Pre-Winter X Games

It has been four years since I last covered the Winter X Games and I not ashamed to say that I never care if I cover another one.  There are way too many people jammed into a small venue.  The event is made for television, so still photographers are the last people on organizers minds.  It's not easy to get from one event to another.  The list goes on, but I don't want to sound like a whiner.

This year Wes Selby, a local snowmobiler is participating in the snocross event at Winter X 15.  He was supposed to compete a few years ago, but was injured during training prior to the event and had to withdraw.  Wes has been training outside of Grand Lake along with the leading contender for the gold medal in snocross, Tucker Hibbert from Minnesota.

It was amazing pulling up to their training course and seeing at what level these guys are competing at.  Tucker has a hauler much like a NASCAR driver, room for at least four sleds, extra parts, living quarters, etc.

This is Tucker during training:

Good luck to both of them and all of the athletes in Aspen this weekend.  You won't see me there, but I'm sure I'll be checking out the action on television.

goo, goo g'joob

What a year it was!

I was hoping to have this completed before the end of 2010, but it took me longer to pull together than I expected.

Looking back on 2010 and reflecting on what transpired during the preceding 12 months, I realize what an amazing year it has been for me both professionally and personally.  My year began with getting myself ready to go the Winter Olympics in February and preparing to see my son, Erik, enter the Army in April.

The rest of the year was filled an assortment of assignments ranging from the mundane and average, to interesting, spectacular, entertaining, thrilling and gut-wrenching.

Here are ten of my favorite shots from 2010, not necessarily my best, but my favorites for one reason or another:

Jan 13, 2010; Whistler, BC, CANADA;   Albert Demtschenko (RUS) competes
during the first run of the mens luge at the Whistler Sliding Centre during the
2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. 

Feb 23, 2010; Whistler, BC, CANADA; Todd Lodwick (USA) celebrates after receiving the silver
medal during the medal ceremony for the team nordic combined event at Whistler Medals Plaza
 during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Members of Grand County Emergency Medical Services, the East Grand Fire Department
and Grand Park Community Recreation Center staff treat simulated patients during training
exercises in the foam pit at the recreation center on April 13 in Fraser.  

Gymnasts warm-up prior to the gymnastics meet hosted by Alpine Aerials
Gymnastics on May 1 at the Grand Park Community Recreation Center in Fraser.

Rudy Garcia, right, assists with the bean bag toss during kid's games put on by the
Kremmling Volunteer Fire Department on June 19 as part of Kremmling Days festivities.

A merganser takes off from Lake Granby on Oct. 14. 

Dave Stiefvater performs during the MBS Mountainboard 
demonstration on July 31 at Hideaway Park in Winter Park.

Guitarists Joel Hoekstra, left, and Brad Gillis of Night Ranger perform
during the Winter Park Music Festival on Aug. 7 at Hideaway Park in Winter Park.

Peggy Smith, the mother of Spencer Nelson, speaks at the
candlelight gathering of family and friends on Thursday evening
at the Rendezvous Fire Pit in Fraser to share stories about the
20-year-old killed in a fall while hiking on Aug. 14.

Firefighters working the Onahu fire in Rocky Mountain National Park
look for hot spots while walking down Trail Ridge Road where the fire
crossed the highway late on Sept. 18.

And one last bonus shot.  I couldn't have been more proud when my son, Erik, graduated from basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in July and was then assigned to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York.

Who knows what 2011 will hold?  It's going to be hard to top 2010, but whatever it has in store, I wish you health and happiness in the coming year.

goo, goo g'joob

Merry Christmas!

goo, goo g'joob

Happy for the return of prep sports and ski season

December means the return of high school sports...thank goodness!  What else would I do with my evenings?

December also means that ski season is in full swing.  I told myself after missing a lot of opportunities in the past couple of years because of my knee surgery two seasons ago and the Winter Olympics last season, that I would make it a point to get out on the hill more often this season.

Winter Park Resort opened up Parsenn Bowl for the first time this season last week, which resulted in some nice images of the first tracks.

A skier makes first tracks in Parsenn Bowl at Winter Park Resort.

Probably my favorite image of the day:

Powder turns on Forever Eva in Parsenn Bowl at Winter Park Resort.

goo, goo g'joob

Almost missed this

The return to Standard Time from Daylight Saving Time always comes at a welcome time for me, usually around the end of soccer season and the end of the election season when I am ready for a break.  This year I was also battling a nasty cold coming into the weekend, so I was really looking forward to the extra hour of sleep.

Unfortunately, my cat, Nutmeg, didn't get the memo and was doing everything she could to get some attention from me early this morning.  As I attempted to keep my eyes open, I noticed my bedroom curtain had a strange orange hue to it--it's white.  It then occurred to me that maybe we were having a colorful sunrise.

So I slowly rolled out of bed and looked outside.  What I saw instantly energized me and I grabbed my camera and headed outside to capture what had to be one of the most amazing sunrises I have seen in quite a while...

I should add that I shot this with my point and shoot.  I left the card reader for my "real" camera at work, so I will have to post the photo I did with it later.

goo, goo g'joob

***update***

And here is the image from my "real" camera:

A nice surprise

I was out shooting the fog and frost this morning when I saw the light sparkling off of this frosty grass.  After downloading and looking at the image on the computer screen, I noticed the light refracting through the frost created an almost Christmas light look...a nice surprise.

goo, goo g'joob

Another feature photo hunt

I was in need of multiple "wild art" (as we sometimes call it in the biz) photos for Friday's paper.  I was hoping for another foggy, frosty morning as we had had the day before, but, of course, when I looked outside I saw sunny, blue sky.

As I headed out to begin my hunt for feature photos I was a little concerned that this was going to be a difficult task.  I stopped to shoot some cattle grazing south of town just so I had something.  Then as I looked to the north, I saw that there was indeed fog hanging over Lake Granby.

I quickly made my way to the reservoir and drove along the south shore where the fog seemed to be the thickest.  I was starting to see several possibilities when I spotted a fisherman trolling along the shore in his boat.  Things were looking up.  I shot several frames of him that I thought were going to be exactly what I needed when I saw two mergansers perched on a rock.

I shot several frames of them and then one of the birds slipped into the water.  I kept my lens trained on him and I must have somehow spooked him, because all of a sudden, he decided to take off.

This is one of those moments where you hope you can maintain focus on the subject and the other camera settings are correct.  It is also an image that I had been hoping to capture for quite a while.  Page 1 photo done.

goo, goo g'joob