Today was “The big ballet day” in the Royal Theater. It’s basically a lot of young ballet dancers from various groups doing performances, gathered into one big show.

It was a trip behind the scenes for the preparations and rehearsal prior to the show.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 24mm, f/4 1/40sec, ISO800. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 17mm, f/4 1/40sec, ISO1250. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 40mm, f/4 1/50sec, ISO1250. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM @ 195mm, f/2.8 1/80sec, ISO1250. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 17mm, f/4 1/54sec, ISO800. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM @ 195mm, f/2.8 1/400sec, ISO1000. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

The local hockey team secured the Regular Season Championship, which means a lot less road games as they’ll have the home team advantage throughout the playoffs all the way to the final - if they make it that far. They should though. At least the semi finals anyway.

After a long regular season I can’t explain how much I’m looking forward to the playoffs. I’m sure any other sports photographer who’s been following a team all the way through the season and into the playoffs, know what I’m talking about.

Everything picks up.. The speed, the intensity, the emotions…. And last but not least.. the importance of every game… Hopefully my photography will keep up the pace!

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM @ 300mm, f/2.8 1/400sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

About a week ago young immigrants of middle eastern descent started setting cars and trash containers on fire as a reaction to an alleged racism case involving a police officer who apparently had been pushing a dad for no apparent reason.

It started in Copenhagen but spread to the rest of the country the very next day, and schools started to get set on fire as well. The arson hit Roedovre as well but no cars or schools were set on fire, just trash containers.

Over the past weekend I had been following the reports from the fire department in case anything happened that I could/should respond to. It happened twice and I had gone to sleep both times. The last fire happened Sunday night so the first assignment yesterday was to shoot the damage.

A new container fire that could have burned down a daycare center as the containers were located tight next to the daycare center’s walls.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 17mm, f/9 1/100sec, ISO500. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 17mm, f/9 1/100sec, ISO500. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

If you follow hockey or sports in general you should have heard of at least one nasty blood spill this past weekend, where Richard Zednik of the Florida Panthers got hit in the neck by a skate cutting his artery, leaving a massive trail of blood after him on the way to the box.

The day before that, a referee got the heel of a skate blade in the face, leaving him with a broken nose (I’ve also heard something about jaw fracture) and several stiches needed.

Last night I covered a hockey game with the local team and one of the opposing players took a puck square in the face, fired from the blue line. Three chipped teeth and a cut lip was the result of the encounter with the rubber.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM @ 300mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM @ 300mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

No way a visor would have helped this guy as it struck him in the mouth region, but a mouthpiece would probably have saved his teeth.

I can’t remember the last time I shot a picture that was not part of an assignment, birthday or general jerk around shit. Friday on the way back to my car after I had just shot an assignment I thought that exact thing. I used to photograph all kinds of stuff that I saw. Now it’s basically just a routine. Go to work, shoot pictures, get off work and don’t touch the camera. I sort of miss the “no strings attached, shoot whatever you please” where there are no boundaries or rules.

In other words I think I need a personal project. I haven’t figured out what just yet.

Anyway here are two frames from my walk back to my car.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 17mm, f/4 1/250sec, ISO250. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @ 17mm, f/4 1/250sec, ISO250. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

I don’t shoot handball that much. I enjoy it a lot but it doesn’t have as high a priority on the paper as soccer and hockey. Plus the facility they play in is darker than hell.

Wednesday night I was assigned to cover two games in a row. First the Men’s game and then the Women’s game. Apparently it took me half the men’s game to get into the groove again. Here’s a few shot from the Women’s game.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM @ 190mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM @ 140mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM @ 170mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM @ 300mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 300mm f/2.8L USM @ 300mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Here’s a sport where I wish I had two Canon 1D Mark II N’s and not a Mark II N and a Canon 1D. The facility is too dark to even attempt to push my old 1D. So I have to swap lenses every now and then. The 300mm gives me blurred backgrounds and some
nice up close photos. Plus I can shoot the action in both ends.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM @ 300mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Here’s one of the up close moments I mentioned. Unfortunately there is no ball in the picture.

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM @ 300mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Shooting with the 300 does give you a lot of this because they jump when they shoot:

Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM @ 300mm, f/2.8 1/320sec, ISO1600. (Photo: Brian Poulsen)

Last night five guys in a small car was involved in a solo crash, colliding with a light post, killing the front passenger on impact, the driver is still in critical condition and the three passengers in the back had minor injuries.

We got a tip at the paper that flowers had been placed next to the post and we figured it would be a nice picture to go with the story. I arrived at the same time as a group of friends who knew the people involved in the crash. Friends and acquaintances met at the crash site to put flowers and say a last goodbye to the friend they lost hours earlier.

Friends and acquaintances met at the crash site to put flowers and say a last goodbye to the friend they lost hours earlier (Photo: Brian Poulsen)
Canon EOS-1D Mark II n, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM @ 200mm, f/2.8 1/500sec, ISO200.

I have to admit I was sort of emotionally affected by this. I kept my distance and shot the above photo. I didn’t want to interrupt them and walk up to them seeming cold and disrespectful. I’m not sure how other photographers go about shooting assignments like that. Maybe I just need to “suck it up” and do my job. I don’t know.

I think this photo is pretty innocent and at the same time emotional and storytelling.