Racing is Black and White
There isn’t a single person who hasn’t seen the old images from the Tour de France and thought “man, those are some cool shots”.
Race photography comes at us these days with such hyper-real clarity, and amazing color that, at times, it can be a little overwhelming. And this is coming from a photographer that LOVES to make life look hyper-real. Long gone is the simplicity of the black and white image in bike racing. The colors jump off the page and the rider’s eyes burn holes through the screen with fierce intensity rarely seen. These images work. They are beautiful and portray the venues beautifully.
But, there is still something to be said for a solid black and white image. It has no color…only tonal range. In reality, this is the way the image is first seen. Either on film or through a digital processor, the camera sees only tonal ranges. The range of light runs the gamut from intense white to absolute black. Within each extreme there is no detail, no information. But, if a photographer can create and image that spans the entire length of the tonal histogram (from absolute white to absolute black) and catch all of the tones in between a beautiful picture can be had.
This last weekend, I shot a race on the eastern plains of Colorado. It started in a town famous for the world’s first rodeo. Realistically not much has probably happened there since. Granted, they do have a great rodeo every year. In any case, the race started in Deer Trail Colorado and ventured into the plains to the east of town. The race flyer warned of high winds and high heat. Not a great combo. Mix those two elements in with rolling hills, no trees and a bunch of fallow wheat fields and the photography turns to be fairly monochromatic. What a great opportunity to shoot in black and white. In reality it was a relief. Normally I am shooting with mounds of extra light. I will remotely trigger one or even two speedlights and drop the exposure of the back ground down a bit. But this day was different. Nothing but me and my camera. Just the landscape and a mind that was thinking in terms of tones instead of color.
Life becomes very simple when a photographer thinks this way. Color is washed out. All that remains are shades of gray, and values of light and dark. Contrast creates the drama in the photo. There are no blue skies to stare into. No green trees to contrast with the blue sky. No colorful kit of the road cyclist. Instead you get dark eyes crying out in pain and sun bleached faces that contort from extreme effort. Roads revert back to “black top” and cloudless blue skies go white. What a wonderful way to view the world.
I had my day of shooting, and it was glorious. No frills, no strobes, no fancy techniques….it was me, my long lens and the world. When I got home and looked at the images I thought to myself ”are they as cool as those Tour de France images?” The answer? NO way in hell. But it was a ton of fun and it shows what racing in Deer Trail Colorado is like.
With Speed Comes a Blurrrrr
One of the most interesting misconceptions about photography is the belief that the image captured is what you actually saw. When it comes right down to it, that is the biggest load of hog wash I have ever heard. At no point in the history has there ever been an image that was EXACTLY what the photographer took in with their own eyes. And this is one of the coolest concepts in photography.
I try to create images that represent what I WANT to see.
In cycling photography this is especially true. Photography stops the action. It puts a hold on time. It carves out a second or fraction of a second that will forever be still. So, with something as dynamic as cycling and racing, how does one go about capturing the action and the speed associated with the sport?
Blur. BBBBBBBLLLLLLUUUUUURRRRRRR.
I jump at the chance to use a good amount of blurr. The action lives longer when the image streaks across the screen. When riders throw themselves into corners, charging through at 30 and 4o mph, the action is anything but still. Colors blend together, noise becomes a howl and the rush of the peloton mimics the summer wind.
Corners are the absolute best place to get this type of motion. The riders look as though they will careen straight through the lens. And their eye are locked into the turn, riveted to the tarmac just behind.
Another “can’t-do-without-it” is flash. Every time I’m snapping off images in the corners I’m also pounding the subject with flash. It helps to fill the dark shadows under the helmet and it also darkens the sky behind the rider. There is one other key element that the flash provides. Focus. Without the flash the entire image will be blurry and critical focus is lost. Most of the time I have the flash set on full power. This allows for a slow shutter of around 160 or even 125 and greatly effects the amount of blur.
The trickiest part of the shot is combining all of the elements to get exactly what you want. It is all in panning, framing, shooting and repeating….until you get an image you like.
Episode #7- Chris Winn
The Hugo Road Race is one of the classic races in the Denver area that ALWAYS comes with a story. This year brought temperatures that scorched every single rider and winds that steadily howled. It seemed to be a day that was destined to last for ever. The sun beat down every single racer. The skin of each rider was drawn tight by the constant battering of 60mph winds. And the volunteers worked to exhaustion to keep water bottles full and trash contained. It truly was an epic ride. Only about half of the riders finished that day. For those that did finish the end was bittersweet. For those that didn’t finish, the end was also bittersweet.
One of the racers I met was a Rio Grande rider who snapped a shifter half way through the race. At the time, he was in the lead group with two teammates. . . looking for a win. Chris Winn was poised for the podium but it would have to wait. For the rest of the afternoon, Chris rode around with me as I shot images of the other categories. We chatted about his home country of Australia and his desire to sign with an international pro team. Just a couple of months later he won the best young rider Jersey at the Nature Valley Race. The stars are lining up for him, so keep and eye out for this awesome rider from Down Under.
- With what team do you ride? This year I’m racing with the Fort Collins based Team Rio Grande. First year on the squad and I’m happy they’ve allowed a foreigner to invade their program. Great bunch of blokes and can’t be happier how everything is going in 2010.
- How long have you been racing? I first zip tied a number to my handlebars at the age of 14, spending the next 9 years picking dirt out of my teeth as a cross country mountain biker. At the end of 2007 I flipped the switch and turned to the dark side….I mean became a roadie.
- How did you get started racing? Like most things growing up I followed my older brother into the sport. At the time I was a tennis player but as soon as the cycling bug bit, it turned into a nasty rash that I still haven’t been able to get rid of yet.
