When you take into account all the variables that go into a successful shoot - from trail conditions to weather to traffic jams to recalcitrant kit to simple lack of inspiration and on and on - it sometimes seems pretty amazing that I come back with anything usable at all. But that's what I do - come back with the goods, time after time. It's what I'm paid for, and I'll do everything in my power to make it happen.
But for all the vicissitudes and uncertainties associated with weather and all the rest, one thing I've been relatively luck with over the past 13-odd years is crashes. Or rather, a relative lack of them.
Until recently. Y'see, in the past couple of months I - or rather, riders on my shoots - have successfully destroyed one range-topping, all-singing bells-and-whistles carbon frame... and one front wheel. And when I say 'destroyed', I'm not dressing things up. Here, for example, is the frame that emerged rather the worse for wear after a lowish speed over-bars bailout:
Yes sir, we do folding carbon frames. Provided you only want to fold it the once, in one direction
The front wheel suffered a broadly similar fate, in remarkably similar circumstances.
Rider injuries on my watch so far have been, thankfully, considerably less severe. But I can't help chuckling inwardly at some of the risk assessment paperwork that's been shunted my way recently (largely, it would seem, to appease the legal bods and insurers). Mountain biking hazardous? Why yes (though arguably less hazardous, statistically, than crossing the road or, indeed, getting out of bed). But surely that's one of the reasons we all do it.
Or am I missing something?
Goodbye 2009, hello 2010
(Belatedly). So. That was 2009.
A year that saw me score a dozen or so covers, run my first ever - and by common consent hugely successful - Alpine photo course (watch this space for news of the 2010 Alpine course), rediscover bikes with silly skinny tyres, get rained on once too often, have a hand in breaking thousands of pounds worth of kit and even take the odd photo or two.
New year's resolutions? Ride my bike more (you'd be surprised. No, really). Continue to find new ways to make photos of riding bikes as enticing and exciting as possible. Buy a house with a garage. And, er, that'll probably do for now.
Thanks for reading, and here's to a brighter and better 2010. In the meantime - and breaking my self-imposed rule not to publish anything here before it's appeared in print - here's a sneak peak of some '09 stuff that'll be appearing in various mags on a newsstand near you very shortly:
Client: MBUK Nikon D3, 16mm f/2.8, approx. 10 secs f/5 @ ISO2500, two radio slaves
Client: What Mountain Bike Nikon D3, 17-35mm f/2.8, 1/2000sec f/8 @ ISO200
Client: Tri Plus Nikon D3, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/200sec f/13 @ ISO200, two radio slaves
Posted at 05:43 PM in Comment, Two wheels good | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)