KeithSharplesPhotographyBlog

PoTM 2009 Jan: Secret Garden

Keith — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:14:34 +0100

Going rock climbing at night-time in winter when there’s a foot of snow on the deck isn’t everyone idea of a great time – but we seem to like it!

PoTM 2009 Feb: ShaFF Biker

Keith — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:36:10 +0100

ShaFF, or Sheffield Adventure Film Festival to give it its full name, deals in adrenaline for adrenaline junkies

PoTM 2009 March: Vars Skier

Keith — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:43:27 +0100

After a life-time of denial I eventually gave in and strapped a pair of planks to my feet a couple of years ago and pushed off down the slope straight into another totally addictive sport – alpine skiing

PoTM 2009 May: The Hulk

Keith — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:17:01 +0100

Down a dark, dark dale in the Peak District, is a dark, dark bouldering venue known to the locals as CragX.

PoTM 2009 April: Chiselling the Dragon

Keith — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:54:18 +0100

Malham Cove is undeniably one of the main crags in the UK - an international destination sport climbing crag in my opinion.

PoTM 2009 June: Fairbrook

Keith — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:44:52 +0000

Kinder is well-known as a bleak and dour locale. And truth be told, when it’s raining and blowing a gale it is just that - in spades

PoTM 2009 Aug: Charleston river bank at dusk

Keith — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:26:33 +0000

Charleston in South Carolina is not your typical USA town. Steeped in history and tradition, the charm of Charleston is quite agreeable.

PoTM 2009 July: The Cube

Keith — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:18:37 +0000

The Roaches are to Western grit what Stanage is to Eastern Grit – uber popular with more classic climbs than most people can do in a life-time. Yet the opportunity to escape the crowd and get off the beaten track still exists for those with a nose to find such things.

PoTM 2009 Sept: Have Guns will Travel

Keith — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:58:27 +0000

The east coast of the US at the height of the summer is hot; daily temperatures are typically in the late eighties and nineties - not really the stuff of dreams for most climbers!

PoTM 2009 Oct: Sagrada Familia - a work in progress (still)!

Keith — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:19:40 +0000

Commentary:

There can be little doubt that a visit to Barcelona, capital of Catalonia and Spain’s second largest city, is a cultural pilgrimage. A veritable and venerable city, Barcelona shocks and rocks in what is probably roughly equal measure. Antoni Gaudi, perhaps Barcelona’s pre-eminent architectural giant, has left his mark widely across the city; Park Guell and the Sagrada Familia arguably being the twin-towers of his reign.

Yet despite being a city of great architectural extravagance as well as a hub for finance, media, arts and trade, a trip to Barcelona can leave you high and dry and, if not exactly stranded, certainly robbed of your prized possessions. The world-famous, light-fingered itinerants operating on La Ramblas, Barcelona’s principal pedestrian thorough fare don’t discriminate too widely; these are true pros; expect no mercy. That said, not everyone is fleeced - just those who appear more gullible and/or less alert – you have been warned!

As a photog visiting Barcelona it was Gaudi’s work that attracted me. Stated simply, it’s stunning – it alone should keep Easy Jet and Ryan Air in business for the foreseeable! The c.43 acres of Park Guell is a magical marvel, a real visual treat. The detail is enchanting. Yet it pales into insignificance when compared to the Sagrada Familia. Started a staggering 128 years ago, and currently scheduled for completion in 2026, the Sagrada Familia is a must-visit – a living colossus. Dropping your hard-earned Euro into the admissions pot also gives a rosy glow knowing that your bucks are being used to complete the construction of one of the world’s stand-out cathedrals. If I had a diary for 2026, I’d pencil in a return visit straight away...

The challenge facing any photographic endeavour in Barcelona is how the shoot your chosen subject given the massive numbers of people that are always milling around. It’s a frustrating business cutting out the clutter. Perhaps it’s best to celebrate their existence and include the crowds in the shots. I wanted to capture something a little different so I hung outside the Sagrada Familia after closing time to see what happened. In the end had to wait till well after dusk until the crowds had died down and there were but a few folks left contemplating the emerging grandeur of the Sagrada Familia. With support from a conveniently placed portable loo I shot a series of frames but the one featured is my favourite. The young couple provided the main human interest and scale whilst the car trails add a hint of big-city life. I don’t even mind the obvious construction paraphernalia - they too are part of the narrative…

Capture Notes:

Nikon D300, 12-24mm AFS f4, 2 secs @ f10, ISO 400, matrix metering with D-Lighting helping to lift the dim lighting on the towers.