- What is your all-time favorite race? The race to the fridge post training ride. Especially when there is decent left over’s from the night before so preparation time before consumption is kept to a minimum. I do enjoy watching the classics with a soft spot for Flanders. The one’s I’ve personally tackled in the USA would be Nature Valle Grand Prix and the Tour of Utah as favorites.
- What is your strongest discipline? I tend to do better on the hillier stuff, one day and stage races that sort of thing. Being a smaller guy I don’t have too much in the sprint department, so big game crits aren’t usually where you’ll find me at the pointy end of things.
- What part of bike racing do you absolutely loathe? The safety pinning of numbers onto your jersey. Coming from a mountain bike background it was a couple of zip ties for a plate on the handlebars and you were away. Recently I got back from a stage race where for the first 4 days the number placement changed on the jersey each day and it was cracking me big time.
- Tell me a little about your bikes and gear. What are they, what cool little gizmos do you use to train, what is your favorite piece of equipment? I really like my set up this year. I am riding on an Orbea Opal decked out with SRAM and rolling on some Reynolds 46mm tubulars on race day. The bike is super stiff and stable at high speeds which is perfect for our stage race schedule. For training I have an SRM which works a treat and is nice to collect some data while racing being the nerd kid that I am. As for my favorite piece of equipment I’d have to say my white SRAM hoods make things look pretty trick and tie the graphics of the bike together.
- Do you have any superstitions about racing or any pre-race rituals? What are they and how did they start? Being an Aussie the pre race meal is always a lightly roasted platypus smothered in Vegemite. Anything less and the legs just don’t turn. No, to be honest I don’t have any superstitions outside of just trying to be organized before racing and therefore stress free. Actually, you’ll never see me with those shorty ankle socks……bad news right there. And the sunglasses always go on the outside of the helmet straps….and they have to be spotless…….hmmm so maybe I do have a few then!
- If money was absolutely no object, what bike would you ride and how would it be painted? You know I’m pretty happy with my Orbea right now, and I just saw the 2011 Orbea Orca released so I’d love to throw my leg over one of those. Deck it out with SRAM Red parts and a green and gold paint job and I’d be happy as a clam. Does it come with a mechanic to keep it clean???
- If you could race with any pro, from any time in history who would it be? Good question there. It would have been cool to race alongside Phil Anderson in the 80′s. Phil was one of our many Aussie cycling pioneers to break into the European scene and put us on the map. Plus at that time I could get away with a worse hair cut than I do now.
- You are granted a riding session with one current pro team. This session includes as many hours of riding as you would like, lunch at any location you choose and the ability to ride any place in the world. How do you fulfill this dream? Please be specific with details about lunch conversations with riders and any pertinent gossip that is applicable. I would say a long (6hr +) blue sky day in the mountains of Northern Italy with Saxo Bank would be perfect. Throw in the Gavia, Mortirolo and the Stelvio passes and that should take care of the climbing aspect alongside some sweet descending action. Lunch would be burritos at a random Chipotle found midway through the ride, and consequently all conversations and gossip would be about how on earth this Mexican chain restaurant ended up in a small village in Italy. Needless to say I’d think Spartacus would enjoy a steak fajita though.
- Who would you absolutely love to beat by the end of this year, and why? Any current professional….the more the better! It’s no secret my aim is to gain a contract for 2011 so the further up the results sheet I can ride the better.
Constant Motion in Palisade
One of the most rejuvenating assignments I have had this year was to cover a women’s specific cycling camp in Palisade, Colorado. The camp is the brain child of Susannah Gordon. Together with Corey Hart the camp was an undeniable success.
Over the course of four days, the women of the camp were treated to six amazing rides, an afternoon lecture series from industry pros, wine tasting, jet tubs and some of the best food in Colorado. The week started off with a fun ride through the vineyards just minutes from our hotel, the ever classy, Colorado Wine Country Inn.
Later that afternoon, Todd Carver with Retül bike fit technology, was busy making sure that every woman at the camp had a bike that fit them perfectly. Todd wasn’t the only one running the women through their paces. Corey was in another room testing each woman for their Lactate Threshold (LT). I am glad I was only taking pictures, because this test looked to be a doozy.
The evening ended up with a great presentation by visiting pros Tina Pic and Kimberly Baldwin. They told of their racing adventures and answered questions as wine from the region flowed freely. As the night wore on, it was clear that everyone was having a great time and couldn’t wait to get rolling in the morning.
Early the next day the Trek Women’s Demo program was ready to loan out some of the hottest bikes on the market. The Madone 6 series seemed to be the bike of choice with it’s electronic dura ace shifting and killer carbon frame. Every woman that tried one raved about the performance and decided to use it for the remainder of the week.
Each day brought nicer weather and the 70˚ temps were a delicious reprieve from the snow that plagued Denver. All of the days worked out well. In short, this camp had everything any woman cyclist could want. Wine, women pros to ride with, great food, amazing long rides and information from professionals that coach and train some of the best athletes in the world.
The most exciting part of my week was the ability to capture the expressions and joy that each woman expressed. At times I was on my bike, riding along and taking pictures in the group. Other times I was in the car, attempting to catch the action of a 40 mph descent through the Colorado National Monument. What ever the situation, it presented amazing shots. Why? Because the women were having a blast.
Where else can you have four full days or riding your bike with international pros, glean information form trainers and bike fit pros that have worked with Lance Armstrong, drink award winning wine, and finish the day in the company of amazing women while eating hand-crafted meals? And just think, all I had to do was take pictures.
Cleaning out the Closet
Every so often I sit down at the computer and start wandering back through old photos. I used to do this when I was in grade school. In fact, I used to do it in high school, and college too. The old memories return, flooding my mind with emotion and seemingly lost events. I find it refreshing to reflect on those times, trying to remember old friends, certain moments…trying to recall even the smells at the time. With the advent of digital photography the ability to dig out those old photos is endless. Years and years of images, stored on hard drive after hard drive provide literally hundreds of thousands of events to recall.
