With CrossFit 57 North

Last week I headed over to shoot CrossFit 57 North's yearly in house competition.  The event consisted of teams of two smashing out three rounds to put them through their paces.  The final event was kept under wraps until the end which built up the atmosphere coming to the finish.

This was my first time shooting CrossFit and it didn't disappoint at all.  The effort put in and how much strength each person put in made for brilliant captures.  With such high focus on the task at hand I'm not sure if any of them remember me shooting up close.

Calling It Quits: Skiing Ben Wyvis

I was halfway through drinking tea and stuffing my face with toast smothered in peanut butter when my friend Ronan messaged me.  His plan was to hike up Ben Wyvis (Scottish mountain at 1,046 metres) and ski back down it - "Going to be there for 10:00 if you want to come?".  I couldn't say no to shooting this and despite not having skis and needing to hike the whole day, I didn't mind at all!

I was delighted to go hike in the mountains and with it starting to snow I had a grin from ear to ear.  All the images I wanted to capture were in my head already, 10-15 shots of the days adventure.  Skiing was something I have wanted to capture for a while so no photographic opportunity was going to be missed!

On our walk to the bottom of the mountain I caught glimpses of the peak and started to realise what a mission was ahead.  I had always hiked but never gone up a mountain in knee deep snow to try and shoot someone skiing down it.  Nervous but excited, a challenge is always good, right?

As we started to climb, the wind picked up and a grey cloud came in sending a good amount of snow our way.  The visibility got worse and there was no sign of the path.  We made our own way up but every now and then we would drop to above our knees in snow.  It was deep and we had a few laughs at each others expense.  Although thankfully every so often the path would reappear and give our legs a break.

As it started to clear we got back to being motivated to reach the summit and do what we came here to do.  Looking at the summit we could see the snow blowing off the top and wondered if we would be calling it quits. 

Of course the weather decided to come in again.  We took shelter behind a boulder, the usual spot on Wyvis for a snack and rehydration.  Contemplating a plan, we decided on going a little further up and make a call.  Unfortunately more ice was appearing and the wind was biting at our faces.

I have been in some pretty strong winds while hiking but this wasn't good.  When your hiking poles are flapping around and your leaning hard into the wind to stop yourself from falling over, it was time to head back down.  We were so close to the summit, close to getting to the other side and getting those shots we wanted.  I felt like we failed and was frustrated with all the effort we had put in.  That's how it is and to be honest, it's okay.  It's risky being out there and no point in being blown away for trying to ski down a hill and get the shot.

Feeling disappointed, we made our way back down.  During my frustration the cloud had moved and the wind died down.  Ronan shouted that he could ski a section just below us and suddenly I felt like our failure took a turn.  We worked out his line and I dug a hideout in the snow to shoot from. 

Once he had his skis on I was delighted, we are finally getting what we came for!  At the same time I was nervous.  If I miss the shot it was a slog for him to get back up and do the run again.  My gloves weren't doing a great job and I need my fingers to work. I placed my hands  down my trousers and on my thighs, body warmth is great although people look at your oddly!  Now I was ready.

From having to turn back because of conditions to getting two shots and even having the sun make an appearance.  Having to retreat was certainly a hard pill to swallow and something that sadly happens with these kind of shoots.  In the end it worked out although not quite what we had in mind.  "Better safe than sorry" is a good saying but even when the weather is great what we do is still risky.  

With Glacier360

Would you like to photograph riders around Iceland's 2nd largest glacier? YES!

I was back in Scotland for 36 hours and it was time to catch a flight to Iceland.  The job was to shoot a race called Glacier360 which had riders race  290km over 3 days around a glacier called Langjökull.

Not knowing anyone who would be there, the first people I met were of course from Scotland with one of them living 20 minutes away from me.  Not such a big world.

After learning more about the race I was taken by the media manager, Torfi, to ride an ATV about 50kms to recce part of the first days stage.  Our ride was in the Icelandic Highland's and I was delighted.  Driving over dirt and rocks while taking in the stunning volcanic surroundings was a good start.  Having a glacier on your lefthand side also adds to the beauty.  Here are some of my favourite shots from the race.

