The Straits Times Blogs - Albert Sim

After Beijing

2008-08-29T01:56:00Z

Albert Sim describes lessons learned at his third Olympics.

THE Beijing Olympics have ended in a sea of pomp and pageantry, colorful costumes, songs and stunning performances, drawing a fitting closure to a Games never before seen in such scale and magnitude.

It has been a long journey. After two Olympics, Beijing is my last destination. As I reflect upon my three Olympic experiences, many things stood out.

The spirit of volunteerism in the people of China was outstanding. From the young volunteers at various competition venues to the service staff, everyone I encountered approached their tasks with bright smiles and a willingness to offer their help. Language was no barrier for them as they managed to successfully converse in a multitude of languages - English, Russian, French, German and even Italian.

Ever-ready with a smile.
ST photo: Albert Sim

The audience was simply great.

Their boundless energy and infectious cheers drew me into the performances. Through them, I not only captured each image of the athletes in action, I too captured their unfailing spirit and tenacity. The Chinese supporters cheered on relentlessly for their teams at the various events, their voices merging together and soaring as one. Theirs was truly a unity to behold.

Security was tight and smooth-running for the media at all the venues. It was the first time I did not have to go through the lengthy process of clearing check after check. Transport was very efficient.

Beijing also stood out from the previous two Olympics because I saw the Singapore flag flying high for the first time. Our table tennis girls have done well in winning the silver medal. As my lens clicked into place, I captured the moment when a jubilant Feng Tianwei ran into the arms of her coach in joy.

The experience I had in Beijing was surreal, memorable, and certainly unforgettable. I brought back with me - not only my camera - but lessons of success, fighting spirit and friendship.

"Faster, higher, stronger".

Yes, we will all remember the Games of 2008, and also look forward to London 2012.

Outnumbered but not outdone

2008-08-17T09:28:00Z

Albert Sim is overwhelmed by the arsenal of cameras wire photographers have.

In Beijing

WITH the whole world's eyes on Beijing, with every newspaper, website and magazine wanting a picture of Usain Bolt's record breaking 100m run, or Michael Phelps historic eight-gold feat, having more cameras definitely help.

But I only have two camera bodies withe me in Beijing, a mere fraction of what the 50-photographer-team of one wire agency has. The army of wire photojournalists here is scary. Their sheer number allows them to be at multiple venues at the same time. In Singapore speak, they "carpet bomb".

They each carry an average of two bodies. And that's just the basic setup. Then, there are the remote controlled cameras.

Remote controlled cameras in action.
ST Photo: Albert Sim

These are used for shots you see of Phelps from under the water, with the Water Cube's bubble roof as the backdrop, and for sequence shots of athletes in the 100m sprint. They click away, 50 to 300 frames at one go, on 4 GB memeory cards, all in hope of capturing that money shot.

So it becomes extremely satisfying when we, normal newspaper photographers, get a good shot.

I was lucky enough to get a good position during the 100m finals. I was less than 10 metres from the finishing line and managed to take a shot to show just how ridiculously ahead Bolts was from the rest of the field.

Albert captures Usain Bolt's winning moment.
ST Photo: Albert Sim

But I have no complaints. Being at the Olympic Games is every sports photographer's dream - even if sometimes you feel like you're one against an army.

Olympics through the lens

2008-08-13T07:09:00Z

Albert Sim thinks photographers should get medals too.

In Beijing

THEY call it the greatest sporting occasion on the planet.

But it isn't just the athletes who are the ones aiming to go faster, stronger, or higher.

As journalists, we too are subjected to the rigours of this thing they call the Olympic Games.

At the Opening Ceremony for example, photographers had to be in position at 3pm, five hours ahead of the 8pm ceremony. We stayed at the Bird's Nest Stadium shooting photos until midnight, then stayed up another hour or so to edit and send back our pictures.

Wait, shoot, edit. Talk about a triathlon.

Where's Albert?
Source: AP

Every day, just getting to cover the events is a challenge. Want to shoot Michael Phelps, the most sought-after athlete in Beijing? You have to line-up at 6am for a marathon wait to get a ticket to enter the Water Cube Aquatics arena. Due to the sheer demand of journalists, not everyone can be allowed to cover these "high-demand" events.

Once you're in, the competition has only just begun. You have to judo your way against hundreds of other photographers, each boasting a telephoto lens bigger than yours. Size does matter because there is no separate category if you're a lightweight.

Once over, the gymnastic routine begins again the next day. The athletes might get to rest in between their events, but photographers have no such luxury.

Welcome to the Olympic Games - from the other side of the camera lens.

There's Albert!
ST Photo: Albert Sim