Ron Shoots

I just finished the winter shoots for the year. From frozen lakes in Minnesota, to the Colorado mountains, to the Canadian Rockies. So in honor of the Northeastern USA which got a foot of snow this week, I’ll publish one last winter shot from British Columbia!

The next set of shoots will definitely be in warmer climates! Think Maui, Southern California…. may take a month for me to thaw out!

In the last post, I mentioned something about our shoots being more an adventure than a job… today we went on the high road to adventure with a snowmobiling shoot in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Working with Nova Guides about 45 minutes outside of Vail, we had 5 snowmobiles, 2 models, 3 crew and a guide. And a beautiful day with blue skies, pleasant temperatures and no wind!

(Above: Krista, Luke, Ron, and Ryan & Jamie, our models.)

In the valley, each of us got set-up on our own snowmobiles. Travis, our guide gave us the safety briefing on snowmobiles, then off we went on beautiful forest trails to above tree line. The mountain top was about 12,500 ft with a 360 degree panorama- we could shoot in any direction!

We took minimal equipment, just the camera bag with a Canon and a Hasselblad. And Luke, our assistant, wore a backpack with the Quantum flash. We strapped the camera bag to the back of the guide’s snowmobile for a quite bouncy ride to each location. At one point, the bag was hanging halfway off dragging along in the snow at 30mph!

Ton of fun today working on a ski slope. We had some last minute changes with our Vail location, so we drove a couple of hours north to Steamboat Springs. (What a great place!)

Our models were a younger couple and an older couple. All were great skiers and super helpful. While the day was really beautiful, the snow was a bit on the heavy side to shoot those crazy powder shots. Lifestyle images are more along what we wanted to shoot anyway.

And the crew survived!

(Krista and Ron, shot by Palmer, our ski model!)

Shooting ski/snowboard images on the slopes are tough. Even with minimal equipment, Krista and I were each skiing with 20-30lbs of gear in our backpacks. But I’m bragging, not complaining. The views are awesome and going to places like this make my job much more like an adventure!

Equipment-wise, I shot with the Canon 1Ds MII and used both the 28-300mm and 24-105. We used a Quantum flash on most of the scenes.

We shot all day at a ranch with a horse barn, hay loft and old cabins. Krista, our production coordinator set up a wonderful shoot at Bearcat Stables. I highly recommend giving them a call if you’re in the Vail area any time of year! The models were real cowboys (and a cowgirl) who provide trail rides in the Rocky Mountains.

Even though we’re on a “winter lifestyle” shoot, we work through the opportunities provided by any location. In this case, shooting inside the hay loft, and shooting all the “cowboy chores” gave us tons of different images.

Lots of Variables, Snow and Mud!

With 5 horses, trucks, horse trailer, 1 dog, 6 models, different locations, waist high snow, deep mud, and changing light conditions, the best thing to do is to keep the photographic gear simple! Shot mostly with the Canon 1Ds MII and used the Quantum hand held flash for either the main light or fill. This flash is wirelessly synched to the camera so its super easy to move the light around. Luke, our assistant, is wearing a backpack that holds the battery and a few accessories.

Once we find a great model, we begin asking about photogenic significant others, be that man or beast… or as a model once asked: Is there a difference? Today, our model brought Miles, a beautiful Golden Retriever who was really well-behaved. For wardrobe, we always carry a selection of accessories to mix & match with the model’s wardrobe- in this case, the hat and gloves. Its always the details that make the difference!

We shot with 4 women this afternoon who are on a hockey team here in Vail. Three players and a coach. Ages 24-44. Everyone was laughing so hard and having so much fun that is was hard to get the serious plays where one player would be “checking” the other player into the boards.

We used a Hensel with one head for a backlight and a hand held Quantum flash for the front light. The best advice when working on a sheet of pure ice is to move very very slowly! I also remembered from a hockey shoot that I did years ago that the heat generated by the power packs would melt the ice and freeze the unit right into the skating rink. We had picked up a cheap flexible drink cooler that was just the right size to hold a power pack- these insulated the pack from the ice.

