Rock Climbing: Reaching For New Heights

This last week a co-worker invited me to rock climbing with him and his son.  We've talked about climbing for a while now, but I was unaware that he had purchased all the necessary equipment and has been building his skills over the last month.  I jumped at the chance to try it out so on Tuesday after work we headed up the side of the mountain.  I have never been on a real rock when I've tried climbing so it took some time learning to trust myself when the handholds weren't perfect.  I didn't get too high up on the wall, but I learned some things that will definitely help in the future.  Then on Friday night he sent me a text saying he was already hiking the trail and I should come up.  Again, I went immediately, but this time when I went to get some shots my camera was having issues.  It took me about an hour to fix and by that time the sun was just beginning the "Golden hour" before sunset, no climbing for me.  Instead I jumped around the mountainside looking for cool angles to get some shots.  Here are some shots from both days. 

Andrew's first rappel of the day.  I got it a little too bright, but I kind of like it
18mm f3.5 1/125sec 800 ISO

First climb second day, this is when I noticed my camera was broken, but I really like how he's spotting his line
70mm f4.5 1/80sec 100 ISO

Camera fixed and... Go!  Jacob rappelling, he's 6'8" so he looks kinda crazy coming down...
70mm f4.5 1/800sec 320 ISO

My Favorite shot of the night!  Andrew wasn't gonna quit till he couldn't see his line.
18mm f3.5 1/100sec 100 ISO

Another good one
18mm f3.5 1/60sec 100 ISO

Think Like a Professional

A while back I went out on a photo shoot that I thought would be a wonderful stepping stone, only to realize it wasn't.  It was a BMX/skate shoot with a few different athletes that I had been told were amazing.  They were good, and I was impressed at their consistency in landing tricks, but I didn't really have any fun, it wasn't as "epic" as I was hoping for.  I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.  I knew that part of my disappointment was due to the scene, it was a cloudy day at a skatepark, grey sky with a grey ground, not cool.  But there was something else that wasn't right.  

Then I got the chance to shoot the last two posts on the blog, the comp and the 50/50 demo, and I finally figured it out.  The difference was the attitude of the riders!  The riders in the first scenario were constantly complaining.  Even though they were landing tricks, they always had some sort of gripe.  Rather than just be happy with what they did, or be unhappy and try again, they had to place blame on something other than themselves, usually their equipment wasn't working...

On the other hand, the kids at the competition were hanging out and having fun.  They weren't landing everything, but they weren't about to give up!  The 50/50 guys took it a step further, they did land everything, and they got the crowd pumped while doing it.  And if they did have an issue with a bike, they had the tools to fix it right there, no room for excuses!

But my point in bringing up this difference is what it means for me.  It sucks to think I've been in the first mindset plenty of times.  In fact that day I was in that mindset, I already stated (and used) the cloud cover as an excuse.  But how many other times have I quit trying because of conditions that weren't quite to my liking?  So what to take from this?  Think like a pro!  The world doesn't want excuses, and they won't put up with them for long.  The scene is rarely perfect, but you've gotta be good enough, and know your trade so well, that you can make something worthwhile out of any situation.  That's the difference that determines so much in this life.  I'm grateful to have seen this contrast and I will definitely employ it in my life.

50/50 BMX Demo

On April 20th, Mike Brewer, filmer extraordinaire, invited me to tag along on a trip to Richfield UT to photograph the 50/50 BMX team put on a demo.  Mike is the team videographer and he's really lucked out lately getting to travel around (even out of the country) with these guys, so of course I was game to go get some shots of them.  First, these guys are GOOD!!!  Many of them are X Games and Dew Tour medalists, so they're right up there with the best in the world.  Second, these guys are fun!  For being celebrities in certain groups, they were so chill to sit and talk with fans in between shows, they took time for everyone that wanted to meet them.  It was so cool to see them interact and be real human beings, in my opinion that is the quality that makes a true professional, I know many little kids went home so happy that day, who doesn't love meeting a "real" athlete.  

For these shots I wanted to get a little more artistic, so I introduced a lot of red into most of the pictures by adjusting the white balance.  It didn't look too good on some, but it looked awesome on others!