Most recently I found my self plunging back through a week I spent at the Marine Recruit Depot (MCRD) in SanDiego California. For an entire week I was part of a group that was granted an insider’s view of the recruiting process and basic training. Each year the Marines ask various groups to visit the depots with the intent of dispelling any myths the general public might have about this particular branch of our military. During the week, I was exposed to some of the basic training techniques the Marines use, shown around the entire base including a great trip to Miramar (famed TopGun School) and shown what life is like for recruits as they proceed through the grueling steps of basic training.
As I said before, letting my eyes pour over older photos always brings back memories but it also allows me to have a fresh perspective on the shots I took. I find that with some images, I am much more critical and don’t like the composition or processing. But with others, a new appreciation comes from a second glance. Looking at photos after an extended time away freshens the eye and removes some of the emotional attachment that once may have lingered. This “fresh” look drives a new creativity and re-energizes the need to create distinctive images.
The series below is the second kind of image. At first glance I wasn’t crazy about them. Today, they capture the hard work, the exhaustion and the sleep-derpived blur these soldiers must have endured. This is the final day or their basic training. Today, they will be called Marines for the first time. They are no longer recruits. For the last three days they have been functioning on 2-4 hours of sleep coupled with endless physical, mental and tactical challenges. These shots were taken just as they hiked back into base from running the Gauntlet.
All Terrain Shoes – A.T.S’s
I am drawn to cool short movies that are shot using “Stop Motion” techniques and/or by shooting with high-speed shutter option of still cameras. One of the coolest videos that has caught my eye is by a German photographer/producer, Roman Kuhn. He produced a five minute short that tells the tale of the new Mercedes Mclaren and a sneaking paparazzo. The entire video was produced using two Canon 1Ds shooting at 10fps.
A few weeks after viewing this cool short film I headed to Wyoming to visit my parents. As with most visits, we did the usual go out for breakfast, take walks, play with the dogs, eat lunch, take naps….repeat. One afternoon, as my dad and I were futzing around in the garage. We were both bored so I suggested we head down to the river to make a movie. He was in. My pop loves this stuff. He is the type of guy who is game for any new adventure, especially if he gets to play with cool new gear. Quickly, we decided to shoot a video featuring his cool new all terrain shoes. (I am not sure if that is the official name of these brogans, but for the purpose of this story they are.) We jumped into the truck headed to the river and looked for rocks, fences, dirt trails, sand and of course water, to start making our movie. We brainstormed some scenes and talked about all of the cool qualities of his shoes. We had to cover the vents, the velcro fasteners, the super cool slip-cord-tightner (another technical term) and of course, we had to shoot the super-duper-no-slip-rubber that keeps it all together.
Over the next two hours we shot 1,000 frames or so… the coolest part of this whole undertaking is shooting tons of images. I don’t know a single photographer who doesn’t like to fire off 10 frames a second. It is the machine gun of camera stuff. Clicking off frames as fast as they go. And, with digital, it doesn’t cost $12 a minute for film.
Since the end-use was web, I was able to shoot with low resolution jpeg image. This allowed each card to hold 2,000 or so images. I just shot away. One thing I forgot to keep in mind was, duh, keep the camera horizontal. That is actually a big change from shooting only stills. The format for video is completely horizontal. Any crazy tilts or going completely verticle renders the frame useless.
At the end of the day, my dad and I had spent some quality time together. Once again we were out in the wilds, tinkering with gadgets, toys and gear trying to produce something cool. True QT.
Take a look and let me know what you think. It is pretty bare bones and I still have to figure out the after effects. Drop me a line if you have any suggestions or questions.
http://www.vimeo.com/10208716Celebrations in Denver
In 1965 Rachel B. Noel was elected to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. This successful election made Mrs. Noel the first African American Woman elected to public office in the State of Colorado. In 2008 Mrs. Noel passed away leaving a living legacy of hope, tolerance, and inspiration that thousands of people benefit from today.
A month ago I was asked to cover the Rachel B. Noel Awards Ceremony that took place at the Shorter A.M.E. church in Denver. I arrived early, not knowing the grand scope of the ceremony and was soon to learn that I was asked to cover one of the most glorious awards presentations/celebrations in Denver.
Over the next four hours I photographed local community leaders, educators and honorees as they came together and received recognition. During the ceremony, the audience learned of the great accomplishments of Rachel Noel and joined together to commemorate her life. This night brought the songs and voices of various church choirs together as well as members of the community who have made great changes in our city. Together we learned of the people and groups that have helped create a stronger and healthier Denver.
Our lives were enriched with the stories of triumph and struggle that brought so many people to Denver. The choirs rejoiced with soloists praising the work through song. The program flowed seamlessly for two full hours of vocal melodies, tribal drums and dedications.
Following in the legacy of Rachel Noel, five awards were given and one Distinguished Visiting Professorship was granted. Each was presented to people who fought against racial discrimination and inequality. Each was presented to people who, like Rachel, make a difference.
This night, the following awards were given:
Distinguished Visiting Professorship
Julius E. Coles
Academic Excellence
Metro State African and African American Studies Department
Community Engagement
Jeff S. “Brother Jeff” Fard
Community Service
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Denver Alumnae Chapter
Spiritual Leadership
Shorter Community African Methodist Episcopal Church
Community Activism through the Faith Community
Lost Found Members of The Nation of Islam in North American Universal -African Improvement Association
Congratulations to all who earned awards. Your work is truly outstanding and is making a difference in this world.
