Thu Jul 26 20:08:13 UTC 2007Alpine Rock Climbing, Alaska StyleI just returned from a two week rock climbing trip to Alaska. Two of us flew into the Pika Glacier, which is located in Denali National Park, and endured many days of rain and fog; not the idea weather for climbing, but such is life in the mountains of the Alaska Range. We did take advantage of a couple of weather windows and managed to summit two towers, each over a thousand feet high. Photography while rock climbing is always a challenge, which is why many of the best rock climbing images are often shot by a photographer who is operating separately from the climbing party. In other words, he does not have to be belaying the climber while he's shooting. This can be easily done if the photographer is a third member of the climbing team. On this trip, there were just two of us, and so working in the photography required a slightly different shooting style, since my primary objective during the climb is to ensure the safety of my partner and get to the top of the climb without spending too much time taking pictures. This meant that I had to shoot on the fly and it meant that I had to gear my compositional eye towards the greater scene instead of focusing on the specific moves of my partner as he ascended the rock face. This approach comes naturally to me, since I like to create images that have the "right in the middle of the action" feel. The other challenge is carrying the gear. I carried a small alpine backpack that contained food, clothing, water and my camera and two lenses. I kept the camera out of the case in my pack and just tried to pad it with a bit of clothing or I stuffed it in a hat. During times when I had more mobility, such as when skiing or hiking summit ridges, I usually kept my camera around my neck or in a chest pouch that I'd leave at the base of the climb. Overall I'm happy about the imagery that I shot and I'm sure that some of the images from this trip will make it into some of my future lessons! -Dan Bailey       |