Ben Voyles starting things off right!
28mm f4.5 1/800sec 400 ISO

Rob Wise giving the ladies a scare, that's his wife laying down with the camera
33mm f4.5 1/1000sec 400 ISO

Jeremiah Smith, I believe this was a tail whip 360
15mm f4.5 1/1250sec 400 ISO

Jeremiah Smith
15mm f4.5 1/3200sec 400 ISO

Jayson Johnson
15mm f4.5 1/1600sec 400 ISO

Rob Wise turn down, he's not yet fully into the trick, but I like how his face is framed here
15mm f4.5 1/1600sec 400 ISO

Ben jumping Jeremiah, why not throw a backflip in there too?
15mm f4.5 1/1600sec 400 ISO

Another backflip from Ben Voyles, with a little flair...
15mm f4.5 1/3200sec 400 ISO

Jeremiah no hander, with a cool shadow
15mm f4.5 1/3200sec 400 ISO

Jayson Johnson, I don't know what this stall is called...
15mm f4.5 1/4000sec 400 ISO

Ben is great at getting the crowd on their feet
15mm f4.5 1/4000sec 400 ISO

Jayson and the little man, Kale Tanner going double
28mm f4.5 1/4000sec 400 ISO

Rob Wise including Kale again
19mm f4.5 1/3200sec 400 ISO

Skyler Pingree flair, actually that is the name of the trick
15mm f4.5 1/2000sec 400 ISO

Jeremiah bar spin
15mm f4.5 1/2000sec 400ISO

Ben and Skyler doubles backflip
15mm f4.5 1/2000sec 400 ISO

Ben no handed backflip
15mm f4 1/2000sec 400 ISO

Rob turn down over Skyler
15mm f4.5 1/2000sec 400 ISO

This last shot has a great story.  11 year old Kale Tanner begged his parents to drive him from SLC down to Richfield and somehow he got in on riding with these guys.  He immediately became apart of the group and participated in every show.  For his second to last trick, he tried and landed his first 360.  The audience went nuts, the riders went nuts, the announcer went nuts, he went nuts, everyone went nuts.  It was so cool to see something like that happen, and I really really hope I get to be apart of the "moment" many more times in my life.  And I hope I can get them all on camera...

15mm f4.5 1/2000sec 400 ISO

Projekt 801 Competition

This weekend I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a poster for a skate/BMX competition that was going down Saturday.  I've been away from my camera for a little while and have been itching to get some shots, but I didn't know if it would be worth it, so I didn't plan on going.  Late Friday night I happened to see that one of my friends is up in Canada, getting paid to film and photograph a few different action sports tours and I was immediately jealous.  I was ticked that he's getting his shot right now while I'm stuck on the sidelines.  But then I realized I was acting like an idiot.  Here I knew were a competition was happening, but I wasn't willing to go get the shot, so how would I ever end up getting a paid gig?  Saturday I woke up and went to check out the skills being thrown down.  This wasn't by any means a professional event, but these kids were good!  The judges and competitors were cool with me running around snapping pictures, so I did!  What resulted were some wonderful images,  and I'm feeling pretty proud about them,  not gonna lie about that...  Just a note, I'm not mad at this friend, I'm actually really happy for him, I just wish I could be there with him.

I love this shot, I wasn't even looking through the viewfinder, I just held the camera above my head and hoped for the best!  18mm f4.5 1/320sec 2500 ISO

Gaping from the ramp on the left, over the door and rail set-up.
20mm f4.5 1/320sec 2500 ISO

Huge backflip!
18mm f4.5 1/320sec 2500 ISO

Airing out of the quarter-pipe.
18mm f4.5 1/320sec 2500 ISO

Wall ride almost up to the ceiling!
18mm f4.5 1/320sec 2500 ISO

I want to thank We Are One Skatepark in Sandy, UT and Projekt 801 for putting on this competition.  Projekt 801 is a non-profit that is helping kids get sponsors for their talent, while at the same time making sure they stay out of trouble, get good grades, and learn to serve in the community.  They soon hope to start a scholarship fund for their athletes to attend college.  They've just started out, but with such a worthy cause I'm sure they'll find success!

Eagles, Eagles Everywhere!

Bald eagles are known to migrate to Utah during the winter months.  As it turns out, many of these eagles think Davis County is the place to be.  (I happen to agree)  They hang out around Farmington Bay, which is less than a mile from my house!  I've been able to spend some time during the last few days watching these amazing birds, along with a few other birds, and I got some pictures too!  I've learned that I'm in need of more patience than I currently have, some of the bird watchers could sit in one spot for two hours, watching the same bird (not always an eagle) sit on the ice.  I've got a long time before I'll be that dedicated... Also, when I slow down maybe I should use a tripod for the zoom shots.