Urban Assault
Earlier this week my friend Paige Eden and I took a short trip east of town in search of an abandoned airfield. We had heard about many different airfields but most of them no longer exist. Paige turned me on to this cool photography site that explores urban ruins. These folks have it down, they check out old asylums, empty hospitals and cool detention centers. We wanted to see something similar.
With this in mind we searched for anything that was no longer inhabited in the Denver area. Sure enough, Paige stumbled on this cool old airfield. The runways are barely visible but two main buildings remain. During operation, there were a series of hangars, a fuel station and even a restaurant. All that remains are, what appeared to be, the restaurant and the traffic tower.
When we arrived it was snowing pretty hard. We hoped to find the landing markings on the tarmac; those would make cool pictures. Instead we found quite a bit of old furniture that had accumulated around the concrete pads of the old hangars and office buildings. The decaying sofas proved to be cool subjects in their own right. I took out the camera and decided to shoot the entire day with a wide open shutter. I was looking for a super short depth of field and hoped it would add to the mystique of the area.
After getting everything we wanted from the airfield we moved to the buildings. One of the things I find funny about this type of location is all of the gang graffiti. We are no where near the city and still the structures are rife with all different gang tags. How do they get all the way out here? The building looked like it had been used as temporary shelter, party house, teen-age get away and shooting range for the last decade. Unfortunately a mismanaged fire destroyed a solid third of the building and made for very treacherous exploration.
We were able shoot from the windows of the first floor and then ventured into the basement. Inside was a hodgepodge of leftover chairs, old televisions and random clothing. The charred remains mixed well with the trashed insides and the silently falling snow added to the eerie mood.
After an hour or so of exploring, we packed up our gear and headed home. When the weather warms up, we are both excited to head back for a cool fashion shoot. Make sure to check out Paige’s Blog to see the images she took.
Stellar Art
I don’t know how I did it, but when my wife and I moved back to Denver, four years ago, we landed right in the middle of some amazing artists. And all of them live within one block of our house. There are painters, photographers, world-renowned astral physicists and sculptors. We live in our own little art mecca.
The house directly to the north of ours is this amazing 1920′s structure that is home to Monica Aiello and her family. They are truly a renaissance family. Being working artists, they have traveled extensively. They show and sell their work around the world and have been major contributors to the art scene in Denver. In the late 1990′s they lived downtown and ran one of the most frequented galleries around. Today, they live next to me and focus on producing pieces to fulfill the incredible demand for their talent.
Monica and I have worked together many times. Most recently she hired me to produce images of her paintings that are hanging in shows all around the country. In 2009, Monica shipped off pieces to Washington DC, California and Colorado Springs. It is always fun to work with her. The size of her craft is simply amazing and the vibrant colors and textures are always a challenge to represent digitally. For hours at a time we talk about the pieces. She describes the process and the complex moon-scapes she uses as her models. Each work has a voice of its own that must shine through the image that I make.
Some days the subject of the shoot is only 1 foot squared. Other days, the pieces are part of a tryptic and each section must be photographed individually and composited later in photoshop. These are the most challenging as the light needs to match in all three images.
Each painting takes approximately three weeks to complete. Her intricate system of layering resin, string and paint has been honed over the last decade. From the inception of an idea through completion, Monica works closely with scientists and astral physicists to zero in on a specific area of study. Each painting, painstakingly represents a portion of a galaxy, moon or planet that has been mapped by NASA scientists.
Monica’s work provides an opportunity that not many photographers get to experience. I work with another artist who has collaborated with the best NASA scientists to produce something of great beauty. Each day, I see these pieces, this beautiful art. I witness the process from start to finish and then my camera captures the final polished result. The difficult part is making them look as radiant as they do in reality.
Monica is currently showing at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center. Visit the website or take a trip to Colorado Springs to see the show. It is well worth the trip. For those of you who can’t make it, please enjoy the images that I made of Monica’s paintings.
Wandering 2/7/10
It’s 9am Sunday morning and the city feels sleepy under the lightly falling snow. The silence is strange since it is Super Bowl Sunday. People should be hustling from one place to another. But they’re not. The snow has made everyone a little sluggish, a little slow.
This morning inspired me to wander through my neighborhood. I wanted to talk to people. I wanted to see what was happening on this Super Bowl Sunday. Stepping from the warmth of my house, I shuffled south listening to the silence that only a sky full of falling flakes can make. The city was subdued. Every sound and every color muted.
At first my lens focussed on lines and curious angles. My eyes liked the places where the snow started to gather. They moved to rocks and fences, steps and tree branches. Everything was silent and my images seemed to respond to the stillness. I found withered thistle in the neighbors yard. I cast my gaze on empty allies and lonely churches. And slowly life began to change.
Meandering toward Federal Blvd, the city seemed a little more awake. Even so, the bus stop, which normally hums with activity, silently loaded and unloaded it’s contents. The liquor slumbered behind its shuttered windows and locked door.
Down the block a lone man swished away the morning snow with a push broom. The gentle sweeping of the snow fit in perfectly. And soon others joined him, helping clear the sidewalk for morning worship. A silent lot, clearing the walkway, dressed for service.
Further along Federal, past the hushed doorways of the dispensaries and hair salons, the empty school yard rested from its weekly toil. Every piece of equipment sat silent. Every slide was empty. The playground slept under the still winter blanket.
Turning west onto the less busy side streets, a man and woman exhanged goods. I paused, simply watching. I was drawn to the scene. Eventually they turned around and noticed my camera and me staring at them. Introducing myself, my curiosity was piqued. For the next couple of minutes we talked. Quietly we shared bits about our lives as the snow continued to fall. They explained to me how they distributed food to the elderly. Rolland pulled away the tarp, opening of his trailer and showed me the food he had collected from grocery stores earlier in the week. He would spend his day dropping off donated goods to people who were struggling. It seemed fitting to meet him here. He was off the beaten path. Rolland silently worked as the snow drifted to earth around him.
