"Smooth Operator"
Lake Placid, NY - August 2005 (Click to embiggen)
Watery? You bet it is. Part of the process for surfacing an ice rink is to flood the surface with hot water to fill ruts and even out the surface. The zamboni shaves the high spots down, then sprays hot water on the shaved surface and finishes the job with towels wrapped around the sweep on its tail. The brushes on the sides up front spin to dislodge drifted "snow" from along the dasher boards. A skilled driver can resurface an entire Olympic-sized rink (slightly larger than those used in the NHL) in under seven minutes. This shot is from the Lussi Rink in Lake Placid, NY which hosted the 1932 Olympic skating competitions and hockey tournament.
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25 comments:
I like the graininess of the black and white. It really adds something to the picture.
Ahh great idea for a water shot. Things aren't too rosy in regards to hockey over here, our local WHL team is going to miss the playoffs, and my NHL team just fired our coach. Yikes!
Cheers!
Guy
Regina In Pictures
This is an educational post. Thanks for sharing this info.
My entries are here:
http://ewok1993.wordpress.com
http://trainshots.blogspot.com
Zambonis and I are old pals. We go way back. ;-)
Zamboni - so that's what that thing is called.
Mojo great shot. I always wondered how they made a ice rink. Very interesting. =)
what a great watery Wednesday shot,
Gill in Canada
Job finished in under seven minutes? Impressive. In the photo I like how the light let through the open window or door is visible on the safety glass and reflected off the surface as well.
I have seen a skating rink being done like this, only it was smaller than what you've shown here, it was only small time.
Nice entry here. thanks for the info too.
Yup and it gives the fans something to watch between periods.
Love it!! Go Lightning! (ahhhh-they suck since they won Cup eons ago!)
Cool shot! The black and white makes it interesting!
And the title tells me you like Sade!? I do too! :)
Thanks for your comment! I was really happy to see you use the word gossamer not only because it relates to geese, but also because it's the name of the big orange monster in Looney Toons.
As for my camera settings..pretty good guesses! They were:
ISO: 200 (lowest on the D40)
Aperture: f/22.0 for a softer effect with more depth as I was using focal lengths of 102/153mm and 200/300mm.
Saturation: "Enhanced(+)". The other D40 options are Moderate(-) and Normal(0)
White Balance: Daylight (5350K)
No tripod or remote though! I set the camera on a wooden railing and carefully squeezed the shutter release. For the closeup I propped the front end up on a baby carrot. Had to improvise a bit.
You know way more about zambonis than I did. :) It all makes sense though.
This is a great post and what an informative one too.
Great idea for Watery Wednesday.
Nice picture.
I love Zamboni's, they are fascinating to watch. Love your shot and the story behind it.
Not only a great photo, but a very interesting post from which I learned several new things. Thank you!
Bobbie @ The Right Blue
I've always thought it would be great fun to drive the zamboni :). Fun shot, and great take on the prompt.
What a fun shot for WW. I used to be terrified of those ice machines when I was a kid. I thought they'd gobble me up!
Very interesting and original post for WW. That's really great to know! Thanks for sharing.
Oh..what a great memory this triggered. As a teen we used to go and ice skate, but mostly hang out at the local ice rink. When they brought the zamboni out everyone had to get off the ice and we all got soda and french fries. Not I read that kids get into food fights and brawls there. I guess the late 60's was kinder time... Michelle
looks slippery, too. My wordless is also watery. I'm celebrating the Week of the Blue!
Wow, I didn't know that they flood the surface with hot water first. Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. Best wishes :)
I always wondered exactly how and what this thing did. Thanks for the explanation.
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