American Kestrel
450mm f7.1 1/400sec 100 ISO

I think this is a Northern Harrier...
450mm f7.1 1/500sec 100 ISO

Two Seagulls fighting over fish
165mm f7.1 1/640sec 100 ISO

Eagle landing
450mm f5.6 1/500sec 100 ISO

Eagle, Blue Heron and Seagulls
450mm f5.6 1/1000sec 100 ISO

Bald Eagle Take Off
450mm f9 1/800sec 100 ISO

Bald Eagle
450mm f7.1 1/800sec 100 ISO

Baldies on the Branches
300mm f7.1 1/320sec 100 ISO

Bald Eagle Sunset
450mm f5.6 1/160sec 100 ISO

Freezing Time, With Mountains of Snow!

Recently I was able to photograph my first snowboarding event.  That's right, an actual event!  The competition was held at Powder Mountain, a.k.a PowMow, a.k.a best mountain ever!  So I decided I'd head up and see how close I could get to the action.  When I got there I noticed two other guys were up taking pictures, so I thought I had a chance to maybe do the same.  I walked up to the dude commentating the comp and asked him if I could get some shots.  He was super stoked for me and then told me he was the director of marketing on the resort, so if I get any good shots I should pass them along to him.  DONE!  For the first little while I felt so out of place, but soon I was having so much fun that I didn't have time to feel out of place.  I expected the event to be small-time, but these guys were good!  Sure they were local, but our local boys know how to throw down!  The shots I was able to get weren't great, but it was a good starting point, and living in Utah will give me the chance to continue to grow quickly!

50mm f5 1/250sec 1250 ISO

This shot is way too close and over exposed, but there's something I love about it...
40mm f5 1/250sec 640 ISO

Little dark, but awesome grab!
25mm f5 1/250sec 800 ISO

Check out that snow he's kicking up!  Oh and it would appear he's upside down...
25mm f5 1/250sec 1000 ISO

Making down rails look easy...
25mm f5 1/250sec 400 ISO

Rail rider anonymous
25mm f5 1/250sec 400 ISO

Popping onto the down rail, no big deal
25mm f5 1/250sec 400 ISO

Life's a Zoo, Break Out of Your Cage!

In August I had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite photographers of all time, Rodney Lough.  He is amazing behind the lens and he still uses large format film, a characteristic of photography that has almost gone extinct.  The only catch to meeting him was that I had to travel to his nearest gallery, which is in Las Vegas, six hours away!  This seemed like such a small task that I was immediately thrown into planning mode, and luckily everything worked out very easily.  I found three friends that wanted to go, we chipped in on a room at the Luxor and we began our road trip.  Meeting Rodney was an awesome experience, hearing his stories on what it has cost him to get one of a kind shots blew me away.  He has camped out for days on end (I hear his record is three months) waiting for conditions to be just right.  He's totaled a trucks, damaged boats and walked some extremely dangerous paths.  But he get the job done too, and comes back with photographs of perfection.  He's a true artist.

But back to life being a zoo...  While on the vegas strip we decided to go check out the wild cats and dolphin preserve at The Mirage.  That place is awesome!  White tigers, white lions, leopards, jaguars, Bengal tigers, black panthers and then Dolphins.  Kind of an odd pairing, but they're all mammals right?  This was my second time shooting in a zoo and I wanted to improve my craft.  I wanted to hide the fact that the cats were in enclosures so the shots looked more exotic, I found a great trick for making this happen.  Long lenses with a low f-stop!  Back away from the fence, zoom in and open that aperture up!  It worked like a charm, let me show you:

I couldn't get away from this fence, but I was still able to blur the links and get a cool shot
175mm f5.6 1/25sec 400 ISO

This shot I got the fence out, but there was a water mist that turned the right side hazy...
300mm f5.6 1/60thsec 1000 ISO

Other than the perfect grass and rock line, does this look like a cage?
315mm f5.6 1/40sec 400 ISO

Right up next to the fence, it was so dark that there's a lot of camera shake, but I love this shot
245mm f5.6 1/20sec 1000 ISO

So then what about the dolphins?  The biggest thing I found with them is that they love to perform, and they'll give you a show, but you've got to be paying attention, because they're quick and spontaneous.  But if you watch them for a few minutes, it becomes easier to see what they're gonna do, for example, these dolphins would circle to the far end of the pool, then swim straight at me at a high speed and then jump out of the water.  It's pretty easy to see that if they are building speed they are planning to launch out of the water.  So watch and wait, when they see you're interest they'll come around!  If it's during a show with the trainers, try to get away from the other spectators.  Don't forget, if it's getting dark, bump up that ISO so you can get a fast shutter speed!

This was during a show, great shot, expect for the head!
35mm f5.6 1/250sec 1000 ISO

Notice how no one else is around, I told you, they like to perform!
40mm f5.6 1/160sec 1000 ISO

Taking his bow, or waiting for a treat, too bad I'm not a trainer
25mm f5.6 1/640 sec 1000 ISO