The north winds continued to blow snow across the roads as I left the Red Cross shelter (see previous post) at daybreak. The sky was clear and, in the east, a very welcome pink glow.

The shelter host called the South Dakota DOT for an up-to-date weather report… State #10 West- icy conditions, gusty winds up to 35mph, snow drifts… at least there wouldn’t be much traffic. In town, the weather was a balmy 6 degrees. As soon as I drove a few miles into the countryside, the temperature dropped to zero. (Wind chill was minus 27 degrees now!)

The blowing snow and deep drifts looked like waves in the ocean when the trade winds are kicking back home in Maui. I was quite awestruck by the beauty of nature as this blast of artic air whipped snow across fields, farms and roads.

More South Dakota Hospitality!

As I drove west on State Route 10, I spotted a snow swept graveyard that offered photographic potential! I did a u-turn and pulled gingerly off to the side of the road on what looked to be a flat hard surface. All of a sudden the whole side of the truck dove deep down into snow-filled ditch. Rocking the truck back and forth only dug the wheels deeper and within seconds the snow was up to the door handles on the passenger side. As I got out to check my predicament… out of the blue, a pick-up rounded the corner and stopped to offer assistance. With the tow chain that I carry, a few valiant pulls and the smell of burnt rubber as the pick-up tires screeched on the tiny strip of solid pavement, my truck was back on the road!

(Doesn’t look like much… the snow was up to the door handles!)

I don’t know the name of the benevolent gentleman driving the Chevy pick-up. He left as quickly as he arrived, but my thanks go out to him! The people of Roberts County are great!

(And for any truck fans, yes… a Chevy pulled out my Ford.)

When I’m shooting landscapes “on the road” I never quite know where I’ll end up. I make a general plan like “head west” then go with whatever seems best.

Minnesota and most of the midwest are cleaning up from a major snowstorm that started two days ago. I waited out one day, then headed right into the storm to see if I could shoot some of those “bad weather” images that are hard to find. The landscape was quite dramatic and I enjoyed every new scene… although standing outside in the wind and snow for very long was not an option!

(Driving the back roads… 15 degrees + 45mph = wind chill minus 9)

Cruising all two lane roads, I finally ended up on I-29 in the northern part of South Dakota. Not much traffic- good thing- the interstate was a sheet of ice with 3′ drifts across some of the lanes. After 30 miles with darkness closing in, I could see flashing lights ahead… just another snowplow I thought, then I realized the sign was flashing “ROAD CLOSED” as the 45mph gusts whipped more snow into what had become regular white-out conditions. No problem, I’ll get a room and start out early in the morning.

No Vacancy

Yeah right… every hotel at the last exit was booked, and I soon learned that every hotel for 100 miles around was sold out. The clerk at the Super 8 then said, “I believe they opened a shelter for stranded travelers. Turn right at the American Legion, go down that road past all the streets with tree names until you come to Chestnut, then at Main you’ll find the Red Cross set-up in the Catholic Church.” So off I went, past Oak, past Pine, Maple, then finally Chestnut.

(Accommodations at the Red Cross shelter in Sisseton, South Dakota)

I signed in and joined about 30 other snow-weary travelers… several Canadians, an Amish family, college kids on break. You just never know where you might spend the night…

Many thanks to the Red Cross volunteers of Sisseton, South Dakota! These folks are the best!

We have really worked with some great models in Minneapolis this week! For the most part, we use Craig’s List, mySpace, friends and a few model forums to locate talent. That gives us fresh faces and lots of good new energy. I love working with new models and coming up with ways to give our images a new twist.

In fact, all the posts over the next 2 weeks will be about winter shoot! So cozy up to the fireplace and stay warm.

Today, we shot a winter hunting scenes out in the Minnesota woods. As always, when we shoot a sport, especially one that requires technical experience, we hire models that are expert in their subject. The weather warmed up to a balmy 32 degrees. The light bouncing up from all the snow has been great as nature’s own “fill” reflector. We’re only adding a bit of side or edge light to the subject to brighten up the shadows.