Downhill

Jan

2024

Visiting an old friend

Last week I caught up with Michael Willis, a downhill mountain bike racer and we swung by a local track I hadn’t been to for many years, the Manly Dam International Freeride Zone (MDIFZ).

MDIFZ (if you know you know) is one of the more technical tracks in Sydney with some of the features being high-risk. It is good to see tracks like this still around. It seems a majority of the tracks these days are built with the intermediate riders in mind with many of the jumps having tabletops for safety. While tabletops are always a great feature to encourage riding, advanced riders need locations too where they can push themselves and improve their skills. MDIFZ has always been one such area. Big drops, demanding gaps and small landings require you to get it right.

It was good to see and shoot there again. Michael and I just did one quick pass through stopping off at each feature and shooting along the way.

Oct

2017

Redass Downhill: Lithgow

The state finals of the NSW Redass Downhill were held a couple of weeks ago out on the Pony Club trail at Lithgow. It was a big weekend for me as it was on the back of a corporate race that we shot called The Great Adventure Challenge in the Royal National Park.

Whilst the rain held off for the Great Adventure Challenge it greeted us as we drove across the mountains on the way out to Lithgow. All things considered, though the rain was very welcome as it’s been months since we have seen any around Sydney way and to be honest it was more like a drizzle the any serious rain. Thankfully this type of rain doesn’t affect but it does offer a great atmosphere in which to shoot. I love shooting in this type of weather.

Most prosumer/professional cameras are perfectly weather-sealed and have no trouble being out in rain like this. The main thing to watch out for is getting raindrops on the lens as these will distort the picture. The use of a lens hood and remembering to keep the lens pointed down usually take care of this problem. If not a quick dab with a lens cloth sorts it out. There are numerous ways to protect your camera if the weather gets worse. I always have one OP/Tech rain sleeve in my bag just in case. Very simple to use and will still let me use flashes or triggers mounted on my camera. Otherwise, in a pinch most plastic bags will offer some amount of protection to be able to get the job done.

: The welcoming ceremony

: Muddy but happy

: Head down and going for it

: Bouncing the way through

: The big jump

: Into the rockgarden

Jan

2017

Graeme Mudd: Downhill MTB

Last weekend I went up to Awaba and shot with the Australian downhill rider Graeme Mudd. Graeme has just joined the Atherton Race Team, who make up the Trek Factory downhill race team, and he needed a portfolio update. As part of Graeme’s inclusion into the Atherton Racing Team he has picked up a whole bunch of new sponsors and new kit so the images were to include as much of the new kit and logos in the shots as possible.

Part of the reason I went to Awaba a couple of weeks ago for the Nationals was to scout a few locations for this shoot. If you look through both galleries you will certainly see some matching locations. The great thing was we had cloudy weather on both days which kept the light nice and even through the shots. The red and white kit stands out great against the greens and browns of the surrounding landscape.

If you are in need of getting a portfolio update like Graeme or if you would just like a collection of great shots of you in action drop me a note and lets work out what best suits you and your needs.

: Graeme Mudd poses for a portrait with hiis Trek racing kit and bike. 15/1/17

: Kitting up

: The Trek bike

: Gearing

: Getting ready

: A last tune

: and a quick test

: Hitting his home trails at Awaba.

: Graeme Mudd hitting his home trails.

: Log gap at Awaba

: Putting the speed on at Awaba

: Sugarloaf and its unique features.

: Full tilt into Sugarloaf

: An old location for us

: Bugs abound

: Graeme Mudd hitting his home trails.

: Sugarloaf

: Graeme Mudd, Trek Downhill Team

Jan

2017

Downhill Nationals, Awaba

The weekend saw the first of the Downhill Nationals rounds for 2017. Since it was at Awaba (which is not that far away from me) and I figured I needed to get my eye in again after the christmas period I headed up for a couple of days shooting. The plan was more to just play around and try some new things than do any serious shooting. I missed the Friday practice due to other commitments but after hearing that the temperatures hit a toasty 45C I was quite happy I missed it.

