I opened my Olympics memory box this week and am now even more excited and inspired for the Olympic Spirit Project at the Sochi 2014 Olymipc Winter Games!

Here are a few of the item that I found:

The 2010 Olympics section from the Vancouver Sun from March 2, 2010.

My 2014 Olympics uniform for Sochi 2014 in Russia.

My BCMC media accreditation badge, official IPC (International Paralympic Committee) media accreditation badge, and my IPC photographer sleeve from Vancouver 2010.

Sochi 2014 media badge from Sochi House at Vancouver 2010, My True North Media House badge, House of Switzerland media badge, Holland House Press card, and Samsung media badge. All from Vancouver 2010.

Vancouver 2010 Ice Hockey and Speed Skating tickets, and London 2012 Athletics ticket.

My pin and memorabilia collection from Vancouver 2010, and a single pin from London 2012.

My Canada t-shirt that I wore at London 2012, and an awesome “eh!” t-shirt given to me to wear at Sochi 2014.

A mix of Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 clothing to wear as my Sochi 2014 fan uniform.

The Vancouver 2010 mascots! Quatchi, Miga, Mukmuk, and Sumi.

With the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games just a few weeks away, many are scrambling to get their Russian tourist visa organized. The application process is not easy, cheap, or quick.

In Canada, you need to use an independent company to submit visa application. You cannot apply with the Russian consulate or embassy directly. In Vancouver, I used Any Visa Corporation, which is conveniently located in the same office as the Russian consulate.

Before applying for a Russian visa, there are a few things you need to arrange:

1. You need to have an invitation arranged with the hotel you will be staying at in Russia. If you are staying in a private home with friends or family, your host can also provide you with this invitation. If you don’t know where you will be staying when you apply for your visa, you can have the visa company arrange one for you at an additional fee.

2. If your purpose for visiting Russia is to attend the 2014 Olympic Games next month, you will need a copy of your Spectator Pass to submit with your visa application. In order to obtain a Spectator Pass, you must purchase official Olympics event tickets and provide the confirmation number found on your receipt. I purchased my Olympic event tickets in Canada through Co-Sport. Visit  www.pass.sochi2014.com to apply for your Spectator Pass.

3. Next you will need to fill in the online Russian visa application, then print and sign it. Depending on your nationality, you could have a 1-page application or a 3-page application. My application was a 1-pager, because I have a Dutch passport, but Canadian friends who applied had a 3-page application and apparently they had to provide 10 years worth or work history, home address history and travel history.

4. You will need to provide a passport photo with your application. The required size is 35mm x 45mm. I had mine taken at London Drugs.

5. Any Visa Corporation requires you to fill out their Visa Support Form as well as a Cover Sheet for the Visa Application.

6. You are also required to write a letter explaining your travel plans while in Russia. Mine stated my intended dates of entry and exit from Russia, the list of cities I plan to visit, and that I’m there to attend the Olympic Games.

7. Finally, you will need to leave your passport (make sure you have at least 2 blank pages in it, and that it is valid for at least 6 months from the date of departure to Russia) with the third party visa company, so they can send it to Ottawa with your application for processing.

8. If you are not Canadian and you are a permanent resident, like me, you will also need to provide a copy of your PR Card with the application.

The normal turnaround time for a Russian visa is 20 business days (so about a month). I’m not comfortable being without my passport for that long, so I paid the rush fee, which is supposed to have it back with a 5-day turnaround. Because I applied over the Christmas break, it took about 10 days.

The total cost for my visa with an EU passport, rush fee, and invitation was $386. The Canadian visa cost is a bit more than this. Contact Any Visa Corporation for an accurate quote at 604.559.8472.

When your visa is ready, you will get a call to come pick up your passport and supporting paperwork from your third party visa company.

Good luck!

