Working as a photographer means making use of lots of arcane bits and pieces of skills or knowledge that often have little to do with photography. For example, when I get a call to do a shoot, one of the first things I need to sort out is location.
A fast bit...
This is one of the joys and bugbears of shooting to spec - instead of recording something that's already happening, like an event, I spend most of my time fabricating the features I shoot. It gives a lot of flexibility, but puts a lot of the decision-making back in my hands. A double-edged sword if ever there was one.
I've got a mental list of locations - a kind of grey matter rolodex that's got a bit dog-eared over the years from constant flick-throughs. Rocky trails. Narrow trails. Trails with good corners. Trails with good views. Trails that aren't too far from the carpark. Trails with big drops. Trails to avoid because they're likely to be muddy / in the shade / hidden under 6 feet of bracken according to time of year / weather conditions. And so on.
... an open rocky bit...
It is, needless to say, a very incomplete list. One of the things I'd definitely like to have more time to do is just get out and ride. It's good for the soul and it'd update my location list. But, for now, I'm stuck with the one I've got. And actually, it's served me pretty well over the years.
... a concrete bit...
So I've got another shoot coming up in the next 10 days or so with various different requirements, and I've been flicking through the ol' rolodex again. And the location I keep coming back to is, in fact, one that I've come back to on countless occasions over the past six or seven years: Cwmcarn in south Wales. A nine mile ribbon of purpose-built singletrack (and a couple of miles of separate downhill track to boot), it's one of the most weather-resistant and versatile locations I know of.
... a peachy singletrack bit. And it's all in one corner of south Wales
It's got trees, rocks, roots, fast bits, gnadgery bits, open bits, views, lots of corners and plenty of airtime if that's what floats your boat. It's shootable year round, stands up to the Atlantic weather fronts rolling up the Severn estuary remarkably well, and has provided me with more feature, bike test and cover material than I care to remember.
Can I eke another shoot out of it? Yeah, I reckon so.
First trail centre I did back in 2002. Love it. A great spot to ride.
Those jumps at the top never really worked with a crosswind and disc rotors though.
Posted by: Andy | June 24, 2009 at 10:51 PM
Those are some really great picture, those shots are worth a million word.
Posted by: Electric bicycle | July 02, 2009 at 09:31 PM