Putting in the Work

With less than a month to go to the OR things are starting to ramp up. I have redesigned a new website which will launch next week and I have been working hard to edit some new video footage. However, sometimes it seems no matter how hard you push it is just not enough and your efforts can go unnoticed.  When this happens, the best way to regain your psych is to be inspired by others who are pushing and trying to make things happen. I am not talking about those people who pop-up quarterly to checkin with their sponsors. I am speaking about athletes and photographers who are always pushing throughout the entire year. People like Tim Kemple, Joe Kinder, and Natasha Barnes who are always on top of things and make sure their sponsors get the exposure they deserve and the community gets to see life through their eyes.

Please enjoy some screen shots from this week of Natasha Barnes on The Rapture Project.  If you have not had the chance you need to check out Natasha's blog.  The girl is always hustling to make sure her sponsors are being exposed to new and old climbers alike. She is not  just doing it so she can "check it off" her list, she is psyched and wants to spread the psych within the community. Her sponsors should be proud of the job she is doing because within the climbing community too many people assume that being an athlete means you get geared mailed to your door, your plane ticket waiting for you at the airport simply because you are "sponsored" and that your only "job" is to climb.
Wrong!

Time to change people's perceptions, even if it is only a small percentage.

Shooting in Mammoth

This last weekend I went out to Mammoth to catch up with Charlie Barrett and film some "newish" lines he put up in the area.  The weekend went great minus a blizzard on Sunday.  Charlie was good enough to hike up to Lessons with me and allow me to film his hardest line to date.  After which he proceeded to dangle me by my feet so I could retrieve his coffee thermos from a hole in the talus (long story). 

After this we drove up to a new area he is developing and he showed me The End of the Road, an amazing V12 that climbs out a steep prow onto a highball balancey face.  Charlie was able to burn laps on a V13 and two V12's while hiking in two huge Asana pads and he even had enough energy to go to work that night. The guy is a work horse, makes a killer breakfast burrito, and is a good example of a sponsored athlete.

Although Charlie seems like a scary dude, he is damn big, he is probably when of the nicest guys in the game. He was more than happy to put me up, work move after move and was open to sharing his local spots with others.  He is currently working on a guide book for Mammoth Bouldering and it looks legit! If you ever get a chance to catch up with the guy make sure you watch his technique, his footwork is damn good, he has a crazy highball mentality, and can thug his way through just about anything while strumming acoustic guitar.

Watch for exclusive footage of Charlie on DPM in the coming weeks.

Psyche!

Being psyched on a project you are climbing is important. The same can be said for something you are "shooting". Once a photographer begins a project with a climber they too are tied to that climber's success in the problem. Shots of a problem that never got sent are generally worthless as far as the community is concerned. It is an odd thing that you are looking forward to a climber hitting the top or clipping the chains just as much as the climber is.

I have had so many open projects waiting to be resolved by that one move. Sometimes you sit for seasons along with the images and wait. It is enough to drive you mad sometimes and yet it is funny as you are not the one tied in. You are not highballing above 2 small pads. No, you are sitting high up on a perch or stashed away in the brush waiting for that one move to seal the deal on your project.

I have learned most days will end in disappointment, but it is okay. Redemption is always just around the corner. If you are patient enough you will find it and when the line gets sent it will be as if you sent with the climber and the energy and resolve around the project will be 2 fold.

Return to Bishop

Just returned from Bishop and was able to get in some of the classics before the heat overtook the desert. We spent most of the trip in the Happies on problem like Heavenly Path V1, an all-time classic that really makes your heart flutter a bit. After an early morning in the Happies we met up with some athletes from Mad Rock and made our way over to Checkerboard V8. This was the only area that had several feet of snow and it made for some beautiful shots. I was able to snap a few great shots, one of which will hopefully find itself on the pages of a publication. Enjoy the images! I will be staying close to home filming an Evolv athlete for a new video promo.

Back to Joshua Tree

We headed back to Joshua Tree so I could finish up a shoot for an article I have been wanting to do for some time. The bouldering in Joshua Tree has been over-looked for years. Yes, it is sharp, and tall, and eight hours away, but it is well worth the drive. We took advantage of a 3 days weekend and I was able to get what I think are my best shots to date. We all have to judge ourselves and I think these new shots (not the ones you see in the blog) will show my growth as a photographer and I feel they have reached a new level of authenticity. To be honest it is hard to explain what I hope to get, but I am very happy with what I got. It is also of note that I was able to photograph and film G2, a Mad Rock athlete take down Iron Resolution V13. This simply topped off an already amazing trip. Please enjoy the photos.

