I have a dream… I am dreaming of creating an image of one of the most spectacular climbs in the Blue Mountains (and elsewhere besides).
I have a dream… and my dream is not just to photograph the climb but to try to create an image which shows how spectacular the climb and the setting really is — and which celebrates its uniqueness.
I have a dream… a dream of floating around somewhere out in space, not far below the cliff top but maybe seven or eight metres out from the cliff, so I could photograph from an otherwise impossible perspective.
I have a dream… a dream of creating an innovative new technique/apparatus for photographing climbing so that I can capture the kinds of images that I dream about.
I have a dream… that the new technique/apparatus is safe, legal, affordable, transportable and above all practical, so much so that it might possibly, in years to come, even revolutionise climbing photography. And if it doesn’t, then well, maybe it’ll spur someone on to come up with something that does.
I have a dream… “waaaaaaaaaaaa… waaaaaaaaaaa… waaaaaa…” Huh, what’s that? Oh, it’s the sound of baby Coco crying in the room next door that’s penetrating my slumber and dragging me from my dreams…. Oh well.
It’s Easter Monday morning and the reality is sure not the same as the dream. I feel like crap, this cold I’ve had for the last week is getting worse, my nose is flowing like a sewer, and I just want to sleep in for a bit. But last night the forecast was good, so I look out the window and yes, finally, the conditions are perfect for this shot and look like they’ll be lasting a while. So I phone Vince Day, the climber who had kindly agreed to help with this special shoot. We’d been waiting for over a month for the light/weather and schedules to coincide for this shoot. But the news was bad, some important work had come up for him at the last moment. Nothing I could change so I looked forward to a quiet morning instead, and just hoped things would come together for us next weekend.
But then ten minutes later the phone rang, Vince had rescheduled and it was “game on” for the shoot. Action stations! I throw my kit in the car and blast on out to Pierces Pass where we all meet and hike out to the route — a classic grade 25 rap-in climb-out affair at Walls Lookout.
And the name of the route? Oh, it is I Have a Dream.
Check out some of the results below. And please me know what you think.
One important thing about this new technique/apparatus is that I can shoot both vertical and horizontal framing and easily swap between the two. Using the new Nikon D3s that I’m now using, it was simple to shoot some good video footage as well.
And if you are wondering how is this so different to a normal climbing photography shoot, well then compare them to the shot below — of Garth Miller on the same route. It’s a stock standard abseil-in shot that I took a few years ago. This angle was about all I would have been able to achieve on this route — that is until I devised my new technique recently.
The significant thing is, in the shots above I’ve got the camera about seven metres out from the cliff and only about seven metres below the cliff top. I’ve also got control and can adjust framing and composition on the fly.
I’ve not yet received a suitable bribe for revealing just what my new technique/apparatus is, or at least the important details of it, but I promise I’ll reveal it all eventually (right here on this blog before the end of the year). So keep guessing. I’ll just say that it isn’t a remote controlled helicopter (which would have been illegal in this situation, expensive, not practical to travel with, etc…).
I think it’s good to dream a bit, eh?
The first pic is my favoriit. It´s totally alive. It shows the vertical at best.
That would be my dream!
— Herbert Fessler · 8 April 2010, 17:24 · #
Thanks Herbert. I totally agree, the vertical is by far my favourite too.
Simon
— Simon Carter · 8 April 2010, 19:51 · #
Perfect results Simon !
I got a glimpse of your technique in the Nikon videos you featured at. Seems great and gives you the oppurtunity to portray the scale of the rock features + the isolation of the climber.
Great work.
N. Malizos
Larisa, Greece
— Nikolas Malizos · 9 April 2010, 05:23 · #
I had seen your Nikon promo climbing movie which already blew me away (cause I have a serious fear of height…) and since then I have been checking your site regularly. I am fascinated by people like you who do this as a job (and hobby I guess…) and I have to say that the shots you have been producing recently and especially the first one above are the most spectacular ones I have ever seen! They make my stomach turn over a bit, absolutely stunning! I would love to see this picture big on a wall. Can we expect some video footage of this shoot as well? I hope so.
Great work and greetings from the other end of the world (the Netherlands where our highest ‘mountain’ is 300mtr above sea level….)
Frank Baldé
— Frank Baldé · 9 April 2010, 06:24 · #
My favourite is the shot of Garth, but only because you can easily see just how much larger his arms are than his legs! ;-)
— Peter · 9 April 2010, 07:13 · #
Excellent results with your new technique Simon.
Have you considered ‘software stitching’ the vertical and horizontal formats together to create an even larger expanded vision?
>So keep guessing.
My guess is ‘camera’(*) is on an extendable pole that can be secured/braced back at cliff edge, and it is either hard wired to a laptop, or remotely sends data to same via a wireless system, so that the camera settings can be controlled from the laptop.
(*)I have used, vehicles with reversing cameras hard wired to a screen on the dash, to allow parking them safely in tight locations when the canopy on them obscures the space one is heading for. I also understand that large semi-trailers these days have them mounted as ‘eyes in the rear’ to help them change lanes safely in traffic conditions. The technology has extended to caravans etc lately…
It would not be hard to adapt this technology to digital/film provided the lense quality was the required spec.?
Feel free to edit out my guess, if you publish this comment…
Regards,
Rod.
— Rod. · 9 April 2010, 13:27 · #
Fantastic shots as always.
Being there when we filmed the videos, I know what was involved and how much you wanted to play with your new toy ;-)
It is great to see that the stars were in line for you to put this setup into practice and acheive the images you dreamed of.
— Robert L · 9 April 2010, 17:01 · #
Camera in sling on ropes, wireless liveview via HD sender (As used onset for directors monitor) or something like this http://www.pixelhk.com/en/proview.asp?P_ID=1543 and controled by pocketwizard triggering.
— Jay Gannon · 13 April 2010, 23:07 · #
All are fantastic. Very unusual angles on the first two but they are more like a top down version of the classic climbing bum shot.
I definitely prefer the last pic, the rap in shot of Garth.
— amcam · 14 April 2010, 08:10 · #
Hola from Spain
fantastic fotos, realy great.
specialy the first one above, impresionante (-:
take a look to my climbing fotos
saludos
alej
— Alejos · 12 May 2010, 19:15 · #
Hey Simon,
The first is my favourite despite the distortion towards the bottom. All are good (even un modfied #3) in that they give a good perspective of the landscape rather than the usual “So and so on such and such, grade 30+”. After years of looking at many climbing mags one becomes a bit numbed to climbing pics so it’s good to see some with a bit more depth – guess the final proof will be in the printed proof.
Greg (W.Falls)
— Greg · 20 May 2010, 19:51 · #