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Elsa’s gear list for the Olympics includes four Canon R1 bodies with a wide selection of lenses and additional accessories. Image: Elsa Garrison |
The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games have been underway for over a week now, and Getty Images photographer Elsa Garrison has been logging long hours on the ice to capture the action. We previously spoke with Elsa about her experiences as a sports photographer and the first woman staff photographer at Getty Images. Now she’s sharing some behind-the-scenes looks at the gear she has on hand and how she’s approaching photographing these Winter Games.
Elsa is currently in Milan to capture the ice events such as women’s and men’s ice hockey, all of the various figure skating competitions, speed skating and short track speed skating. “As a Minnesotan, I am most familiar with covering ice hockey,” Elsa revealed. “It was one of the first sports I learned to cover when I began my sport photographic journey at age 15, so this sport feels like home to me.” She also loves short track speed skating because it is so fast and chaotic.
“For the Opening Ceremony, I [was] one of two Getty Images photographers on the field of play to capture event-level images”
Elsa also had the opportunity to be at the Opening Ceremony, a first for her. “For the Opening Ceremony, I [was] one of two Getty Images photographers on the field of play to capture event-level images of athletes and performances,” she said. “I have never worked an opening from the field of play before, and I am very excited for this opportunity to capture this aspect of the games.”
As you likely expect (and can see in the image at the top of the article), the gear needed for such an event is extensive. Elsa’s kit includes four Canon R1s, one R3, and nine lenses, such as the Canon RF 10-20mm F4 L IS STM, RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM, RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM and RF 100-300mm F2.8 L IS USM. She also has a 1.4x teleconverter on hand for extra reach when needed, plus two battery chargers for the cameras (see a full list of her gear at the end of the article).
Elsa’s setup also includes the ability to take images remotely. She uses a Magic Arm with a clamp and a mini tripod to hold the cameras, and two Pocket Wizard Remote Camera triggers with cables for triggering. She also needs to get images back to Getty Images quickly, so her kit also includes a larger router for the tech team.
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Elsa made sure to pack clothes to keep her warm during the Winter Olympics. Image: Elsa Garrison |
Beyond the camera gear, there are also considerations for the cold weather. However, that’s not phasing Elsa. “I grew up in Northern Minnesota, and I am very familiar with cold weather,” she explained. “The joke with Minnesotans and cold weather is that if we hear someone complain about the cold, we chime in with, ‘Cold? This isn’t cold!’ and then we bring up the blizzard of 1991 or some other arctic blast.”
“The trick is to layer and also keep your spare camera batteries in a warm pocket”
While most of the events she has been covering are indoors, the Opening Ceremony was held outdoors, so she focused on appropriate winter gear for working outside for a long period. “The trick is to layer and also keep your spare camera batteries in a warm pocket,” she said. “The cold drains the camera batteries quickly, so it takes a little bit of planning and extra equipment to get through a cold-weather assignment.”
Although the 2026 Olympics are beginning to wind down, there’s still plenty of excitement left. “There is so much to be excited about when covering an Olympic Games,” she added. “Every day is a new adventure and I get to document these Olympians as they make sport history. Sure the days are long and grueling at times, but the competition and the performances are easy to get wrapped up in and you forget that you maybe haven’t slept much!”
Elsa’s Milan Cortina 2026 gear list:
Cameras:
- 4 Canon EOS R1 camera bodies (two will be brought from the United States, and two will be borrowed from Canon in Milan)
- 1 Canon EOS R3 camera body
Lenses:
- RF 10-20mm F4 L IS STM
- RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
- RF 28-70mm F2 L USM
- RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM
- RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM
- RF 85mm F1.2 L USM
- RF 135mm F1.8 L IS USM
- RF 100-300mm F2.8 L IS USM
- RF 400mm F2.8 L IS USM
Additional gear:
- 1.4x teleconverter
- 2 battery chargers for cameras
- 2 Pocket Wizard Remote Camera Triggers with cables
- 1 large router for our tech team
- 1 magic arm and super clamp for remote camera
- 1 mini tripod for a remote camera
Winter clothing:
- Getty Images team winter shell and lining jacket in black
- Black fleece base layer pant
- Black outer snow pants
- Black base layer shirt
- Black Sorel waterproof boots
- Over boot snow traction cleat/cramp on
- Wool socks of varying thicknesses
- Black Getty Images-branded hat, plain black hat, teal hat that I knitted for the occasion
- Various gloves and mittens (fingerless mitts, tight-fitting gloves and a pair of mitten/lone finger gloves that a friend of mine hand-knit for me – the left hand is a regular mitten, and the right hand has a one finger is for the shutter button on a camera, and the rest is a mitten shape. It is a design idea I am testing out. The hand holding the camera almost looks like a lobster claw!)