Uintas Bouldering

I have a new video that launched at the beginning of this week at Dead Point Magazine entitled Uintas Bouldering. This video was shot last fall while I was visiting my good friends Rocco and Mary. During my week in Utah they took me to a new area they had been developing about an hour outside of SLC. The area, called, "The Secret Garden" sits at 11,500 ft and is one of the most beautiful alpine areas I have seen. The rock quality and the problems are impressive for such a small area, bullet stone and intriguing lines lie everywhere.

For the shoot we spent two days in the area and Rocco spent his time climbing, re-climbing, and then re-climbing once more so that we could get every angle possible. In the video he makes it look easy but running laps on V9-V10 boulder problems is a lot of work. On our second day at the shoot we literally had to out run a blizzard and retreat in our car back down to the valley floor so there was little footage shot that day. Following the blizzard I had to head back to California.

After leaving Rocco and Mary went back up and shot some additional footage and sent it to me so that we could conclude the video. Both Rocco and Mary are impressive athletes, their climbing abilities aside. They went out of their way to help get the shots needed, support and display their sponsors, and sit patiently while the video was shelved until Monday's release. Their sponsors Five Ten, Granit Life, Metolious Climbing, V-Line, should be very proud of the end product and the way in which their athletes carried themselves.

Right now there is talk about a "professional climbers association" and to be honest I do not think we are ready for or have defined what that encompasses yet, but these two athletes are prime examples if ever there were examples to be had.

Check out the final video here Dead Point Magazine

2011

Welcome to 2011, this year should be very promising. New areas to explore, people to meet, and photographs to take. But, before we dive into a New Year, I would like to say thank you to some people who went out of their way to help me. So here is a very short, but important list. Thank you to Mad Rock, Evolve Sports, Dead Point Magazine, all the climbers who showed up to help me work on a new article, and friends who supported me being gone physically and mentally. Yes,"gone". However, in the end, I achieved several goals. Below you can see a photo of my proudest shot of 2010. In the Dec/Jan issue of Dead Point Magazine I landed a two page spread of the photo below, enjoy. Next stop trying to gain a cover shot! How does that happen?: Happy New Years

Joshua Tree " An Old Friend"

For Thanksgiving everyone seemed to be making their way to Bishop, so a few of us decided to head south to Joshua Tree. I used to climb in the area when I lived in the central valley, but I have not been back since. I really do miss this area and do not understand its lack of visitors, so a trip was in order.

During this trip I was able to meetup with a great crew of climbers including Ben Polanco, Matus Sobolic, and Michelle Yi was actually able to make it out to the park. We spent the entire day out on Geology Tour Road and enjoyed some great classics including Mirage, Pinched Loaf, and Slashface. Next,we made our way to Iron Resolution so Ben could begin to work out the moves...damn thing looks hard.

Right now, due to the high winds we are held up in a cheap motel, that is right, two beds and six people...you do the math. Tomorrow, we will be making our way out to the Rosetta Stone hopefully we can actually find it this time to attempt on old Rob Mulligan line. Hope everyone enjoyed a fun Thanksgiving.

Mad Rock On-Sight

A few weeks ago I went to Santa Barbara to meet Mad Rock athlete Piper Michelle to shoot some promo videos. We met at Santa Barbara's Brickyard and Piper ran laps on Walk the Dog for the next 2 hours. Ya, sometimes being an athlete is not all fun and games. Climbing is actually work and having to pull the same moves, lose skin, and then repeat for a shoot is very tiring. However, the end result is great!

Check out the promo video at Mad Rock for the new 2011 On-Sight or simply scroll down. Videos with athletes Steven Jeffery, Piper Michelle, and Grace Kane are coming soon...look for the clips!

Something Other Than Climbing

I have a friend who has been training for her first half-marathon. During a recent trip to Bishop she felt the need to run before we climbed at the Buttermilks. Trail running has always been really interesting to me, and although she was only training I felt that it would be a great chance to snap some photos. Check out a morning run on the Eastside. I really do not know much about the sport but this seems visually like something that I would like to pursue.

