When Dave Holland began photographing sports for his high school yearbook committee, he did not know it could lead to a career. However, he has been fortunate to turn his passion into a position as the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary’s photographer.
Holland did not consider focusing on photography until 2009 when his friend, Jason Sjostrom, mentioned that the CSIC was in need of photos. Holland jumped at the opportunity and began shooting athletes in action at the bobsleigh track to begin fine-tuning his skills. The quality of his photographs resulted in his life-long dream of being a recognized photographer at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.
Describing himself as self-trained, Holland developed his skills by studying the work of the best sports photographers. He admits that he still spends “a great deal of time in the trial and error department. But, it is just a matter of practice. Being around sport all the time really helps.” His true passion lies in photographing the best athletes in competition. He notes that his position with the CSIC is mutually beneficial, feeling privileged to have daily access to the athletes. Of this relationship, he says, “Every day I am grateful. I can't imagine any other place I'd rather be. The athletes and staff at the CSIC inspire me on a daily basis and their excellence pushes me to be the best.” Click here to see the new CSIC Training Video
Although he says that he has “many memorable shots because I know what our athletes go through to get where they are,” one of his favourite shots won the gold medal in the editorial category at the inaugural World Photographic Cup. The photo was of Canadian Alpine Skier John Kucera at Lake Louise. HolIand knew it was a good photo the instant he took it, a feeling that was reinforced when the shot became a two-page spread in Sportsnet Magazine.
Living by the motto, "It's not what you gather, it's what you scatter that counts," Holland has compiled a complete online catalogue of his work. Be sure to visit www.csicalgaryphotos.ca and www.daveholland.ca to see his remarkable work.
Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Brittany Schussler: @BSchussler
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
Dave Holland a laissé son emploi dans l’industrie pétrolière et gazière lorsqu’une occasion, trop belle pour qu’il la laisse passer, s’est présentée de s’adonner à temps plein à sa passion pour la photographie d’événements olympiques. Après des années passées à prendre des clichés sportifs dans ses temps libres, ce photographe autodidacte s’est rendu aux Jeux olympiques de Sotchi en 2014 pour le compte de la revue SportsNet.
Passionné par les sports olympiques et la prise de photos, M. Holland s’est imposé depuis comme le photographe de choix pour l’ICS Calgary, WinSport, et maintenant le Comité olympique canadien (COC). Les choses n’ont pas toujours été faciles : ses deux premières demandes d'accréditation de média auprès du COC pour se rendre aux Jeux olympiques ont été refusées. Son inébranlable persévérance et la grande qualité de son travail ont heureusement commencé à porter leurs fruits.
En tant que photographe à l’interne de l’ICS Calgary, M. Holland peut réaliser des clichés d’événements et d’athlètes inaccessibles à beaucoup de ses pairs. La possibilité de raconter l’histoire de l’athlète au-delà du jour de la compétition lui-même est l’un des éléments qui distinguent son travail de celui des autres. « Je vois ce que tout le monde fait, explique-t-il. J’essaie de capturer le processus sous-jacent, un point de vue différent. Il y a tant de photos qu’on a vues des centaines de fois. J’aime montrer les athlètes sous un nouveau jour. »
Pigiste sans affiliation à une agence traditionnelle, M. Holland est libre d’innover, et il a finalement reçu son accréditation de média du COC pour se rendre aux Jeux olympiques et paralympiques de 2018 à Pyeongchang. Il ressent une satisfaction profonde d’être le premier photographe accrédité ne dépendant pas d’un organe de presse. « Je suis le seul photographe à temps plein au pays qui couvre exclusivement les athlètes olympiques et paralympiques. »
Même s’il travaille maintenant « trois fois plus pour trois fois moins qu’avant », M. Holland affirme qu’il ne reviendrait jamais en arrière. « Je fais ce travail parce que j’aime ça », jure-t-il. Dave Holland fait partie des rares heureux qui ont trouvé leur vocation et peuvent la suivre.
Il est motivé par un désir profond de mettre en vedette les meilleurs athlètes olympiques et paralympiques canadiens, qu’il juge très ignorés. « Je travaille avec les athlètes tous les jours et je trouve qu’ils sont vraiment mal desservis par les médias », confie-t-il. L’accès à des photos de compétition de qualité est très difficile pour ceux qui recherchent des images afin de se vendre. « Un athlète m’a déjà révélé qu’une agence lui avait demandé 800 $ pour une photo des jeux de Sotchi », se rappelle-t-il.