I’ve recently launched my first Kickstarter campaign to support the creation and publication of my very first photography book! YAY! I’m so excited that after 2 days I’m already at 10% of my fundraising goal, but there is much work left to be done to raise the balance of the funding and I’ve had a few people ask me, “What’s this Kickstarter thing?” So here’s a quick rundown.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is the collective effort of people to pool their money to support the efforts of other people. Crowdfunding is used to support a wide variety of activities, including creative projects, citizen journalism, support of artists by fans, startup company funding, and more. My Olympic Spirit Project is an example of a creative project.

How does Kickstarter work?

Thousands of creative projects are added to Kickstarter everyday. Each project is independently created and crafted by the person behind it. Every project creator sets their project’s funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen.

Are you guaranteed to get funding?

No. With Kickstarter, projects will only get funded if the total funding goal is reached. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding target, all backers’ credit cards are charged when the project reaches its deadline. If the project falls short, no one is charged and the project does not get funded.

Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing.

With the all-or-nothing model, it’s important to get the momentum of the campaign rolling early so that the campaign has a chance of getting on the “Staff Picks” page of the Kickstarter website. This allows the project to get more views within the crowdfunding community, and in turn more pledges.

Remember that your credit card does not get charged unless the project succeeds. Therefore your pledge is more important at the start than it is near the end of the funding deadline so that the momentum builds for the project. 

What is the Olympic Spirit Project?

The Sochi 2014 Olympics have been labeled as the most controversial and most expensive Games of our time, and I feel that the Olympic spirit has been lost for many. Some are even boycotting the Games completely.

After experiencing the Olympic energy in Vancouver in 2010 as media and again in London in 2012 as a spectator, I am inspired to recreate that feeling in Sochi this February to support our athletes (and their competitors) as they compete in the biggest competition of their lives. The athletes have worked so hard to get to this point and it’s unfair to them not to support their efforts in what for most is a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country.

So I came up with The Olympic Spirit Project.

The goal of this project is to get on the ground in Sochi Russia for 10 days during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games to photograph and document the Olympic spirit. I will attend both official Olympic and cultural events and photograph the different ways that cultures celebrate a win, or display their disappointment in a loss. The images I capture during my time in Sochi will be edited and compiled into the Olympic Spirit photo book, with a targeted publishing date of September 2014.

Because funding on Kickstarter is all or nothing, I need your help to get the momentum rolling on the funding campaign now. Every dollar counts! Two dollars, five dollars, twenty-five dollars, it all adds up! And please share the project with your friends and family to help spread the Olympic Spirit even further!

In exchange for your generous support, I’m offering some great rewards. From digital and hard cover copies of the finished book to the opportunity to join me at an official Olympic event during the project! And of course every backer will be acknowledged and thanked in the book itself on the Project Contributors page.

Please click the Kickstarter button below to pledge your support today!

I thank you for your generosity and support, and look forward to creating an amazing and inspiring book!

If you have any questions about either Kickstarter or the Olympic Spirit Project, please shoot me an email or leave a comment below.

Take an in-depth look at the Luge Relay event as they build to its Olympic debut at the upcoming Sochi 2014 Winter Games.

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With the announcement of Tokyo winning the bid for the 2020 Olympic host city this afternoon and the Sochi 2014 Torch relay only 29 days away, I’m getting very excited about my upcoming trip to experience my third Olympic Games!

In 2010, the Olympic Torch Relay came right by my building when I lived smack downtown at Howe and Nelson. This was the true beginning of that amazing energy we felt in our city for the duration of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. I cannot WAIT to feel that energy again when I arrive in Sochi! To view my photos from the final stretch of the Vancouver 2010 Relay, please visit the set on Flickr.

Sadly, I will miss the 2014  relay, as I won’t be in Russia just yet. But I do plan to find and hold one while I’m there to add to my Olympic torch photo collection. The question is, will I be wearing my Canadian or Dutch colors for this one?

