As you know, this January, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, two world-class climbers, achieved a first for their sport: a free ascent of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. I had the opportunity to join Tommy, Kevin and Brett Lowell of Big UP Productions for 10 days, and document all the action as it unfolded.
It was incredible to see how the world responded, and take interest in a sport that we climbers have always loved and known to be special. You can read my re-cap of the entire Dawn Wall epic here.
In my latest Tech Tip for Adorama TV, I wanted to take the opportunity to discuss one of the biggest challenges I faced during the Dawn Wall climb: shooting the climbers as they climbed by headlamp at night.
The reality of this situation was that I was there as a photojournalist. This wasn’t a photo shoot. If it were up to me, I’d shoot the climbers at first light each morning. But they were there to send this thing, and that meant they had to climb at night when it was cold and the friction was good. Facing this reality, I had to figure out the best way I could capture night climbing, without interfering with their ascent.
My solution involved bringing up the best low-light camera on the market, the Nikon D4s, and using an unusual lighting source to add texture, depth and backlight to Tommy and Kevin in order to make the most of the situation at hand.
Whether you’re up on a big wall, or out in your local outdoors at night, the lesson remains: Be open to improvised lighting solutions, try shooting at night, and always find yourself surrounded by good friends.
Hope you enjoy this latest Tech Tip, and be sure to check out more videos like this on adorama.com.
1 comment
Corey, Great lesson and awesome location with fascinating subject. This was one of my favorite lessons you’ve offered to Adorama. Cheers man!
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