Ce problème l’a poussé à créer www.csicalgaryphotos.ca, une collection de photos importante et complète. Elle donne aux médias grand public un accès à des images qu’ils ne pourraient se procurer ailleurs. Il y a en ce moment environ 10 000 images sur le site. « Je fais connaître les athlètes, je leur donne l’attention et la visibilité qu’ils méritent », estime-t-il.
Selon M. Holland, il faut trois choses pour réaliser un bon cliché : de l’action, un éclairage adéquat et un arrière-plan dégagé. Il faut établir avec la personne qui regarde la photo un lien fort qui transcende les mots.
Dave Holland sait qu’il jouit d’une chance unique pour y parvenir et il accomplit son travail avec toute l’humilité nécessaire. Cela lui a pris cinq ans à établir avec les athlètes la relation et le lien de confiance qui allaient lui ouvrir les portes de leur monde. « Je sais que j’ai un privilège immense. Je peux aller et venir à ma guise dans le gymnase et le laboratoire, sur la patinoire ou la pente de ski. Chaque jour, je me sens content de franchir ces portes. »
Institut canadien du sport de Calgary : @csicalgary
Rédigé par Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo de Dave Holland: @CSICalgaryPhoto
18/01/17
Dave Holland walked away from a career in the oil and gas industry when the full-time opportunity to pursue his lifelong passion for Olympic sport photography arose and was too good to pass by. After years of snapping sport photos as a hobby, the self-taught photographer earned his first ticket to the Olympics with SportsNet in 2014 in Sochi.
Since then, combining his passion for Olympic sport and photography, Holland has created a role for himself as the go-to photographer for the CSI Calgary, WinSport, and now the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). It hasn’t been an easy path – his first two applications to the COC for media accreditation at the Olympics were denied. Fortunately, his unwavering persistence and quality work has begun to pay off.
As the CSI Calgary’s in-house photographer, Holland is afforded wide-ranging access to shoot events and athletes that other photographers simply do not have. The ability to capture the story behind the athlete beyond competition day is part of what sets Holland’s work apart. “I see what everybody does,” he explains. “I try to get the process behind it all, something different. So many photos are the same ones you’ve seen before. I want to showcase the athletes in a different way.”
A freelance photographer with no affiliation to any conventional agencies, he is breaking new ground – Holland has finally been approved for COC media accreditation at the 2018 Olympics and Paralympics in Pyeongchang. He is the first non-media outlet photographer to be accredited and he feels a deep sense of satisfaction in achieving this milestone. “I am the only full-time photographer in the country exclusively covering Olympic and Paralympic athletes,” he says.
Although he now works “three times the hours for a third of the salary,” Holland says there is nowhere else he would rather be. “It’s a labour of love,” he proclaims with absolute and heartfelt conviction. Lucky are the few who find and pursue their true calling in life – Dave Holland comes by his new vocation honestly.
Holland is driven by a deep desire to showcase Canada’s best Olympic and Paralympic athletes, a group he feels is largely ignored. “Working with athletes daily I have found that they are incredibly underserved in the media,” he says. Access to high quality photos from competition is a major hurdle for athletes looking for images to promote themselves. “I recall one athlete telling me that an agency wanted $800 for a photo from the Sochi Games,” says Holland.
This inadequacy resulted in Holland creating www.csicalgaryphotos.ca, a vast and comprehensive database of photographs. It allows mainstream media access to images that are unavailable anywhere else. To date there are around 10,000 images on the site. “I’m putting athletes on the map, getting them the attention and exposure they deserve,” says Holland.
Holland says three key things are necessary to capture a good photo – peak action, good lighting and a clean background. It’s about achieving a strong connection with the viewer that transcends words alone.
Holland recognizes that he is in a unique position to achieve this end and he approaches his work with the necessary humility. It took five years for him to develop the trust and relationships with the athletes he needed for them to welcome him into their world. “I know it is a job of extreme privilege, as I can come and go from the gym, the lab, the rink or the ski hill and every day I appreciate walking through the doors.”
Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
18/01/17
