A random collection of video snippets from my time in Vancouver during the Winter Games. All shot with my Canon 7D. The song is 'Half Light' by the band Athlete, off the album 'Tourist'. I thought the words light, athlete, and tourist all seemed appropriate. You can buy the single here

In early February of 2010, I was asked if I’d be interested in traveling to Vancouver to take some photos and video of the stories happening in and around the Winter Games. I’d be part of the first HUMNEWS team to actually go into the field to begin gathering content, test field equipment, and essentially announce HUMNEWS to the world of press and media. After about 1 second of thought, my answer was a resounding, “HELL YEAH I”LL GO!” I mean, c’mon, it’s The Winter Olympics! Who wouldn’t want to go?

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was in for, but I knew a lot of the folks who’d be part of team and all of them are top notch talent in their respective fields. A few conference calls later, a quick pack of the equipment bags, and we were off!

Once we’d arrived in Vancouver (after a 22 hour trip from Atlanta to Phoenix, Phoenix to Seattle, and Seattle drive to Vancouver), we broke into teams. Each team had a number of goals:

First, generate coverage content on our HUMNEWS countries that were present at the Olympics. These countries include Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Canada, Ghana, Haiti, Iceland, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Mongolia, North Korea, Tajikistan, and The Republic of San Marino.

Second, generate coverage on other stories happening around Vancouver such as whether or not the games were truly Green, homelessness in Vancouver, riots and protesting of the Games,  the multicultural Olympiad, and the general vibe of Vancouver during the Winter Games.

Third, field test the Livecasting software and mobile broadcast equipment, including a live broadcast each night from midnight to 4AM that could be viewed by mobile industry professionals at a conference in Barcelona.

Fourth, get content onto the website.

We spent virtually five sleepless days and nights in the pursuit of these objectives, encountering hurdles all along the way. We were dogged by equipment failures, spotty internet coverage, media accreditation issues, rain, infrastructure growing pains, and the general inefficiencies of learning how to best operate a brand new team while on the road. That said, we still achieved some extraordinary successes along the way, more than proving HUMNEWS is going to be something special. I’m sure everyone there had their own special moments, but for me, these are my favorites: 

• Watching our first Livecasting feed actually go live, with the beauty of Vancouver in the background. Observing the first awkward steps of a brand new venture is always something of a profound moment for me. You just never know when small beginnings will lead to massive accomplishment. 
• Filming a performance by The Spirit of Uganda, a dance company made up entirely of Ugandan youth who were orphaned by either AIDS or war. I couldn’t agree more with New York Times description that they ““Invigorate the stage with that elusive thing called joy””. 
• Spending time with a homeless woman, and having her share her story with us. The disparity between the billions of dollars being spent to dress up Vancouver and ongoing homeless plight in the downtown area couldn’t be more clear. 
• Standing downtown on Granville Street, at 2AM, surrounded by thousands of Olympic fans, each cheering their home country. 
•  Stumbling upon an unexpected Mardi Gras celebration at the official media center. Great music, dancing, and all around good time in spite of the rain and cold weather. 
• Sitting in the official press center, surrounded by journalists from all over the globe, big screen TV’s with Olympic coverage on every wall, hammering out content for the HUMNEWS website. That was definitely a ‘pinch me’ sort of moment. 
•  Lastly, the camaraderie of working with everyone around me. To Eric, Ryan, Mike, Greg, Kelli, Joy, Courtney, Max, Michael, Laurel, Les, Pam, Tom, and Todd -- I salute thee! 

 A special thanks to Joy Benidetto for including me on this early chapter in the existence of HUMNEWS. I can’t wait to go back for more!  Check out HUMNEWS.com to read and see some of the actual coverage that came out of our time there!

A few things that jump out at me thus far:

• Vancouver is truly a North American treasure.  I find myself shaking my head every few blocks as I walk around, just blown away by the beauty of this Emerald city.
• Canadiens are insane sports fans.  If the Canucks actually win gold in hockey they may burn the city down.
• This is my first extended trip doing video primarily.  I need to put a lot more thought into how I can make my field kit more efficient.
• Using bleeding edge tech (we're doing live broadcasting via tablet pcs, Canon 5DII's, and wireless mics over Wimax to a control center running off a laptop in another location) is a risky business.  When you hit it out of the park, you really do.  When you don't, you really, really don't.  
• Journalism is much, much harder than I thought.  I takes a special breed of person who can repeatedly insert themselves into potentially dangerous situations to get the story, photo or footage.  But very, very exhilarating once you capture something you know is good.

