VANCOUVER, British Columbia – As a photojournalism student, I’ve been fortunate enough to shoot two Olympic games during my time as a student at Syracuse University. I first assisted a team of photographers working for Newsweek during the Beijing games, then I was fortunate enough to use that as springboard to be hired as a freelance photographer for a few organizations throughout the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.

At least 50 percent of the work that it takes to shoot the Olympics is done before you leave. Working out plane tickets, housing, schedules, photography equipment and other essentials takes months of preparation and thinking. As I secured freelance contracts with magazines, Web sites and newspapers, I started planning ahead. I found housing in October, purchased a plane ticket in December and was planning my event coverage by January. More than anything, I found the devil is in the details. For instance, a few weeks before I left, I learned the Olympics Committee wouldn’t let a photographer on the hill without mountaineering boots and crampons (metal spikes that attach to your shoe for the ice and snow). I also had to plan ahead to keep my cameras warm and dry.

Now that I am here, things have been going well. I am stationed in Whistler (about two hours from Vancouver), where many of the mountain sports take place. I’m able to shoot those events, and when I need to shoot an indoor event, I commute into Vancouver on a media bus. I typically work for about 18 hours each day and try to make it to two events within that time. I usually carry about 50 pounds of gear with me, and I spend more time on buses and waiting for an event to begin than I’d prefer.

The best events to cover so far have been events with good lighting. The men’s moguls training was nice, and the women’s snowboard cross had good definition for about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, it has been foggy most of the time. I am looking forward to the giant slalom, half-pipe and ski jumping, among other events. Check out The Daily Orange next Thursday for part two of my series from the games.

haburton@syr.edu