With A Paddle

The rain is slapping the window outside as I am back home in Scotland after spending almost two fantastic years in New Zealand.  This week has mostly been spent trying to find various bits of gear that I have hidden in our luggage and going through hard drives which brought up a trip I did with Kirsty back in January.

With January being a summer month on the other side of the world we packed the truck and fitted our paddle boards on top, and spent a week looking for stunning spots to paddle around Otago and Canterbury.  A highlight of the trip was getting to paddle on the stunningly blue Lake Pukaki and have New Zealand's highest mountain, Mt Cook, ahead.

Off To The Mountains, Back Soon!

Over the past 18 months I have noticed that it is pretty easy to spend a lot of time behind the computer, either editing or keeping up with emails.  This comes with the job, and I am not complaining about it - I absolutely love being a photographer. But its important to get outside.

I always read about the importance of having a great work-life balance but mine is definitely sporadic.  There are a variety of tips online and recommendations for companies to work for who give the best work-life balance but it is really what works for yourself.  A lunchtime walk, evening run or biking with friends can make all the difference.

This weekend called for a bit more than a run around the city after a long week of working at the computer and drinking far too much tea.  We decided to head up 1,800 metres to stay the night at the Mueller Hut in the Southern Alps, which was far enough away from the emails and editing.

The Mueller Hut is about a 5 hour trek up to the top, including our various photo and snack stops. The walk starts with a nice gravel path then moves onto a few steps, 2,200 to be exact!  I had heard about the steps but nothing prepares you for the sheer number and steepness of them. As I type this two days later, my calves are still contracted.  After doing what felt like a never-ending Stairmaster 2000, we reached Sealy Tarns (the top of the stairs). The rest of the hike involved rock hopping, and a snow filled push to the ridge.  Throughout this hike there are great views, but when we reached the ridge we were greeted with 360 degree views of high peaks and glaciers. Then, 30 minutes more along the ridge, and we were glad to see our accommodation for the night. Although peaceful, every now and then you would hear a crack and rumble from ice falls on the glaciers.

Of course I am typing this while back in front of my computer with tea but shifting through the images reminds me to get my ass back outdoors.  

With GodZone

The first time I heard about GodZone was back in 2016. While staying at a friend’s house, I noticed his wife was constantly at their computer looking at a map.  She explained to me that the map had markers which were moving to indicate the location of teams participating in an adventure race.  The teams were required to kayak, run, hike and cycle a distance which spanned 530km in total, and lasted for up to 7 days.  I was intrigued, and knew instantly that this was definitely something which I wanted to document.

For the 2017 event, I landed a spot on the media team and was excited to follow these crazy teams as they negotiated their way around the Queenstown course.  I didn't imagine this would be an easy shoot, and this was confirmed on the first day.  An awesome spot caught my eye, where I would be able to capture the teams and give a sense of scale in the landscape.  However, the problem was, this awesome spot was in a river.  I rolled up my shorts, and waded across the water, getting into position just in time to catch the first team go by.  The shot looked great, and I decided to wait for a few more to come through.  After waiting for about 30 minutes I heard teams coming, and got my camera ready, sadly only to realise that they had gone a different route to avoid the river crossing - they were on a trail up on the left behind trees!  This is probably the worst part about shooting adventure racing, not knowing where teams will be coming from. But this is also the best part, as teams don't all go the same way, and you can end up with a good variety of images. 

After running around for the first few days I was able to hop on a helicopter into the Queenstown backcountry in search of teams.  I have shot from motorbikes, cars, bicycles and boats but never while flying.  This proved to be quite difficult with the airflow and trying to coordinate leaning out while being strapped in with a lap belt and lanyard.  Thankfully there were plenty of teams dotted around which gave me a few opportunities to shoot while I cautiously learnt how to lean out of the chopper and shoot from above.