Despite having shot at Awaba on numerous occasions it was the first time that I had ever shot a downhill race there and the first time I did a complete track walk-through. I love shooting new tracks because all the angles are new and fresh. It’s also good because when I need to shoot here again I know where to go to get the good shots.

Events like this where I am not committed to give me a chance to try different techniques. I played a bit with panning and blurred shots this time too. It’s not something I get to do too often as I usually need to see numbers to identify the competitor in the photo.

You can see the full selection and purchase your favourite images here on my website. Just put your number into the search box at the top or click the view all tags button beneath the search box and find your number that way.

If you have an event that you would like covered swing on over to Outer Image and touch base with us so we can work out how best to suit your needs

: The smoke ceremony, a traditional welcoming to the land from the locals

: The smoke ceremony, a traditional welcoming to the land from the locals

: Teagan Molloy during seeding

: Remy Morton in his bright kit

: Remy Morton in his not so bright kit

: Troy Brosnan on his way to the win

: Pat Butler dominates having just moved up into Junior Men

: Jackson Frew heading for a 3rd place

Nov

2016

Aiden Varley: Downhill MTB

I had a bit of a shoot with downhill mountain biker Aiden Varley after the Thule B24 a couple of weeks ago. We cruised around the hills of Bright, checked out a few different spots and tried out a couple of different ideas that I had floating around in my head. Unfortunately Aiden’s downhill rig was out of action so we shot with more of a lean towards enduro. Also, after shooting for almost 24hrs out of the previous 36 I was more than a bit shattered and vacant-headed. It sort of made those ideas of mine a bit blurry. Never the less we still got a few shots.

We did a short shoot on the new Hero track which is looking amazing. Its has some great views around the top section before ducking down into the pine forests. Then we headed to a simple little trail called Sycamores which led through a beautiful little stand of, yes you guessed it, Sycamores. Next time we meet hopefully he will be back on his big DH rig and I shall be a bit more on-point and focussed.

If you are an athlete looking to boost your portfolio or a company or brand looking to promote your athlete get in contact and we can sort out how I and my imagery can best help you.

: Aiden Varley on the Hero trail at Bright

: Aiden Varley on the Hero trail at Bright

: Aiden Varley on the Hero trail at Bright

: Aiden Varley on the Hero trail at Bright

: Aiden Varley on the Hero trail at Bright

: Aidens in the mist

: Under the canopy of Sycamores

: Under the canopy of Sycamores

: Aiden Varley making a creek crossing in Bright

Apr

2015

A big weekend in the mountains

I had a weekend down in Thredbo a couple of weeks ago. The 3rd round of the gravity enduro races was followed by a big start to the season of downhill racing here in NSW.

Cold nights and warm days made for some great MTB weather in the Snowies over the weekend. Kicking off the weekend was the Rollercoaster on the Flow trail. Not a lot of overly technical sections on this trail but a lot of fast-flowing berms. Gil took the lift up and covered the top half of the mountain while I walked up and shot the bottom section. The smooth fast berms saw a lot of folks coming in low as they flew past, laying into the berms as far as they could go.

Sunday saw the start of the DH season for us. Many familiar faces were out on track along with a lot of new ones. This time Gil and I swapped, me heading up top and Gil walking from the bottom. A cool breeze right up top meant I didn’t linger too long but quickly headed down to warmer climes. I tried revisiting a couple of old favourites on the way down but wanted to shoot a new location. I settled in on a corner and the trees just above Snakes and Ladders and spent most of the race there just trying different angles.

Thredbo always puts on great races and it’s always a chance to get away for a few days beforehand to explore the region. I’m already looking forward to our next visit down there.

All the images were supplied to the competitors for the Rollercoaster courtesy of Fox Racing Australia and BH Bikes. The downhill images were supplied by Redass. Be sure and swing by their Facebook pages and say thanks. And of course to Rocky Trail Entertainment who brought it all together and put on yet another awesome weekend.