Weekend in Bishop

I have not been back to Bishop in 3 seasons. I finally decided to make the trip, and as usual it was epic. We got in at 1:ooam in the morning and the excitement was in the air. You couldn't ask for a more serene location. We camped at the Buttermilks under a full moon and in the morning we caught up with a great group of friends to climb.


Sometimes I feel carrying my camera around is a burden, I simply forget to climb. However, this trip, I am glad I had it. Here are some fun shots that were taken along the way.

Pine Mountain Pulldown

This last weekend I went down and shot some photos at the Pine Mountain Pulldown. This is a great outdoor comp put on by All Out Events and it is in its 3rd year. This year I was lucky enough to talk Ben Polanco from Evolv into joining me. I toured him around the crag and watched as he basically crushed everything out there. While we were climbing we ran into Dan Beal and Ian Dory from the Asana crew and they joined Ben and basically polished off every double-digit at the crag. I shot some amazing photos for an article I am working on. Some of the shots are of Pine Mountain and a few are from the next day at Santa Barbara's Brickyard. Here are the outtakes. I had to throw out some, but they were all my favorites. Please let me know what you think.

Joes Valley

Got out to Joes Valley this weekend with Rocco and Jacinda. The area is amazing to say the least and I was able to do a few classics. Jacinda was also able to quickly dispatch her nemesis Wills of Fire. The line climbs incuts and pockets to a five-star finish. After working out the beta for the top out she finally sent in good form!!

Prana's New Website

It is always nice to see your images used, especially by a company who I have loved for such a long time. The athlete is Tiffany Hensley, the girl is like my little sister. Tiffany is an amazing climber, always filled with psych, and is the perfect ambassador to showcase the Prana lifestyle. The girl is always climbing! Tiffany recently moved to Colorado to go to school and has been pullin hard after class...check out her blog at http://www.mocieka.blogspot.com/ to follow the craziness that is her life. On a closing note I have finished my website and will be launching it within the next week with all new videos and some new pubslished work! P.S. Yes, the photo used was a shot as a portrait but they fit it to a landscape.

To Each Their Own

There is a saying, "opinions are like assholes...everyone has one." When you begin to shoot photos you learn that quickly! Everyone sees something differently and we all pick and choose our favorites. I have been submitting photos and article queries to editors for about two years now. I have met several closed doors and some that have opened up for me...you have to be persistent! You also have to learn to take criticism and grow from it and as such I am always welcome to whatever anyone thinks of something I have created. I have learned so much just from scattered commentary, I am always grateful to hear what people think. But, I decided to post two photos I know would not make it past into an issue, but I love them for their own qualities! Enjoy!


Ben Polanco working Ghetto Blaster 513.b

Natasha working on an unnamed V7 in Bridalveil Falls area

The Tradeshow

I was able to enojy some free time during the tradeshow to shoot some great shots at the UBC competition ontop of the Shiloh Inn. Enjoy some of the shots and check back for more. If you are wondering about the shots where the holds occupy the entire wall, you need to check out Steven Jeffery's training wall..

Tuolumne Meadows

I spent the last weekend shooting in Tuolumne. The are has some of the most amazing views for anyone looking to beat the summer heat and enjoy mid-level bouldering in an alpine setting. Below are some of the outtakes from the weekend shoot...watch for "keepers" to appear later with an article about alpine bouldering.

Tiny Dancer

Walkin downtown with my favorite b-girl and well we took some photos. Check Lilly out she is amazingly talented.

Bodega Bay

So I have been slacking on the blog posts. I have no time! But, here is what a day at the beach will get you. I got to shoot some fun photos (these are the outtakes). Damn, sun was not cooperating and I brought nothing for camera gear. I hope you enjoy. I am building a website soon enough.

Sonora Bouldering Guide

For over 3 years the residents of Columbia, Ca have been working diligently to clean, send, and document some of the most amazing bouldering California has to offer. The rock is a tacky limestone with a beautiful setting (however, watch out for poison oak). The first edition of their guide book just came out and I contributed some shots for the guide book, and one of my favorite shots made the back cover! Super Psyched! Check out this book and contact Dean and Dan for a copy of the guide book.