Wandering the streets of Denver this morning I met half a dozen people. Some of them wanted their pictures taken. Some of them simply didn’t care and allowed me to snap off a quick shot. It was all give and take. We talked. A young man, on his way to a friends house, told me the two teams in the big game. Others chatted about the neighborhood and how it had changed. We all shared. We all listened.
Rolland however, made me think. His humble self-confidence was pure. He made me think and my mind settled into the walk back home. Again the lens found leaves clinging to trees and lonely pinecones resting on barren sidewalks.My morning of wandering drew to a close much the way it started. I turned the corner as the snow piled up and crunched beneath my shoes, and my street sat completely empty.
Into the Clouds
A week ago, I headed north to the Erie Municipal Airport to meet my buddy Chris Dillis. Chris recently enlisted my services to produce promotional images of the new Gobosh 700 light Sport aircraft for Sky Raider Aviation .
We really should have know better than to book a shoot for Monday morning in the middle of January. For the past two weeks temperatures had been in the 50′s with no wind. Today, 30 degrees and gusts up to 50mph. Well, that pretty much took the ax to our thought of flying and shooting for the day.
It was now time for a quick re-group.
Sky Raider Aviation was looking for new images of the stunning Gobosh 700. Out at the Erie Airport, Chris specializes in light sport instruction and licensing. I had never heard of such a thing. I was always under the impression that becoming a pilot, of any sort, was years in the making. Very much out of reach for the common man. Was I wrong.
The new light sport aircraft, like the Gobosh 700, is great for anyone who wants to learn to fly. Within a month, you and a buddy could be heading down to Santa Fe for lunch or dropping into Crested Butte for a day of skiing.
As I said, the wind was howling. It was freezing cold. What were we going to shoot? Our talk centered around the great lines of the plane. The long nose makes it look like a high-end aerobatic plane. And the winglets curve gracefully up at the tip of each wing. All of these design features created great angles that would absolutely pop once captured by the camera.
I felt we needed a little extra push, so I decided to bracket all of the images and process them using an HDR program. It was time to get a little funky. Chris had mentioned that he was looking for shots that stood out, not “run of the mill” pictures of planes. So, I decided to shoot six frames of each image and process them in Photomatix. After the rough HDR processing I planned to tweak them even further in photoshop using multiple layers to bring out the sky and the colors of the plane.
We shot for about an hour and a half before we were both wind burnt and chilled to the bone. In all it turned out to be a pretty good shoot. Granted, all of it was on the ground. But as a photographer, you roll with the punches.
Pin-Ups
I love photographing people.
A couple of months ago, I was talking with a good friend of mine and she happened to mention how she thought 1950′s style pin-ups were some of the coolest images of women ever made. She pulled out some old Betty Paige calendars, that her father had given her, and we wasted the better part of an evening talking about the aesthetics of this bygone genre.
We poured over the poses and commented on the sex appeal. The eyes. The facial-expressions. The outfits. Everything seemed to say “sex” without really saying it. That is what turned us on the most. They were “hot” but not slutty.
We dissected more images looking at the specifics of each pose and the subtleties of each shot. Soon the talk rambled toward the idea of producing images like these. But, with a modern twist.
We should do a pin-up shoot.
A short list of possible people sprouted. To be included were hair stylists, make-up artists and models (of course).
We were onto something. Over the next month our team gradually assembled the needed accoutrements.
Sassy outfits, check.
Stylist, check.
Models, check.
Make-up artist…..check. Now all we needed was a day to make it all work.
My idea was to shoot all of the ladies against a “green screen”. After the shoot was over, each image would be digitally extracted and placed on whatever background seemed to fit. From the get go, I wanted crazy color. It was 1950 meets a Deee-Lite video. It was my crazy dream that I hoped would work.
Each image needed to tell a story; a little vignette. There is one behind any good pin-up. There is the librarian who, during story time, happens to show a little leg. Or maybe the tale is about a housewife/baker who just happens to forget the majority of her clothing for the day. Maybe, just maybe, the story goes something like this. A lady starts giving her cute dog a bath and is interrupted by the doorbell.
The endings are all the same. When someone catches their little indecency, their tincy-wincy indiscretion … the reply is always … “Ooops”.
So that is where we start.
Episode#6 – Greg Keller
When I first met Greg Keller, it was much of a “one-sided” meeting. Two years ago, I was shooting from the weeds (as I normally do) and from across the course I hear the most beautiful, most beatific line of connected profanity I have ever heard. I fancy myself somewhat of a connoisseur of the profane. This was music to my ears. Who ever it was, was singing these sounds high into the heavens. Come to find out, it was because over a FLAT TIRE. Precious! Greg and I met later that day. Today our paths frequently meet and overlap.
Mud and Cowbells (Greg’s blog that roughly focuses on cyclocross), has garnered a following of readers that is hard to beat. In it, he waxes philosophical on life, bikes and everything in-between. Recently I caught up with him at a Wednesday Worlds training session and, once again, saw the passion that he has for cross…he lives it and he loves to share it with everybody. I think that is the true greatness in Greg. His passion is contagious. And he spreads this crazed virus through resounding profanity, or quiet chat with other riders on training rides. Greg simply possesses an unbridled fervor for sport and for life that is, quite honestly, very refreshing.
- With what team do you ride? I am a proud rider and assist with managing the ‘orange and black’: Boulder Cycle Sport
- How long have you been racing? I raced my first cross in ’96 in some schoolyard somewhere in Northern New Jersey.
