The shots below are probably my favourite images for 2014 all for different reasons, some personal and some just for the aesthetics of them. I’ll give you a quick rundown below each picture as to why they made my list. I’m sure there is a few others that slipped through but these stood out the most.
Aurora Australis
I got a photo of an Aurora!!! I had been shooting stars near Berridale in the Snowy Mountains and was packing up to leave. While I was waiting at the car for my friend to finish I decided to get another shot of the old tree using my torch to light it up. When I saw the purple glow on the horizon in the photo I was mostly confused, I had no idea that it was possible to see the aurora from so far North but I also knew there was no towns in that direction either. I couldn’t make it out just by looking at it either. After chatting with a few friendly locals later I found out that it had been a bumper night for the aurora down South and that I had inadvertently managed to take a shot of it.
Mike Ross, Cam’s Jam
This is Mike Ross going big at Cam’s Jam in Canberra. Cam’s Jam is a BMX event held on some of the biggest, if not the biggest, dirt jumps in Australia. They are located on Cam White’s property just outside of Canberra. I had been wanting to attend the event for a couple of years but for some reason or another had been unable. This year the event was invite only but I was lucky enough to be invited by the Born to Ride freestyle founder Mick Ross. Redbull had their photographers there who had the area locked down so they could film. So I just settled in and watched the amazing talents on display. I met a bunch of new people many of whom I have had the pleasure of shooting with again since.
James Estate Shimano Gp
At the start of the James Estate round of Rocky Trail Entertainment‘s Shimano GP I Had the pleasure of going up in an ultralight and shooting the race from above. The James Estate round is already a unique race as it wends its way through the vineyards and casks of the James Estate Winery. Getting the chance to shoot it from above was both breathtaking and exhilarating. I would certainly jump at the chance to do it again too. Hint hint.
Dominic Di Tommaso
Another thing that I had wanted to shoot for a long time but never seemed to have had the chance was free-running or parkour. I got chatting to Dominic Di Tommaso on Facebook through the Sydney Parkour group. Dominic is probably one of the best in Australia and his skills take him around the world, from competing in Greece in The Art Of Motion to China to shoot commercials. We arranged a shoot and I have since shot with Dominic again and although I have better shots I still like this one for the simplicity.
Jaie Toohey, X-up Festival
This year X-up took place at Greenvalleys Freeride Park to the South of Wollongong. It was combined with the state round of the downhill which I had to cover with Outer Image. I did my first shoot for Redbull at X-up this year covering their involvement in X-up for their in-house newsletter.
Mona Vale Rock Pool Storm
We had a patch of great stormy weather last winter. This was taken on one of those evenings when the rain had held off for a short spell but the clouds were still threatening. I had tried for a couple of nights to get the shot where the lights at the pool had come on and there was still enough ambient light to still get surroundings but had been thwarted by the rain. Persistence paid off and I got the shot I had hoped for.
Wet Sydney
This came from another of those wet and rainy patches where I was housebound by the weather. A break in the rain and I shot out. I wanted to get the city lights reflected in puddles but, well, only managed one. Still one is better than none and it will give me something to work on through this year as well.
My Feet and 220m of nothing
Technically this shot is nothing special but I love it for the memory it evokes. These are my feet dangling in the middle of a 70m highline with nothing below me until the valley floor 220m down. Thanks, guys for talking me into going out on the line.
Margot Schneider, North Black Range Bouldering
I had been wanting to start shooting bouldering again for a while but the opportunity had just not presented itself. I got chatting to Duncan Brown who organises the North Black Range Bouldering Festival and he invited me down for the weekend to cover it. Sitting around the campfire talking with a few people we had an idea to do a few night shots. This was the outcome of one of those shots.
Victorian Alps Sunrise
When I go away I like to find somewhere special to stay. This was the view from my camp in the Victorian Alps when I went down there to cover the Thule B24. It’s hard to go wrong when all the elements come together like this. I couldn’t find a hotel with million-dollar views like this.
Nighttime at the Thule B24
Taken during the Thule B24, a 24-hour endurance race in the Victorian Alps around Bright. Although it wasn’t quite fully dark when I took this it was dark enough for the riders to switch their lights on and the rest I lit with flashes. This shot has inspired me to go out and take more night shots and to me, any of my photos that inspire me to move forward and progress my craft is a good shot.
Joel Willis, Ourimbah
The shot above is of Joel Willis. A few years ago when I first started shooting mountain biking I came across this berm at Ourimbah. Being on the XC track I knew not many of the enduro riders would hit it and I put it to the back of my mind. This year I arranged a shoot with Joel planning on shooting at his local trail near Lithgow. A last-minute change of plans saw us at Ourimbah. I knew Joel would be able to put the berm to good use. It took us a few shots to get the timing and everything right but after years in the planning I finally got the shot I wanted.
Jetblack 24hr Sunrise
One of the great things about shooting 24-hour races is that as a photographer I get the chance to cover all lighting situations, from the black of night to the harsh midday sun. Often it’s the fleeting moments at sunset and sunrise that give some of the best light though. At the Jetblack 24hr, I had been scrambling a bit to find a shot that showed off the morning light. At one point I turned around to see if any riders were coming up the hill and saw this beautiful golden light filtering through the trees, lighting up the dust in the air and backlighting the rider as they came around the corner. I knew straight away that this was the shot I had been looking for.
So here’s to a productive year ahead. I have a few big plans for this year and I’m hoping things all come to fruition. I hope everyone has a wonderful new year ahead of them and thanks for being behind me during 2014.
Richard
