See new extreme adventure photos each week featuring tips from your favourite athletes and photographers. And get the stories behind the shots.
1. Big-Wave Surfing at Teahupoo, French Polynesia
"The view I had right here was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life," says surfer Koa Rothman of this moment in Teahupoo, French Polynesia. The photo won the Billabong XXL Tube Award. "Watching the lip land next to you, feeling the wave bend back behind you, seeing the boats in the channel go over the wave - being in the middle of all that energy is unexplainable," says the Hawaiian surfer, who started riding waves at age two with his father on Oahu's North Shore.
Rothman wiped out on this wave. "When I fell, I was sliding on my back for what felt like forever. The water felt like concrete when I hit it. Then this giant lip was landing next to my head, and I thought I was going to die. But as soon as it finally sucked me over, it was like a huge giant picked me up and shook me as hard as he could for 40 seconds under water, then let me up.
"It wasn't hard for me to get back into surfing big waves after that wipe-out," Rothman reflects. "It just makes me really respect these waves and the people that surf them, because these waves could easily kill you."
Getting the Shot
“I knew it would be one of the biggest waves I have ever photographed - period,” says photographer Tim McKenna. “The conditions where similar to other big days at the break, apart from the fact that the line-up was very crowded with surfers and Jet Skis.” McKenna has photographed Teahupoo since 1996, and this wave was the largest he had photographed since Nathan Fletcher's big ride in 2011.
Equipped for the day, McKenna was ready for the giant swell. “It is important to be with a good boat captain who knows the break very well. I make sure all my main gear is protected in a waterproof case - you must be ready to jump on a Jet Ski or in the water if anything goes wrong.”
After McKenna reviewed his photos later in the evening, he shared the shot with Rothman. “I talked to Koa in the evening," he recalls. "He is a very mellow and humble surfer. He didn’t seem too phased about his ride, although the wipe-out sure was violent. I think the surfers relive their rides differently once they see the view from the channel. I don’t think they realize how big the wave is behind them during the actual ride.”
McKenna photographed with Nikon bodies and lenses, including a 70-200mm f/2.8, a 24-70mm f/2.8, and a 14-24mm f/2.8.
2. Climbing in Yosemite, California
Adventurer Dean Potter and best friend, Whisper, a 22-pound mini cattle dog, climb Yosemite View with El Capitan and Half Dome in the distance. Taken on an evening in May 2013 by Potter's girlfriend, photographer Jen Rapp, the team climbed into position just as the sun was setting to capture the Yosemite Valley's last light washing over the inspiring views and landscape.
Potter and Whisper do many adventurers together, including climbing, biking, trail running, and even surfing. They also have a forthcoming film, When Dogs Fly, about their wing-suit flying adventures together.
3. Snowboarding the West Fjords, Iceland
"It was so amazing riding 3,000 feet of steep terrain all the way to the Atlantic Ocean," says snowboarder Kyle Miller of this line overlooking town of Flateyri and running right to the sea - with perfect snow conditions. "It was something I will never forget."
"We could just drive around, see a line that grabbed our interest, park at the bottom, climb, then ride back to the car," says the pro splitboarder from Seattle. "Then repeat three times a day seven days a week. There are not many places in the world that provide such easy access to amazing terrain."
Getting the Shot
“I had a few goals in Iceland: Swim in a hot spring, and ski to the ocean,” says photographer Jason Hummel, who took this shot of snowboarder Miller. Hummel wanted to capture the scale and open waters of the Northern country.
“Each day we would climb two to 3,000 feet up any number of lines that surrounded the fjords. There were hundreds to choose from. We'd try and tackle a few a day. Unlike my home mountains in the Cascades, the access was incredibly convenient. Drive and scout your lines, then park and climb, then ski them. Perfect," recalls Hummel. “Standing on the ocean with sea weed and seagulls - skis still on my feet - was a real pleasure. You can't maximize your skiing any more than that! Snow doesn't go any lower.”
Hummel photographed with a Nikon D800 and a Nikon 16-35mm, f/4 lens.
4. Climbing Monserrat, Catalonia, Spain
Getting the Shot
“The fog adds another dimension - a mountain in the sky,” says photographer Sam Bié of getting this shot of climber José Agustí on La Joya de la Corona on Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain. “Montserrat is an iconic mountain that inspired many Spanish artists, including Gaudí - it’s a fantastic world. The main challenge is to observe and see the characteristics of the place.”