- How did you get started racing? I obsessed over BMX…or ‘dirt bikes’ as we called them as kids in the early 80’s. My parents dragged me around the East Coast to do NBL races. MTB’s were just a bigger version of that which I just ‘had’ to race on. As it relates to cylocross: I saw Tom Steels in some horribly muddy Paris Roubaix in the mid 90’s and saw at first he was wearing this visor on his helmet (I could relate as I’m a MTB’er and liked seeing that on a pro-roadie at the time). Then someone said, ‘…yeah and he’s riding a ‘cross bike.’ ‘A what,’ I said? And it all started from there.
- What is your all-time favorite race? Hmm. For me personally it was without hesitation in my voice the race I did in Bakel, The Netherlands a few years ago when I got to do some ‘cross racing in The Motherland. Flyovers, sand, tacky forest trails…it was glaringly apparent what type of riding Dugasts were made for.
- What is your strongest discipline? Barriers. Yeah, barriers.
- What part of bike racing do you absolutely loath Total knob-headed, fitness weenie, race organization complaining ego maniacs. Just f-ing race. Johan Brunyeel is not calling you any time soon to race for Radio Shack.
- Tell me a little about your bikes and gear. What are they, what cool little gizmos do you use to train, what is your favorite piece of equipment? Ridley X-Night Cross Bikes. Ahrens Revolver 29’er (geared). Kelly Roshambo 29’er (1×1), Sycip roadie. I was all geeked up on my PowerTap a few years ago but all that has a thick layer of dust on it now. The greatest gizmo I use to train is my camera…to capture all the rad times my friends and I have while beating each other senseless on our epics. Favorite piece of equipment. My rubber: Dugasts.
- Do you have any superstitions about racing or any pre-race rituals? What are they and how did they start? No superstitions other than I swear in my hypoxia I can still hear my dad (who never saw me race cross) yell at me in the woods ‘give ‘em hell.’ That motivates me.
- If money was absolutely no object, what bike would you ride and how would it be painted? I think I have some RAD rides but if money were absolutely no object I’d have some scientist develop a set of clear carbon fiber tubes and clear carbon deep dish rims. Sort of like those metal drummers kits from the 80’s. That shit is hot.
- If you could race with any pro, from any time in history who would it be? Eric De Vlaeminck. Definitely Eric. 7 times cyclocross world champion. We’d probably get loaded first then go and jump over barriers. Then we’d get more loaded.
- You are granted a riding session with one current pro team. This session includes as many hours of riding as you would like, lunch at any location you choose and the ability to ride any place in the world. How do you fulfill this dream? Please be specific with details about lunch conversations with riders and any pertinent gossip that is applicable. Without question it’s Quick Step during their training camp in Tuscany. Hopefully we’re in Lucca and riding the hills around Valgiano. We stop off at this little trattoria I know in the hills above Lucca and by gosh, we see the man himself, Cipo. Mario’s a local, you know. He and I hit it off, we blow off Boonen and the Quick Step Belgians kiddies and we cruise old town Lucca (queue in Resevior Dogs tunes). He takes me to his tailors, shows me how to dress and, you know, how to make nice talk with the ladies (of course I only apply this new skill to talk with my wife). We then cruise to his little bike shop close to town and get lessons from his mechanic on how to appropriately apply bar tape, finish up with a cappuccino and say goodbye. Yes, we have just had a man date.
- Who would you absolutely love to beat by the end of this year, and why? ME!!! Honestly I’m racing myself out there and need to prove shit to me before I think about anyone else. That’s not rhetoric. No one else matters as it relates to my placings either in front of or behind of. I can ‘tell’ where wheels are in front of me but lap after lap I’m thinking ‘cleaner, faster, cleaner, faster.’ Sometimes no one is ahead, often there is. Seeing my bro on the podium get’s me as charged as when I can take one of the steps. Proving to myself I can do better is something I need to control. Other mopes can’t effect that.
Episode#5-Alison Powers
About two years ago, I met Alison while working at a local bike shop. At the time I had no idea she was such and incredible racer. What struck me was how kind and genuine she was. Well to tell you the truth, I was really taken by her awesome curly hair and her amazing smile…..who isn’t? I soon changed jobs, but kept in touch while she traveled the world exploring her racing career with various pro teams. She seemed to be everywhere and kicking butt all over Italy and France. Then in 2008 she became the National Time Trial Champion. Even with all of the wins and international travel she is still the same Alison. Every time I see her at a race, whether it is CX or road, she smiles and takes time to talk. So, here is one of the nicest and most successful cyclists the metro area.
1. With what team do you ride? Team Fuji for CX. Team Type 1 on the road.
2. How long have you been racing? 5 years on the road. This is my first real year of racing CX.
3. How did you get started racing? I missed being an athlete (I used to ski race until 2004).
4. What is your all-time favorite race? Good question! I don’t know. There are so many great races and, of course, it always depends on how you do at that race.
5. What is your strongest discipline? Time Trialing
6. What part of bike racing do you absolutely loathe? Road rash is a major bummer.
7. Tell me a little about your bikes and gear. What are they, what cool little gizmos do you use to train, what is your favorite piece of equiptment? This year, I used Orbea bikes. Ordu TT bike, Opal road bike and Occam mtn bike. For CX, I am using a Fuji Cross RC. I use an SRM when training and that is amazingly helpful. My favorite piece of equipement is my singlespeed CX bike. I love it!
8. Do you have any superstitions about racing or any pre-race rituals? What are they and how did they start? No, I don’t have any spuerstitions.
9. If money was absolutely no object, what bike would you ride and how would it be painted? I’d have a Cervelo TT bike painted blue (that’s my favorite color).
