--- description: MacKay is one of a handful of lensmen commissioned by London’s National Portrait Gallery to work on Road to 2012, a three-year project that aims to highlight the journey to next summer's Olympic Games. The exhibition showcases both the athletes and behind-the-scenes players who are working to make the event a success. title: London 2012: Eating Their Wheaties image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20495990ca91dc0c/6987997c524fc03fe5dedc4c/weir_shot_3_302-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # London 2012: Eating Their Wheaties by [Deirdre van Dyk](/author/deirdre-van-dyk/) ## Deirdre van Dyk Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 23, 2011 8:00 AM CUT  David Weir, wheelchair racer, during a workout. David Weir, wheelchair racer, during a workout.Finlay MacKay by [Deirdre van Dyk](/author/deirdre-van-dyk/) ## Deirdre van Dyk Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 23, 2011 8:00 AM CUT Like the athletes he photographs, Finlay MacKay will go to any length to get the result he wants. Boat too unstable to get a shot of the two-man crew team practicing up-river? The Scotsman jumps into the freezing water with a $60,000 camera to get the right angle. Dead calm on the day he’s slated to shoot a sailing crew? MacKay talks the team into wearing wetsuits and wading in and out of the icy bay instead. Didn’t get the right expression on David Weir’s face? MacKay tries again and gets cursed at by the paralympian’s fellow athletes for standing in the middle of their training zone and slowing their times. MacKay is one of a handful of lensmen commissioned by London’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) to work on _Road to 2012_, a three-year project that aims to highlight the journey to next summer’s Olympic Games. The exhibition showcases both the athletes and behind-the-scenes players who are working to make the event a success. The London-based photographer—who earned the crew coach’s grudging respect and a case of hypothermia—not only captured the physical action, but managed to document the moments of emotional intensity as well. In one sitting, Weir’s coach, Jenny Archer, opened up to MacKay about her mother’s recent death, even as he was pointing the camera intently at her. The experience of photographing these lesser-known athletes, who train in their backyards and fight for space in local gyms, was markedly different than the pro-athletes MacKay has shot for Nike, Adidas and the _New York Times_. Of the big names he’s worked with—including Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt—the photographer said, “They’re so well honed, they’re like machines.” But machines with only 10 minutes, an entourage and a publicist– who has a schedule to keep– tapping her foot. In contrast, with the athletes from the NPG project, MacKay found himself drinking tea around the kitchen table, meeting parents and photographing them over the chatter of kids arriving for their gymnastics class at the local gym. There were all so generous with their time,” says MacKay. “Aaron Cook practiced his tae-kwon-do kick for me over and over.” The project has evolved from MacKay’s early shots, which paired coach and athlete in the same frame, to simply framing parallel portraits. He coaxed swimmers, boxers and rowers out of their shells to give an unsparing look at the sacrifices these athletes make in pursuit of gold. “It wasn’t just about getting them to do a sport,” says MacKay. “It was also about getting them into a space and landscape, so you get the narrative quotient.” _Finlay MacKay’s last cover story for TIME was on the Arab Spring_ [_“The Generation Changing the World.”_](http://www.time.com/time/covers/asia/0,16641,20110228,00.html "undefined") _You can see more of his work_ [_here_](http://www.jedroot.com/photogr/fm1/mackay-bio.php "undefined") Road to 2012 _is on display at London’s National Portrait Gallery through Sept 25\. The series is also online_ [_here_](http://roadto2012.npg.org.uk/ "undefined")  Paul Hall, a British gymnastics coach, watches a practice session. Finlay MacKay  Phillips Idowu, who competes in the triple jump, with his trainer Aston Moore. Finlay MacKay  Pippa Funnell, three-day event rider, practices in the ring adjacent to her house. Finlay MacKay  Maurice Paadenkooper, a professional sailor, coaches the Macgregor sisters. Finlay MacKay  Three-day event rider Pippa Funnell's husband William works with one of their horses. Finlay MacKay  The British women's match racing team: (L to R) Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor, with their boat, held aloft by a crane, in the background. Finlay MacKay  Jenny Archer, David Weir's coach, at a workout. Finlay MacKay  Aaron Cook, tae kwon do (under 80kg category) athlete, practices his kick with his brother in their front driveway as his parents look on. Finlay MacKay  David Weir, wheelchair racer, during a workout. Finlay MacKay  Alistair (left) and Jonathan Brownlee are triathletes. Malcolm Brown (right) has been the Brownlee's running coach since 2004. Finlay MacKay  Anna Sharkey plays goalball, a sport for visually impaired athletes. The masks are worn to level the field, as players have different degrees of impairment.  Khalid Yafai and Frank O'Sullivan, members of the British boxing team, spar at their local gym. Finlay MacKay  Eleanor Simmonds, paralympian swimmer, with her coach. Finlay MacKay  Mandip Sehmi (left) and Andy Barrow are wheelchair rugby competitors. Finlay MacKay  Jagtar Sehmi, mother of wheelchair rugby player Mandip, at the gym where her son practices. Finlay MacKay  Andrew Triggs Hodge and Pete Reed, rowers, during a workout. Finlay MacKay  Louis Smith, artistic gymnast, working out at his local gym. Finlay MacKay ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/22546/london-2012-eating-their-wheaties/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/22546/london-2012-eating-their-wheaties/"},"headline":"London 2012: Eating Their Wheaties","datePublished":"2011-09-23T08:00:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:02.935Z","description":"MacKay is one of a handful of lensmen commissioned by London’s National Portrait Gallery to work on Road to 2012, a three-year project that aims to highlight the journey to next summer's Olympic Games. 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