Peter Carroll’s photography blog

Longtime readers of this blog know I’m a huge Tour de France fan. The epic race has hit a new level this year. Crashes have decimated the field. The heat has been insane. There’s been a fist fight at the end of a stage as well as head butting during a sprint to the line leading to an expulsion. All that and we haven’t even hit the Pyrenees yet. As always The Big Picture has put together a wonderful collection of Tour photographs that summarise the race so far…

© Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Bring on the Pyrenees! Big day for these two guys tomorrow… 

© Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

The Big Picture has put together a selection of World Cup photographs.

That’s quite the cell phone accessory!
AP Photo/Jorge Saenz

Sweet mother of pearl!
REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

Oil in the Gulf, two months later. Powerful images and not a walrus to be photographed anywhere…

Click here to link to The Big Picture for the full gallery of photographs.

© Sean Gardner/Getty Images

I find it interesting how what’s in the news often affects how I see the world through the viewfinder. I took this photo last week during the farm shoot. Some other time I might have passed the scene by but the disaster in the Gulf was on my mind…

If you want to take a break from all the politics, all the finger pointing, all the holier than thou chatter in the media and see the harsh reality of the situation, then I suggest you head on over to The Big Picture. As always, they have put together a superb showcase of powerful images.

I flew a military chopper for the last time back in August of ’99. My former unit, 408 Squadron, has since been deployed overseas to Bosnia and Afghanistan. The Big Picture recently posted a series of powerful images that show the hell that is war.

Safe flyin’ boys wherever you lift the skids off the ground.

(AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

I was watching David Letterman last night and thought I would share his Top Ten Signs You Have Winter Olympics Withdrawal…

Number 10 – Will only eat your pancakes if arranged like Olympic rings
9 – You exercise on Nordictrack with a rifle strapped to your back
8 – You weep uncontrollably every time you see snow
7 – Turned your closet into a “kiss and cry” area
6 – Office manager says, “We’re getting complaints about your speed skating body suit”
5 – You’re curling on your patio with a Swiffer and a fruit cake
4 – Now only watch television if it’s on nine hour tape delay
3 – Already purchased snacks for the 2014 Winter Olympics
2 – Brushing your teeth involves an opening and closing ceremony
And number 1… You sold your BMW and bought a bobsled

As promised here’s the link to Part II of the Big Picture gallery of great photography from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

A few of my favourites…

We are almost at the halfway point of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The Olympics is a gathering of some of the best athletes in the world. It is also a gathering of some of the best photographers too. Over the last 8 days some of the photography has been superb and few sites do a better job of showcasing “best of” in the world of journalism photography than the Boston Globe’s The Big Picture. Enjoy the gallery they have put together. Here are a few that stood out for me…

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan