Shooting the Olympics - what separates us from the pros

[GuyF]

And you thought you had problems juggling just a couple of lenses!

Kinda makes shooting your kid's sports day look too easy 

The stories behind the most stunning Olympics photos - Rough Cuts	Small | Large

[charlesa]

I can vouch it is backbreaking, even for a fit 31 year old. Two bodies (a 1D4 and and 1DX), a 400 mm, a 70-200, an 8-15 fisheye and a 24 mm tilt-shift and your back starts hurting pretty soon.

[DBCdp]

Great story, amazing insights, awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing this.

And as an aside, the closing picture here with the full moon sitting behind/under the lit Olympic Rings on the Tower Bridge...during the Olympics the top guy for NBC was commenting on this "snapshot" taken of the moon. Really? A snapshot? This story helps show that there's so much more to it than simply noticing something and snapping a picture. All the planning, the footwork to be in the right place at the right time, packing the equipment in and possibly waiting hours to get that shot that you KNEW was going to be there.

Thanks for clearing up what goes into a Professional Snapshot.

[felipey]

Here's the blog post describing the effort it took to get that "snapshot":

http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2012/08/06/attempting-to-shoot-the-moon/

[Act444]

Impressive. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, carrying a huge camera certainly is a bear...but in the end, I always think it is worth it once you see the finished product.