Men’s bobsled competitors head down the track and the Sanki Sliding Center during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, Sunday, February 16, 2014.

It’s been just over two months since I returned from my trip to Mother Russia to document the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, a trip that will always be among the top experiences I’ve had in my life. And, if you can keep something between you and me, it’s been roughly the same amount of time since I developed all 34 sheets of the Kodak Tri-X 320 4×5 film I shot throughout the games. This begs the question, “Why did you wait two months to share those images here?”

There’s two reasons I sat on these bad boys for a couple of moons. 1. I’ve been busy (thankfully) with paying gigs for clients, putting a lot of my personal projects on the back burner. Even when I have time to dabble with personal work, it’s a quick thing here or there. 2. A lot of these images didn’t live up to my expectations, and there was some disappointment experienced once I finally had the whole take scanned.

What did I expect? I’m not quite sure. I struggle with my perfectionism on the technical end of everything I do, and many of these images are technically flawed in one way or another. Some of them are flawed due to timing, some of them are flawed due to motion blur or other format limitations beyond my control.

I finally made peace with these images when I reminded myself why I signed up for the 4×5 film format in the first place. I wanted to “let go” of the sharp perfection that digital photography affords so easily. I wanted to escape 10 frames-per-second bursts, instead slowing down to one frame per minute, if I’m working quickly.

Another desire I had when I started shooting, developing, and printing 4×5 film one year ago was that I wanted to be humbled by the process itself. Despite using my digital cameras in full manual mode 99% of the time, the digital format is still very predictable for me. While this is a godsend in tricky lighting situations and with paying clients waiting on deadline, I actually wanted to experience extreme difficulty once again on the technical end of photography through the 4×5 film format. Let me tell you, if you want difficulty, film with a view camera doesn’t disappoint!

There’s nothing like setting up a shot of a competitor on the course at the Winter Olympics, waiting 10 minutes to get a single frame of that competitor blowing by you, then flying halfway around the world a week and a half later to develop the shot and discover that it’s soft. Humbling, eh?

Skiers on course in the men’s 4×7.5km relay during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center.

Regardless of those images that got away (and the ones I’m fairly proud of that are displayed here), shooting each and every frame was a blast! The vintage Crown Graphic camera I use always draws a lot of interest from people nearby, and I made new friends each time I set it up. In fact, I was able to successfully (and more than once, I might add) ask other photographers to momentarily move out of my way so that I could get a clean frame with the Crown Graphic! Try that with a digital camera, and let me know how quickly you’re involved in a shouting match.

Due to safety rules with tripods not being allowed on the courses at the Olympics, the Sochi games also marked the first time I had to use the Crown Graphic as a handheld camera. I instantly felt like Weegee or some other 1940’s press photographer, minus the cigar and fedora. Shooting 4×5 handheld (with a broken focus rangefinder, mind you) is a complete exercise in patience and visualizing the image in your mind long before you trip the shutter.

Switzerland’s Curdin Perl competes in the men’s cross country skiing 4 x 10km relay during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center.

What’s my favorite image of them all? Probably the one of the two Russian officers with the AK-47’s around their necks. It’s amazing to me still that they posed as long as they did for me to shoot the photo, and followed all of my directions precisely (all via Google Translate from my colleague JD Mercer’s cell phone – the officers spoke no English).

When it’s all said and done, my 4×5 film images from Sochi all contribute to my larger goal of creating a body of work by hand that exists completely outside of a computer. To have such a high profile event as the Winter Olympics in that fray is pretty neat, and I’m proud of the work I did as a whole.

Competitors warm up prior to the men’s halfpipe snowboarding semifinal of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

Katie Tsuyuki from Canada on her qualification run in the ladies snowboard halfpipe event.

The village of Rosa Khutor, Russia. The clock tower pictured above was less than a block from the apartment where I stayed during my time at the games.

A woman in traditional Russian dress poses in Rosa Khutor.

Of course, when I stumbled upon a “light pocket” as sweet at this while on a location scouting trip, I had to turn the 4×5 camera on my USA Today Sports Images colleagues Kevin Jairaj (left) and John David Mercer.

A forerunner checks course conditions prior to the men’s halfpipe snowboarding finals.



France’s Clemence Grimal on her qualification run in the ladies snowboard halfpipe event.

The second of two forerunner bobsleds leaves the starting line of the Sanki Sliding Center.

Men’s bobsled competitors head down the track and the Sanki Sliding Center during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.

Visitors walk near the Olympic Cauldron in Sochi, Russia, during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Men’s aerials practice during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

Australia’s Sam Hall crosses the finish line during men’s moguls qualifications during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

Yours truly setting up a shot with the Crown Graphic of two armed Russian officers on the streets of Rosa Khutor. Note my “dark cloth” around my neck, which is actually just a black t-shirt. (Photo by John David Mercer)

The resulting image. I love how the officer on the left is strictly business, whereas the one on the right seems to be cracking a smile. They both have AK-47’s around their necks, however, so don’t let the affable demeanor fool you.

The Western Caucasus Mountains near the village of Rosa Khutor, Russia, following the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Monday, February 24, 2014. For a sense of scale, note the trees along the ridge which starts at the bottom left of the image. These trees are easily 100 feet tall.