10. If you could race with any pro, from any time in history who would it be? No idea.
11. You are granted a riding session with one current (international) pro team. This session includes as many hours of riding as you would like, lunch at any location you choose and the ability to ride any place in the world. How do you fulfill this dream? Please be specific with details about lunch conversations with riders and any pertinent gossip that is applicable. I’d ride with Team Luna to learn some mtn bike and CX skills/secrets. Riding with the new team Radio Shack wouldn’t be bad either. Learn from Lance…
12. Who would you absolutely love to beat by the end of this year, and why? Alison Dunlap. She’s an amazing bike rider, and a true inspiration to the sport. Plus, then I could talk smack to her.
Episode#4 – Eszter Horanyi
Eszter Horanyi, what can I say……..THIS GIRL FEELS NO PAIN. Any person that can win a 24 hour race is someone to reckoned with. Not to mention, she won it all alone! I was fortunate enough to meet Eszter a couple of weeks ago while on a shoot for an article posted on MTB Race News. We spent the morning around Marshal Mesa, just south of Boulder. The sun was coming up and it was just after our first snow storm, what an amazing time to be outside. Eszter rode up to the shoot and had grand plans of going home right away to study or do some work or something crazy like that, but….after we were done, she decided to pedal off for a ride. I don’t know too many people who compete in 24 hour races, let alone win 24 hour races, so it was quite a please to meet Eszter and chat with her about her training, riding and life.
1.With what team do you ride? Waltworks/Fuentes Design
2. How long have you been racing? 6 years total, 3 on a mountain bike.
Through the CU Cycling Team, I raced road for two years then switched over to mountain bikes.
3. What is your all-time favorite race? Gunnison Growler…no, Crested Butte Classic…no, Breck 100. I don’t know, I like them all.
4. What is your strongest discipline? Unfortunately, it seems that I’m pretty good at 24-hour racing.
5. What part of bike racing do you absolutely loathe? The logistics. Getting myself properly dressed with a functional bike to the start line.
6. Tell me about your bikes and gear. I ride a Waltworks steel 29er hardtail. The frame is made by a good friend in a Boulder garage and rides like a dream. American Classic helps me out with some of the lightest and strongest 29er wheels out there and Ergon hooked me up with some awesome grips, but everything else on there is pretty standard. Anytime I have anything fancy, I tend to break it.
7. Do you have any superstitions about racing or any pre-race rituals? I have a pair of socks that I refuse to wear because I had a really bad race in them. Unfortunately, they’re really nice socks.
8. If money was no object, what bike would you ride and how would it be painted? I’d pay Walt off to build me a Ti Waltworks hardtail. Then I’d pay him extra not to grumble about it.
9. I you could race with any pro, from any time in history, who would it be? I’m a total idol-worshiper bike racer. Alison Dunlap, Kelli Emmett, Katie Compton…oh wait, I could show up to any cross race in Colorado and get beat down by all of them.
11. You are granted a riding session with one current pro team. This session includes as many hours of riding as you like, lunch at any location and the ability to ride anwhere in the world. How do you fulfill this wish? I’d take the Waltworks Dream Team down to central Colorado. I’d get Dave Wiens to come out and show us around Hartmans Rocks in Gunnison early in the morning, get a late breakfast/lunch in Crested Butte at Izzys and then go out and ride Crested Butte trails with the Crested Butte crew. Then I’d eat dinner at either the Brick Oven or Secret Stash…or both, I’d probably be pretty hungry by that time.
We’d make fun of Walt the whole time and then he’d kick me off the team.
I really can’t think of any one else who I’d rather hang out with than the people I already ride with, and the riding in Colorado is pretty darn good.
11. Who would you absolutely love to beat by the end of this year, and why? I train a lot with a Brit and a West Virginian. Like most boys, they talk nonstop smack both in the email exchanges setting up a ride and during. I’d like to drop their sorry asses.
Episode #2 – Susannah Gordon
One of the first people I met in the cycling world of Colorado is still one of my favorites. I bumped into (literally) Susannah Gordon 3 years ago at a coffee shop on Pennsylvania Street during the ColoBikeLaw beginning of the year mixer. At that time she was just one of the ladies in the mix. Now, fast-forward three years. She flat out rocks! In any race she is one of the ladies pushing hard, blasting through corners and blowing up legs on any climb. Let’s check in with the second rider of my cyclist blog adventures….Susannah Gordon.
- With what team do you ride? ColoBikeLaw.com
- How long have you been racing? 4 years
- How did you get started racing? I started with a church group just riding my bike, and found myself chasing people down on the road. I would say, “I can catch that person!”. The friends who got me started were all ex-pro’s and knew right away that I should start racing. They encouraged me to find a team…
- What is your all-time favorite race? 2008 Tour of the Gila. This was my first NRC level race and I placed 16th overall in the GC. It was a thrill for me to ride at that level and finish amongst the strongest ladies in the nation.
- What is your strongest discipline? Climbing is my strongest suit, but I have really been working on my TT skills in the last year.
- What part of bike racing do you absolutely loathe? I absolutely hate someone who sits on a wheel and refuses to work in a race. My theory is, get out and race your bike! I think you gain more respect from the peloton if your willing to work during a race and still have it in you to sprint for the finish.
- Tell me a little about your bikes and gear. What are they, what cool little gizmos do you use to train, what is your favorite piece of equipment? I was fortunate enough this year to have BMC sponsor me. I ride the BMC Pro machine with SRAM red components for my road bike with a sweet set of 2009 Zipp 303’s for the road and Reynolds ROM’s for uphill finishes. My TT bike is the BMC Time Machine with the 2009 SRAM red components. I have often told people that if I don’t well at the races, it’s not because I didn’t have the right equipment!! My SRM computer is probably my best friend and my worst enemy. I live my daily life of training using that cycling computer and I am so thankful to have it, yet sometimes I want to throw it as far out of reach as I can get it! Drives me crazy sometimes having all those numbers staring me down…especially when I’m having a bad workout.