ENTERTAINMENT HAS CHANGED: 

I stopped paying for cable when I moved into Castelberry.  This past year, I was able to successfully watch most any program I wanted either a) for free or b) when I wanted to pay for it.  I was no longer beholden to monthly cable or satellite subscriptions.  Granted, it wasn't always easy, but it was awesome. Here's how:

Netflix: Netflix provides me with unlimited consumption of what movies and TV they offer.  Granted, the selection was anemic to start with, but has slowly gathered steam.  Yes, I pay $20 a month for this service, but replaces the money I would have spent at Blockbuster.  I stream all the Netflix content I want through my Xbox 360 to my big screen TV.  Nice!  And this doesn't even include all the DVD's I get in the mail as part of my subscription.

Apple TV:  Up until recently, I hacked Apple TV so I could also watch any program on Hulu.com through an install of Boxee.  Talk about amazing! Tons of regular programming I could watch on demand.  LOST, FRINGE, Flash Forward, V... etc.  

And then there's iTunes itself.  If there was a movie or program I couldn't find for free online, I could choose to buy it.  I found more often than not, we'd simply rent a movie through iTunes for $4 rather than go to the theatre and spend $25 for tickets and popcorn...

Free Digital TV for major networks: I purchased my digital receiver and get HD broadcasted programs for free.  The cost of the receiver was about $50.  For those time when I want to watch live (i.e. NFL or news). 

It will be interesting to watch how this progresses over the next year.  There are rumblings already that network television might go the way of Dodo in favor of the cable model.  Either way, for my money, I think the fight is done.  Consumers want to watch the programs of their choice, when they want, how they want.

3D CHANGES EVERYTHING

I'm still reeling from the experience of seeing AVATAR in 3D.  More-so from the implications it has for the creative arts.  As I watched the film in 3D, I felt like I had never truly 'seen' before... and in that moment, I knew that everything changed. The potential for art changed.  The potential for user experience changed.  Maybe this what was felt when sound was first added to film...

It's only a matter of time before the need for Real D glasses are done away with.  When the theatre curtain pulls back, it will be like the theatre wall disappears entirely, and a different world lays beyond it. Mark my words, 3D will change everything: Movies, Television, and ultimately how we communicate with each other across distance. Imagine video chat in 3D.

As a photographer, I spend TONS of cycles considering how images are conveyed. My mind when I try to wrap my head around the new boundaries in 3D space.  I'm also seriously daunted by the gap I'll have to cross in order to deliver 3D content of my own.  Baby steps.

MOTION IS MY NATURAL NEXT STEP.

In 2010, I'll be allocating more time and energy into furthering my journey in creating imagery by experimenting and creating my own motion pictures. I mean that literally of course.   Don't expect an opus from me anytime soon, but do expect see a lot more short films filmed with any tools I have at my disposal.  You name it: music videos, short films, wedding films, abstract film, etc.  It's all fair game and I'm hungry... As per always, I'll just do it, and learn along the way.  

"IS THERE AN ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN THE HOUSE?"

Living the life of a freelancer is both tough and exhilarating. This year more than ever.  Between the context switching between the hats that I wear to earn my income, the juggling of responsibilities to keep all my clients happy, the feast & famine nature of working for myself, and the desire to have a semblance of a personal life.... well, yeah, I'm over the recession.  Unfortunately, I predict much more of the same for next couple of years.

The part that pisses me off the most is real estate.  I worked really hard to find a place that I could afford, that was well within my means, and that was a great value when I got it.  I thought I'd found it in my loft.  Who could've imagined that within six months of purchasing my place, it's value would fall by roughly 25%?  And that pisses me off because I don't even have the option to sell if I wanted or needed to.  Like it or not, I'm in this place for awhile yet.

Granted, I like where I'm at.  I love my neighborhood, I love my friends in the neighborhood, and I think this may be the best and truest neighborhood in Atlanta.  But if... what IF... what if I wanted to move elsewhere, whether here or elsewhere.  I'm stuck. Mostly.  So come one people, start buying again!

SOMETIMES, SITTING STILL IS THE MOST RADICAL MOVE YOU CAN MAKE.

Sometimes, not all the time mind you, but sometimes, the best course of action is to sit still. Figuratively speaking of course.  When things are rough, or look tough, my first instinct is usually to move on to new ground.  Maybe it's how much I moved growing up.  Maybe it's my constant need to learn and experience new things.  Maybe it's the 'grass is always greener' wanderlust to which I'm so easily susceptible.  And most times, that instinct has served me well.

This year though, in a number of areas of my life, when things are have looked daunting, overwhelming even, I've simply done nothing, sat still, and let life sort itself out for me. Suprisingly, lessons were learned.  I can't say they were crystal clear lessons, but something along the lines of "if you aren't in imminent danger, sit still and see what comes."  Odds are, good things come from patience.

2009.  I'm officially done with you.  Thanks for the good times, but seriously.... time to move on.