As best I can figure, there are about 140 images at this web site (they're on that stack o' floppies). Many of the e-mails I've received have requested details about camera equipment, film type, etc., so, allow me to take you on the trip a typical image went through before it became a JPEG on your screen.

First of all, it invariably involved getting up between 5 and 6am, followed by approximately two hours sampling aromas from around the world on MARTA (in my experience, the Aussies take the gold...take plenty of deodorant to Sydney...and pass it around). In this crush, I carried wrapped around my body two Canon EOS bodies (620 & 650), three lens (28mm, 35-70mm though never used, and a 70-210mm), a 32 ounce bota bag of water, and whatever I considered the appropriate amount of non-sanctioned film (Fuji). This started out as 10 or 12 rolls (Provia 100), but I soon started taking only what I thought I could "afford" to shoot....generally 6 per event, plus a back-up bag of various ASA's for emergencies.

Film was either dropped through a slot late at night, or taken directly after the event to the fine folks at Moakler Photographics. I would often spend three hours there, editing previously shot film while I waited for the new stuff to process. And editing was an...unusual...experience for me. I'm used to having no deadline on my personal work, so I can do a rough first edit, *live* with the film for a while, and sort out my choices at my leisure. In this case, the film was rarely out of the soup more than an hour before I had it edited down to the few I would have scanned. In numbers, that meant that in an hour or so, I had to turn those six rolls (216 images) into 5 to 8 shots that would represent my experience at that event. For me, that was scary, as to this day, I haven't had a chance to go back and look at "outtakes" I might have liked more, given a little time

I usually went directly from Moakler with my edited choices to Showcase Photographics, where Miranda and Stephen Davis did a heck of a job turning my scans around quickly and competently. During the 24 to 48 hour turnaround on the scans, I would write the text for the event, and put a text only HTML document online until the scans came in. When they did, I would run them through Photoshop (for "darkroom" type manipulation only....cropping, contrast, etc.), and add them to the page. Most of what's here is a "first take", as I've rarely had time to go back and tinker with the scans, the writing, or the HTML. Now that it's over, I don't think I will, as it captures a moment.

Most of this monitor marathon was done between the hours of 8pm and 2am, with NBC's "presentation" being taped in the background. I have only two comments about their coverage, since I really have seen very little of it. One, if I never ever hear John Tesh's voice again, it will be too soon. Due to his "journalistic resume", I don't believe a word he says, and even if NBC paid him a million dollars, I figure it works out to about a nickel a word. And I feel like I heard them all. Talk about your overexposure, which brings me to point two. I used to wonder, who in the heck is watching the Olympics between 12:30am and 2:30am. I now know the answer......me.

Atlanta has been battered by bad press about these Games, but I don't think people generally appreciate what this city pulled off. This wasn't "just another Olympics." There were over 8.5 million tickets sold, well over the combined amount from Barcelona and Seoul (Sydney will offer 5.5 million for sale....Atlanta offered 11 million). There were 50% more nations here than in Barcelona. So, Atlanta brought together, by far, the largest gathering of nations, athletes, and spectators in Olympic history. It truly, factually, was the largest peacetime event in the history of mankind.

Call me selfish, or call me Rhett, but frankly my dear, I don't give a damn what anybody else thinks about these Atlanta Games. They were the most incredible experience of my life. They made my *funny bone* roll on the floor laughing. They made my soul cry. They made my heart burst with pride.