- Do you have any superstitions about racing or any pre-race rituals? What are they and how did they start? No, no superstitions. I just have always believed that my talent was God given and staying humble and focused on the task at hand is what helps me win races. I always evaluate each race and the course and decided where it tactically suits me as a rider. Knowing your competition is also really important to race tactics, who is good at what and understanding how they will race.
- If money was absolutely no object, what bike would you ride and how would it be painted? I love my road bike (however, I could go for the lime green, black and white colors!). If I had my choice of TT bikes, I would own a Cervelo P-3. Ultra sweet ride!
- If you could race with any pro, from any time in history who would it be? Funny that you ask that question, the last 2 years, we have had the privilege of riding with the best ladies in the world. Jeannie Longo was living and racing in Colo. Until the 2008 Olympics, and used Colo. As her training ground. At Mt. Evan’s last year, I stood on the podium with her (which was very surreal), I was thinking- “What I am doing up here with Jeannie Longo!”. On the same note, this year at the 2009 Tour of the Gila, I rode along side of Kristin Armstrong and Alison Powers, our current Olympic and National TT champions. I thought to myself “what I am doing here!”. However, these ladies couldn’t be any more kind to the peloton…Great inspirations.
- You are granted a riding session with one current pro team. This session includes as many hours of riding as you would like, lunch at any location you choose and the ability to ride any place in the world. How do you fulfill this dream? Please be specific with details about lunch conversations with riders and any pertinent gossip that is applicable. Funny that you ask this question. My coach just approached me the other day and asked about sending a few ladies over to Lucca, Italy next year with the Colavita Pro Team. We would use it as a training camp and an opportunity to train and ride in Italy. Spending a week with the Colavita team, riding daily and having great dinners and wine in Lucca is on my list of fun things to do next year! I am hoping for long rides that involve lost of climbing and gorgeous views! I would want to know all the low down of the domestic pro team riders, what their ambitions are and what they all have planned for next season.
- Who would you absolutely love to beat by the end of this year, and why? I have been lucky enough this season to have had success in every avenue of racing. I have won TT’s, Crits, Road Races and Hill climbs. I guess my best answer would be that when a domestic pro lady shows up to our races, not to be intimidated, but know that I have the skills and training to beat them. Have more confidence in my ability as a rider and know that I can be competitive even at the highest level!
MSC – Crested Butte
I had the great pleasure of spending the weekend with a great group of racers who completely dominated the Cat. 1 Women’s race on Saturday. The Yeti Beti Crew asked me to join them in Crested Butte for a weekend of Mountain States Cup racing. I was charged with getting images for their team site as well as pics for the sponsors.
We started the day with a team shoot. For the next 20 minutes, I was a little under the gun since their race was “scheduled” to start in 60 short minutes, and all of the girls still needed to warm up. We took about 20 images trying to work with the great flowers and the dark dramatic sky and then…they were off to race. While I broke down the lights (with the help of my assistant Jason) and got the extra gear back to the car, the skies opened up and began to pour on everyone.
For the next 3 hours the racers battled rain, slippery slopes, rocky downhills and greasy grueling climbs; all while I tried to catch as many shots as I could without drowning my gear. The weather made for very dramatic lighting and great images. The soggy hills also made for very treacherous racing and the Yeti Beti crew got slapped with a broken collar bone and some trail rash that required quite a few stitches.
Once we were all “back at the ranch” it was time to enjoy pizza, drinks and of course, the hot tub. Thanks ladies for allowing me take your team shots and be housemates for the weekend. Happy racing.
Urban Runner
Two weeks ago, Dirk Ruge, Michael Mauro, Kari White and I took the morning to shoot some incredible images of an urban running scene. We trained our lenses on an area that had great lines along with an unrivaled view of the city. Both Mike and I were able to play with natural and artificial light to capture images that told our story.
Thankfully, Dirk Ruge came along to film and produce a great “behind the scenes” podcast of the entire morning. In all we were able to create great images while Dirk captured some stunning footage. Take a look at the images and click the link below to view the video.
http://www.vimeo.com/5130765
Fishing In Fall
As the leaves turned to a golden hue, the stream was as clear as the Colorado sky and just about perfect for fly fishing. I look forward to this season as it signals a slowing down of the life cycle, a resting time for all things. It certainly is a time to reunite with friends and spend some quality time in the mountains.
A good friend of mine, Todd, was headed out to fish “a secret spot” up near….well I really can’t say. But, it was in the mountains of Colorado. He asked me to join him, and is there any better time to bring the camera?
I was bound and determined to use off camera flash, but without an assistant it was going to be a challenge. The river would, most definitely, topple the strobe and we all know that is not a good thing. So, I used the extension cable for the strobe and set my camera and flash to manual. With the camera fastened around my neck, I held the body with my right hand and elevated the strobe with my left, giving me a similar feel to off camera lighting. The shutter was set to sinc at 250 and I worked with the aperture to expose for the sky. It took some futsing (technical term for messing around) with, to get the flash exposure just right; but after a couple of test shots I was ready to capture this beautiful day of fishing.
At The Hangar
This last week I had the opportunity to visit my buddy Steve at his office. It just so happens that his office is an airplane hanger that houses two pretty awesome jets. Steve was looking for a creative corporate portrait that he could use to document the last few years of work. So, I met him for a 7am photo shoot. The sun was just coming over the top of the building making for great morning light. We shot for about an hour and a half and were able to get quite a few interesting images. Once again I was working with off camera strobes that are controlled remotely from elinchrom slaves. The light was powerful enough to balance out the sky so that we could get nice sun flare in a series of shots. At the end of the shoot, Steve needed to start up the vintage fighter plane and I was able to get a couple shots of that also. In all, it was a great morning, early shoot, a chance to hear the thunderous roar of a fighter jet and time with a buddy
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