Where: Hong Kong Stadium

When: March 20, 2005

What: Wide Eye Productions was commissioned by the Hong Kong Tourism Board to cover the Hong Kong Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005, an international seven-a-side tournament attracting rugby fans from around the world.

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How: Brothers Dominic and Stefan Irvine had press passes from the Hong Kong Tourism Board allowing them access to certain parts of the stadium. The closest place to the pitch where they were allowed to set up was against the barriers; a great location for some shots but they needed a better spot for the final panorama of the tournament’s closing ceremony.

“I had been tipped off that the lights would black out for a couple of minutes, before the fireworks shot across the roof of the stadium, so I planned to take the opportunity to run under the cloak of darkness to the center of the pitch, grab some shots, and be back in position before anyone was the wiser,” Irvine recalls.

When the lights dipped, he made it over the barrier with his heavy camera rig and to the very center of the pitch, where he quickly set up, pointing the camera skywards for the fireworks explosions. “I heard them well before I saw them: a marching band seemingly hundreds strong loomed out of the darkness towards me. I repositioned and started snapping away, readying myself to run as they got nearer to my position. Just when I had decided that I could delay no longer and was starting to get the gear together, the band wheeled 90 degrees, not five meters from my position, and filed to attention!” Irvine continues.

“Then the fireworks started and so I started shooting furiously. I failed to notice that one large spotlight had now come on, at the climax to the fireworks and the bands’ rousing finale. It pointed straight down the center of the field, with TV cameras beaming their signals around the globe, highlighting the band… and of course, one solitary figure hunched over his tripod! I then began to look around, and there were the security guards running up and down the sidelines, flapping their arms and waving their badges at me. All I can say is that it was all worth it!”

Irvine was grateful for the good sense of humor organizers displayed over this rather embarrassing situation.

Why: As part of a broader commission from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Wide Eye Productions has been working to create numerous panoramas at Hong Kong festivals, landmarks and tourist destinations to enhance the interactivity of the Discover Hong Kong website and to promote Hong Kong as Asia’s premier tourist destination to a global online audience.

Equipment: Nikon D1x, Nikkor 10.5mm, Manfrotto 303SPH
Software: Panorama Tools, PTMac, Photoshop CS, Cubic Converter
Exposure: JPEG fine, ISO 200, several brackets 1/10 sec, +/- 1 stop, f 5.6
Email Stefan[at]wide-eye[dot]com[dot]hk