This route was actually Bié’s alternative plan. “The weather was too bad to go on a long and high route. And by chance, the fog came in at the right time and disappeared very quickly after,” he recalls. The swiftly moving fog became the biggest challenge of the shoot. “The fog was stable for one minute, and one second later the fog surrounded us. I crossed my fingers the sun didn’t appear because the fog would disappear very, very quickly.”
Bié photographed with a Nikon D600 and a Nikon AF-S ED 14-24mm, f/2.8 lens.
5. Surfing the Margaret River, Australia
Getting the Shot
Photographing in the late afternoon during Drug Aware Pro on Australia’s Margaret River, seven-year ASP World Tour vet Kristin Scholtz created this layered image of South African surfer Bianca Buitendag while battling the sun’s glare.
“While it yields great results with the backlight creating that beautiful green glow in the waves, it can pose challenges as the camera struggles to hold its focus,” says Scholtz, who shot from Surfer's Point. “Shooting from below the wave, rather than from above on the cliff, emphasizes the size of the wave and allows you to capture that beautiful backlight.”
One of the biggest challenges to shooting surfing on the Margaret River is the distance from the beach to the break - almost half a kilometre out to sea. To make up for the distance, Scholtz works with a long lens, including an extender for her 500mm lens.
Scholtz photographed with a Canon 1D Mark IV and a Canon f/2.8, 500mm lens with a f/1.4 extender.
6. Night Ice Climbing in the Cogne Valley, Western Alps, Italy
"Climbing by night is an intimidating prospect: Will I find my protection and find the easiest line...or make a bad decision due to the darkness?" says Canadian climber Jen Olson, seen ascending an icefall in the Cogne Valley of the Gran Paradiso region of the Italian Western Alps. Luckily, the route didn't have any unwelcome surprises. "I find that when I'm on snow or ice at night, the light is good enough to make good decisions. Everything else falls away, it's quiet and clear. Afterward, I tell myself, I should climb at night more often!"
Getting the Shot
“It is much more tricky for climbers to lead challenging ice by headlamp than daylight, so we all had to be careful to keep a big safety margin,” says adventure photographer Alexandre Buisse. The climb was assigned by Sports Illustrated, and Buisse knew the photo he wanted to capture. “I scouted this route a week prior and kept tabs on ice conditions and temperatures in the few days before the shoot,” he recalls.
Set up on a fixed line, Buisse was able to move up and down on pace with the climbers and shoot the various angles he had in mind. “This is the type of image I was really looking to shoot while planning. Everything else was bonus.”
Keeping the lighting simple, Buisse shot above the second pitch, below and to the side of the climbers. “I wanted to keep the lighting relatively simple, as logistics were very complicated, and it was impossible to reposition the flashes once I was up on the wall. For this particular image, I used a single studio strobe ten meters away from the base of the waterfall, equipped with a zoom reflector to focus the beam on the single area where the climber would be. I was careful to balance the power of the flash with the headlamps of the climbers,” says Buisse.
He photographed with a Nikon D4 and a Nikon 16-35mm f/4 lens.
7. Backcountry Skiing Mount Superior, Wasatch, Utah
“A photographer's dream” - that’s how top ski photographer Will Wissman describes the day he made this picture with ski mountaineer Caroline Gleich. “I have skied Superior nearly a hundred times, and this day would be in the top three for snow conditions. It was deep, light, and stable.
“I contacted a few of my most trusted backcountry skiers for a Superior shoot, including Caroline. She is a seasoned pro with heavy avalanche safety credentials. I knew I could count on her to make the right decisions,” Wissman says, adding that this was of particular importance due to the treacherous conditions of the 2014 season.
As the two veterans worked their way down the mountain, a phenomenon revealed itself. “When it's cold with bluebird skies in the Wasatch, it’s a fairly typical phenomenon to see something I call the ‘sparkle effect.’ If you get the angle just right, you can capture it.” Shooting from the ridge of Superior, where he could capture the line Gleich choose, Wissman knew he had a dramatic angle.
“The sun was in the perfect location to make the ‘sparkles’ come to life," recalls Wissman. "The eastern flank of Superior was lit up while the base area of Snowbird was still shaded, giving the photo depth and contrast. I spent a total of 40 minutes navigating through deep snow and pepper rock in order to find my angle. As Caroline slid into my frame, I knew instantly we had nailed it.”
Wissman photographed with a Canon 1D X, and 70-22mm, f/2.8 IS ll USM Canon lens.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please adhere to proper blog etiquette when posting your comments. This blog owner will exercise his absolution discretion in allowing or rejecting any comments that are deemed seditious, defamatory, libelous, racist, vulgar, insulting, and other remarks that exhibit similar characteristics. If you insist on using anonymous comments, please write your name or other IDs at the end of your message.