with Nikon 1.4 TC14E Teleconverter, WB Fluorescent, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #9       (number 9, number 9… the Beatles White Album) Piccadilly Line … While Peter Pan, Wendy, John, and Michael used “pixie dust” and “lovely thoughts” to travel around Neverland my wife Susan and I used the London Tube. Clean, fast, and easy to maneuver we set out to visit Olde London town before the gymnastics competition sessions started. As the Tube is directly adjacent to the O2 Arena it was very convenient to “pop in” to the city and see the sites, then return for the daily competition. The British Museum, Tower of London, and Harrods all became part of the World Championship experience for us. Nikon D700, ISO500, Shutter Priority at 1/8 of a second with EV-0.7, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB Auto, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #10       Rising Son … The high point of the mens competition was Japan’s Kohei Uchimura winning the All Around. What a joy it was to watch this athlete perform with such difficulty, style, and near flawless execution. Each routine was filled with flowing continuity and a confidence that brought to my mind some of the great Japanese gymnastics champions like Kato, Kenmotsu, and Tsukahara. Nikon D3, ISO6400, 1/1250 at f4.0, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens, WB Fluorescent, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod, Lexar 16G Flash Card. This shooting position is from across the O2 competition floor. During the All Around final I was the only one using this location, and to that a fellow photographer informed me “this position is no good” and went on his way to join the “photo pack” over by the Horizontal Bar. All of Uchimura’s high value release skills faced this direction including his dismount and celebratory hand wave to the crowd upon clinching the gold medal, but what do I know, after all, I had just arrived back in Neverland.

Image #11       Great Britain … Daniel Keatings of the UK provided the home crowd with plenty to “go completely mental” for. The silver medallist in the mens All Around, Keating looked fabulous and exclaimed he was “over the moon” with his achievement. This long range image from across the O2 Arena competition floor offered a black curtain backdrop for terrific pictures of the Pommel Horse event. Nikon D3, ISO6400, 1/400 at f6.7, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens with Nikon 1.7 TC17E Teleconverter, WB Fluorescent, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #12       Seoul Man … Won Chui Yoo from Korea soared into the mens Parallel Bar finals. Like the Pommel Horse event, clean background imagery of the P Bar finals would require selective positioning. Most photographers cluster at the straight-on view for the P Bar finals. I like that view as well, but made sure I had already made use of that location during the All Around competition a few days earlier. This freed me to photograph from a slightly different angle to the apparatus during the individual final and avoid the stressful crowd of anxious photographers. This strategy of shooting from different positions along with staying one step ahead of the “photo pack” has always helped me attain clean, unique pictures, and retain my sanity during heated World and Olympic coverage. Nikon D3, ISO6400, 1/1250 at f4.0, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #13       Yankee Dandy … One of the surprise performers in the All Around competition was Timothy McNeill of the USA. While his skill repertoire is continuing to develop McNeill displayed a smooth style and ability to perform under the pressure of the World’s best. Here is the straight-on view for Parallel Bars during the mens All Around final. This position was mostly deserted during this preliminary day which made working very enjoyable. Nikon D3, ISO3200, 1/800 at f4.0, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens, WB Fluorescent, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #14       Just For Men … Walking into the O2 Arena I felt I might be the one with the most gray hair. That is until I saw Jordan Iovtchev of Bulgaria jump up to grab the Still Rings. I had already photographed Jordan for many years by the time I left the sport in 2004. Like Captain Hook from Neverland Jordan had grown up and was now turning gray, but it was a exciting to see him capture the silver medal at these World Championships. With sponsorships both permissible and visible on competitors uniforms Jordon might consider contracting with Just For Men ……… gee, maybe I should look into that sponsorship myself. Nikon D3, ISO5000, 1/320 at f6.7, Nikon 200-400 G VR Zoom lens with Nikon 1.7 TC17E Teleconverter, WB Fluorescent, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

Image #15       Blue Line Logistics … When you talk about sports and a blue line it usually means ice hockey, but not at the O2. Well, here it is, the O2 blue line. It wraps around 3 sides of the arena and is just below the Sky Box Seats which are also illuminated. This is a very long lens arena in my opinion. If the photographer needs a clean background, and wants to avoid the blue line and fluorescent lit sky box seats they should come to the O2 with long glass. I used a Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens by itself and also with 1.4 and 1.7 teleconverters to obtain long low angles that kept the O2 blue line out of the frame. A 600mm f4.0 lens would have been a help, but the maneuverability and versatility of the 200-400mm even with teleconverters still worked well thanks to the clean high ISO capabilities of the Nikon D3. Also make note that the NEW Nikon D3s camera with even higher clean ISO capabilities of 12,800 and beyond will make the 200-400mm with teleconverters an ideal piece of equipment for this kind of sports event coverage. Nikon D3, ISO6400, 1/1240 at f4.0, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom lens, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod, WB Fluorescent, Lexar 16G Flash Card. This image was made to provide an example of the O2 blue line for this article. It was made while I was standing on the floor which gave me a low angle to the Balance Beam. All my images for the magazine/archives were made from a slightly (1 foot) elevated box and long distances to the athlete. By elevating my position by just 1 foot I was able to eliminate the blue line from the top of the images.

Image #16       London Skyline … The final session of competition ended just after Tea Time, and so one more trip into London town for my wife Susan and I before taking flight across the Atlantic. With the London Eye directly over our heads, and Big Ben and Parliament across the Thames River I stopped and thought how wonderful it was to be teamed up again with Paul Ziert and the sport I grew up with. I enjoyed myself very much and want to thank Paul for his encouragement. Nikon D700, ISO1600, 1/30 at f2.8, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB Auto, Hand Held, Lexar 16G Flash Card.

With the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in the record books and my return to Neverland over all that was left was for Susan and I to throw a little pixie dust at each other and think lovely thoughts ………. and up we go……..

See you next month here on Workshop at the Ranch. Cheers, Dave