Aspen, Colorado
39.1911° N, 106.8175° W
Having been inspired by a well know action sports photographer Scott Markewitz a few years ago. Markewitz had taken an image similar to this for a brand ad. That image stuck with me for years and give me the desire to have a friend drive my truck up and down Independence Pass photographing local athlete celebrity Greg Strokes. As I rolled around in the back of my Tacoma trying to match shutter speed to the desired effect, manage my semi-working flash, and angles, and have my wild man driver go an exact speed, we managed to navigate the narrows of Independence Pass. Imagine all of this to re-create a look/image I saw years before. The challenge of getting a shot like is what made me want to do it. The Aspen Photo Challenge, a photography competition created the desire to go for it... Not sure why I hadn't before… Look forward to another shoot similar to this in the feature.
Anika Berkan, is one of the top women mountain bikers riding in the Enduro World Series. This event has taken place in Aspen for the last 2 years. Being a fan and mountain biker myself I am jaw dropped by the talent some of these individuals possess. This image was taken at the EWS in 2017 on a new trail in Snowmass. The trail has no name.
Hiking up Shadow Mountain is not easy. The climb down is hairy as well. Especially if you are coming down in the dark for the first time ever without headlamps. Sometimes you forget the important details when feeling the urge to send it to the "spot" to get the "shot"
It's not an image representing movement per-say but it does make me move. A lot in fact. I have photographed the Maroon Bells so many times. With little to no success at capturing something as beautiful as this morning. This place has a mystic nature to it and will not always easily share her ultimate beauty. Honesty I can not get enough of this image. As it hangs above my bed as a window to my outside. Calming guidance is what I have named this image.
It's New Year’s Eve and I'm skinning up little Nell with an extra jacket, bottle of champagne my camera, and tripod. I wasn't the only one with this idea as I was joined by more than a handful of people along the catwalk above the Aspen. The fireworks rained down on everyone so close you could almost touch them. For the tourist, the price of a ride in the cat was $2,000 and up.
Whit, one of my riding partners blazes past me on Sunnyside trail on a rough section of trail. We just beat the rain on our 20-mile loop. Love days like this out on the mountain bike. Getting out and amongst the forest on my bike is one of my all-time favorite things to occupy my time. Time is the ultimate luxury.
Scrambling up Shadow Mountain was no easy task. Especially for this first-timer. I had done my research and was prepared with a few key items. I wore proper hiking boots for the steep climb, I had leather gloves for the mining cable you use to assist you up 2/3rds the climb. However, I managed to forget my headlamp. Not important for an evening shoot with a decent on a new route into the inky black forest. In this particular section, my friend Adam gets some exposure because he loves to work it for the shot.
Riding mountain bikes in the Spring is a one of the best times to be on the trail.
Time spent in nature looking for unique ways to interact.
Flying off the lip of a jump on the infamous Valhalla trail in Snowmass, Colorado. This image was taken during the only North American stop for a popular mountain bike racing called the Enduro World Series also known as the EWS.
Riding a steep line on a cliff edge is one way to get your blood pumping. This line was shown to me by a fellow mountain biking enthusiast pictured here. This line is located in one of my favorite places to visit. Moab Utah. Moab has an incredible amount of adventures that I am looking forward to exploring as life goes on.