The torch is one of the key symbols of the Games and often captures the imagination of the world. With its bright, eye-catching design, the Sochi 2014 torch, shown here, is intended to reflect Russian hospitality, and the joyful and inspirational atmosphere which is an integral part of the Olympic Torch Relays.

The Flame for the XXII Olympic Winter Games of 2014 will arrive in Moscow on October 6th, 2013, after being lit on the ancient ground of Olympia. From there, it will begin its 123 day journey across the territory of Russia. It will be seen by the residents of 83 regions of the Russian Federation and the coverage of the relay will be 90% of the country’s population.

The Olympic torch will be carried by a record number of torchbearers. 14 thousand people will have the opportunity to run with the lit torch across the cities of Russia, and more than 30 thousand volunteers will be active at the relay. It will travel more than 65,000 km in the 123 day journey.

For more information about the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay, please visit www.torchrelay.sochi2014.com.

(image source: http://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/Relay/OurRelay)

The countdown is at 206 days and I’m finding myself thinking more and more about Sochi!

I spent the weekend playing tourist in Whistler over the  past weekend, which included a little photoshoot at the 2010 Olympic sites. I figure I should collect some fun images for when I head to Russia next February to use on my social media profiles. So here are a couple of images, and I’ll be collecting more over the coming months, as the countdown continues…

With just over a year until the 2014 Winter Games (389 days), the torch was unveiled last night, as we slept here in Vancouver.

The torch has a fun, modern and elegant design, and I, personally, am loving that they used the traditional Russian red! The Olympic torch’s Paralympic counterpart is blue. You can see an image of it here.

Some information about the torch, quoted from the Sochi 2014 Facebook page:

“The concept behind the torch for the 2014 Games is based on the contrasts of Russia. It combines motifs from Russian folklore with ideas of innovation and technological breakthroughs. Its pattern is something that all Russians have been familiar with since childhood, when they first hear the fairy-tales and legends about the Firebird, or the Phoenix which rose from the ashes.

The torch design was developed by a Russian creative team, led by Vladimir Pirozhkov and Andrei Vodyanik. The designers paid particular attention to the torch’s construction and its flame-lighting system. The construction of the torch ensures that the flame burns reliably in difficult conditions, such as strong winds, heavy frosts or any surprises that a Russian winter can throw up.

The torch weighs nearly 1.8 kg, is 0.95 m tall, 0.145 m wide (at its widest part), and 0.54 m deep. Its weight and center of gravity were carefully calculated so as to make the torch as comfortable as possible to carry whilst running. The torch and its component parts have been put through numerous tests, and have been tested in the harshest of conditions. 14,000 Olympic torches will be produced.”
(Torch image source: Sochi 2014 Facebook page)

I had the opportunity to get up close and personal to both the Vancouver and London Olympic torches, and now I’m looking forward to picking up the 2014 torch in Sochi! I’m very excited to make that a reality! Less than 389 days to go!

For more images of the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic torches, please visit the Sochi 2014 Flickr page.

Vancouver is in for a rare treat when the Russian tall ship, the Krusenstern, is expected to arrive in the city, carrying the flag and delegates of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games organizing committee. The ship is expected to arrive at Vancouver’s Burrard Drydock on February 10th.

The ship will be open for public tours a few days a week and they are hoping to obtain a permit to offer short cruises to the public for a fee.

The ship’s intent is to promote the next Winter Games in Sochi, Russia in 2014. The Russians will be using the Telus World of Science, in False Creek, as their cultural house during the upcoming Games.

The Kruzenstern is a four-masted Russian barque and tall ship, built in 1926 in Germany. She was given to the USSR in 1946 as war reparation and renamed after the early 19th century Baltic German explorer in Russian service, Adam Johann Krusenstern.

If you have the opportunity to check out the ship while she is moored in Vancouver, I would highly recommend it. She is one of the tallest sailing ships in the world with a height of over 51 meters, requiring the captain to bring her into the inner harbour at low tide, in order to clear the Lions Gate Bridge with a 10 meter clearance.