stars on ice, again, eh?

I thought that this year's Stars on Ice tour was so incredible that I just had to see it multiple times, and in multiple countries. That, plus the Canadian tour features some different skaters, plus I love the reunion that tends to happen among my friends when Stars on Ice goes to southern Ontario.

These are from the Toronto stop of the tour, just a few weeks ago. I'd also like to proudly say that I managed to get the white balance, exposure, and everything right at the actual show - these photos have only had minor adjustments done after cropping for sharpness. Woot!


Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir were asked to join the tour for a few of the stops as guest stars after they won a silver medal at the World Championships. It was only their second trip to Worlds. Yep, they really are that good. It was awesome to see them in southern Ontario, since they're both from the London area. For their show program, they did this ballet thing (they always do a ballet thing, it seems), and I was able to get this shot because Jules and I had terrible seats in a very awkward corner. Don't worry, though. We snagged some better ones for the second half. 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Michelle, editor extraordinaire, thinks this photo is pretty hot. I guess I didn't realize it until she called it to my attention, but it is pretty sweet. It's verrry sharp, even in its original size, and there's a ton of obvious motion in it. Underneath the hair-band costumes are Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon, and this was snapped at the end of the group number that is a hilarious tribute to 70s and 80s hair-band rock. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Here are M-F & Patch in more natural costuming, skating to "She's Always a Woman." Because I am such an ooshy-gooshy romantic type, and because they are always flaunting their seemingly perfect relationship around, I think this is one of my favourite photos that I have ever taken of them. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Keeping with the "favourite" theme, this is one of my favourite pictures that I've taken of Kurt Browning, from his program to "Papa was a Rolling Stone." It's a little soft in places, but I love his line, even with the big coat and being mid-leap. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


I do wish Sasha Cohen's arms were a bit more relaxed here, but besides that, I love this shot of her. She was sporting a new haircut that looked adorable at the reception later that night, but I think I like her look better on the ice with a bun. Just my two cents, though. You can barely see her hair here, though, so I guess it doesn't matter much! 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Jeff Buttle, fresh from becoming the WORLD CHAMPION, joined the Canadian tour, and with it, brought this incredible new program to "Ribbon in the Sky." It suits him perfectly, and I love it when guys rock Ina Bauers like this. Mad props, Jeff. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.

Next: one more Canadian Stars on Ice. Last one, I promise.

more stars on ice

One show on the U.S. tour just wasn't enough for this year's Stars on Ice, which in my opinion, is one of the best tours in the post-Kristi era. So when the tour came to Michigan in March, I went to the stop in Detroit. I didn't have great seats, but they were cheap, and I still got some decent shots anyway, so all was not lost. Here are some of my favourites:


Yuka Sato is like butter on the ice, and her program to "1000 Miles Away" by Jewel just suited her perfectly. I like the washed out quality of this shot. I'm usually big on colour, especially in skating photos, but something about the position I caught and all of the white makes me like this photo a lot. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


After the intermission, there's this cute number about a "typical" Stars on Ice pre-show warmup. In this shot, Yuka Sato, Jennifer Robinson, Michael Weiss, and Todd Eldredge are marveling at the discipline that world champions Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao have. 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


From the same warmup number, Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon are absolutely rocking their warmup. These edges are insane. They are fantastic. I love everything about this photo, I'll say it. 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


For a long time, Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao were, technically, among the best pairs in the world, but they struggled with their artistry. In the past 5 or 6 years, however, they've really unlocked an emotional side, as seen in this photo from their program to Lara Fabian's "Adagio." 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


When Jamie Salé & David Pelletier introduced this handstand lift (yes, she does an unassisted handstand on his forearm - while he's skating) in 2002, I so desperately wanted a photo of it, but my camera could only do so much. Now, I finally got my crisp handstand photo! 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


I'm always trying to get great shots of split jumps. Here's Todd Eldredge's Russian split jump in his program to "Nights in White Satin." (Yes, he's wearing white satin.) 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 1600.


This photo of Sasha Cohen, from her program to "Imagine," was one of my favourite shots of the season. It's a beautiful moment, but it doesn't look overly posed, her face looks lovely, but again, not overly posed...love the colours in the costume and the lighting, and I didn't have to do a thing to edit it besides a quick crop. I wish I could get this on every shot! 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 1600.

Next up: touristy shots from a trip to Windsor that I took so I could write a better article for my travel feature in the school paper. I am so hardcore with my travel writing.

stars on the ice

On February 23, I went to my first Stars on Ice show of this year's tour. It was also the first show I'd been to on the American tour since 2004. A friend of mine was in Chicago for the show, so Jules and I got our road trip on and went back to my hometown. I did pretty well with the coloured spotlights this time - it helps that Stars on Ice is such a well-rehearsed show and that the lighting is all very professional. The show was just fantastic, and I especially loved the addition to the cast of one of my favourite dance teams, 2006 & 2007 world silver medalists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon.


Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman were the 2002 world bronze medalists, but in my opinion, the highlight of their career has been their contribution to pro skating. They've become the pairs team with the big tricks, and this is one of those tricks. Isabelle Brasseur & Lloyd Eisler invented it in the 90s, and it's called the "Fly High and Say Bye." John tosses Kyoko over his head backwards, then spins 180 degrees while she's flying over him to catch her, then pushes her back through his legs. It's hard to explain. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


2006 Olympic medalist Sasha Cohen's programs often highlight interesting positions and her flexibility. This is from her program to "Anytime, Anywhere," a song that I pretty much cannot stand. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


This photo of 2002 Olympic champions Jamie Salé & David Pelletier ended up being one of my favourite photos that I took all season. I love the purple effect with the spotlight just behind them, and their classic pairs spiral is just fantastic. This program is set to "Thankful" by Josh Groban, and it's a celebration of their relationship and a dedication to their son, born last fall. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


1994 World champion Yuka Sato is best known for her uber-fluid skating and soundless edges, so this fun program to "Swing with Me" was a bit unexpected. Shooting with a fixed 200mm lens means that I have to embrace the close-up, and it's worth it when I get shots like this one. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.


Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon definitely have some of the best lifts in ice dance. This one is from the finale, set to that song about making a memory by Bon Jovi. Patrice has such solid lifting skills, and Marie-France hits the most gorgeous positions. They're just fantastic, and provided another fabulous level for the SOI cast, which has not regularly featured ice dancers in recent years. 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 800.

Next up: Either some more Chicago or some more Stars on Ice...I can't remember which comes first chronologically.