Keywords:

Barcelona, culture, capital of Catalonia, travel photography, Gaudi, Sagrada Familia

PoTM 2009 Nov: Autumn on the River Wye

Keith — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:30:21 +0000

Commentary:

Downstream from Buxton on the River Wye is Raven Tor. The Tor is a bastion of overhanging limestone that has been ground zero for hard sport climbing in the Peak District for much of the last thirty years. Climbers come from all around the globe to try the desperate climbs for which Raven Tor is famous.

Yet just a stone’s throw away is the River Wye. The majority of the time climbers come and go to the Tor and don’t bat an eye in the direction of the river. However, come the autumn and the rains then the River Wye takes on the appearance of a brown, muddy highway thundering down the valley. Once the flood waters die down, the Wye returns to its sedate self carrying its autumnal cargo of fallen leaves and sticks.

Beyond Raven Tor the Wye drops over a series of weirs and dams. It’s worth a look every now and again especially during the autumn when the colours of trapped leaves stand in stark contrast to the water. During a break in climbing activity I wondered down to the river with my camera and shot over a gig of images. Shooting rivers and leaves is about as different as it gets from shooting climbers in action and it makes a refreshing change too. Nothing ventured…

As a climbing photographer I usually gravitate towards shooting wide. On this occasion though I was drawn to zoom in and get close up on a ‘pile’ of leaves which caught my eye. However, they needed context so I needed also to capture the essence of the flowing river. Following post processing a panoramic-style crop accentuated the importance of the leaves and flowing river...

Capture Notes:

Nikon D300, 28-70 AFS f2.8, 1/3 secs @ f14 ISO 100, matrix metering, -0.7EV compensation

Keywords:

River Wye, autumnal image, flowing water, blurred river flow, landscape photography

PoTM 2009 December: Dan is Brad Pitt

Keith — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:02:23 +0000

Commentary:

For most of late December 2009 the Peak District was locked down tight in nature’s grip by freezing temperatures. For days snow lay on any ground not touched by the sun. Yet many climbers took to the grit to grab what test-pieces they could in the good conditions. Stanage Plantation was alive again following weeks of horrible wet weather and folks meant business. Careless Torque, for example, saw two ascents in a single day from Ben Bransby and James MacHaffie - for more click through here ttp://blog.keithsharplesphotography.co.uk/blog/_archives/2009/12/20/4408826.html.

Seldom does a day pass without someone pitching at one of the Plantation’s many classic boulder problems. One though is tucked away in what appears at first acquaintance to be a dank and squalid pit. Once an infamous long-standing project, now a must-have tick for any aspiring boulderer; Brad Pit (Font 7c+) is its name.

Photographically, it isn’t difficult to shoot Brad Pit given that it’s in a pit; simply stand on the bank behind and blast away. Yet get too square on and you’ll not get the climber’s face in the shot and the image will loose impact as a result. The ground is studded with some quite nasty boulders and hence a spotter or two don’t go a miss. Capture them stood with their hands in their pockets and that’s another shot for Room 101. The contrast between the dark and dingy pit and the hillside beyond will exceed the dynamic range of most sensors so it’s go tight-in and exclude the background or else go wide and use struggle. Alternatively, spend hours in the digital darkroom and combine something of all these solutions.

So perhaps shooting Brad Pit isn’t that easy after all. Especially when you just happen across someone trying Brad Pit and you haven’t set up the shot. In which case grab what you can when you can!

Capture Notes:

Nikon D300, 18 - 200 AFS f3.5/5.6, 1/40 secs @ f5.6, ISO 800, aperture priority metering

Keywords:

Dan Walker, Brad Pit (Font 7c+), Stanage bouldering, rock climbing photography