Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Gearing up for the Fourth


Danny Tucker assembles sideboards for mortars that will be used for the Grand Lake Fourth of July fireworks display. Tucker was helping Chuck Barry, whose family has been putting on the Grand Lake show for the past 28 years.

When an event happens every year, it's easy to get in the habit of shooting the same thing each time. So my challenge is to come up with something different. I was fortunate enough today to come across workers rigging up the mortars for the fireworks show in Grand Lake. As Chuck explained, "Putting on a fireworks show is a lot like preparing Thanksgiving dinner. There are weeks of preparation, the dinner itself that doesn't last very long, and then the clean-up, which seems to take a couple of weeks."

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

It sounded like a good idea...at the time



While shooting the Mud Race during Kremmling Days last weekend, I kept trying to think of something different I could do in order to come up with a really awesome shot. It was easy to shoot straight-forward action, so as I watched the first run I noticed there were a few of the trucks that had open roll cages that I might be able to attach a remote camera too.


Between runs I approached the driver of the truck that I had noticed didn't seem to get too much mud on the driver or in the middle of the truck where I would likely be mounting the remote. I explained to Mitch Perron of Soda Springs, Idaho, what I had in mind and he said go ahead.


After clamping the camera to the roll cage and adding a couple of safety cables to keep the camera or rigging, if it should happen to come loose, from dropping into the mud, Mitch checked out the set-up:


As Mitch's second run approached I got more nervous as I thought about all of the things that could go wrong. I had double-checked to make sure everything was tight, exposure was set and Pocket Wizards were working:


Aside from my concerns about my equipment, I was also worried about if the lens was going to give a wide enough view and if I was using too slow of a shutter speed. The answers would turn out to be no and yes.


The 16mm didn't quite give me the view I was hoping for and 1/30 of second was too slow for the speed and vibration from the truck. Oh well, live and learn. As the truck crossed the finish line I noticed that the Magic Arm and camera were starting to fall over (I think the vibration the truck experienced during its run loosened the Magic Arm). Fortunately the safety cables did their job, however the rig fell over far enough to put it in line where the mud was flying.




I finally broke down and cleaned the camera and lens this morning. The only consequence appears to be that I got some moisture in the lens while I was cleaning it and the autofocus seems to not be working. However, it does show signs of starting to work this evening.

Friday, June 12, 2009

This tree is just right



Heard a call on my scanner late yesterday afternoon saying there was a report of a bear in a park in town. I was going to ignore it, but seeing as we don't get many bears here in Granby I thought I might as well check it out. He was hidden by the leaves and branches from most angles, but after moving around to the east I was able to get this shot of him. In talking to the police officers who were keeping tabs on the situation, they said the plan was to leave him alone and let him come down on his own. The wildlife officer wasn't too concerned as this bear hadn't been a nuisance before, so they would let him be and sure enough, a few hours later he came down and went on his way.

Monday, June 1, 2009

"Please keep this pass visible at all times"


As I was trying to be productive today and clean up some things around the house, I came across the bag that I have tossed all of the various media credentials and passes I have accumulated over the past 28 years into. As I looked through them I reflected back on the variety of experiences they represented--predominantly sporting events, some significant, others just another game.

Among the credentials you can find:

•my forged photo pass for the Iowa-Michigan State game in 1981 which sent Iowa to the Rose Bowl. The first college football game I shot from the field, but spent most of the time worrying I was going to get caught rather than shooting.
•my pass for Mother Theresa's 1986 visit to the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colo.
•my photo pass from the Colorado Rockies first home game in 1993.
•my Secret Service pass for G8 wives visit to Winter Park in 1996, actually it's so small compared to the others you probably can't see it.
•my media credential for the Kobe Bryant hearings in Eagle, Colo., in 2004.
•numerous Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies credentials.