As I mentioned yesterday in tim in print | climbing the walls, I shot the Dixie Rock 20 indoor climbing event this past weekend here in Chapel Hill. From the two day event, which included both amateur and USAC competitions, I was there for a few hours at lunchtime, catching a lot of the locals. These two shots from the assignment made into the paper with this article: Dixie Rock celebrates 20 years and climbingg.
My shots were not as good as David Hobby’s in Lighting a Large Interior, though I tried to draw some inspiration from him. I did not have enough strobes, a fast enough lens or a cooperative enough subject. With the slower lens, I shot with high ISO, making for some seriously grainy shots. A single strobe can’t ramp up the ambient in a gymnasium. Slowere shutter speeds require a tripod, which is hard to use in a live event.
I liked the Descent shot a lot, but failed to drop the flash level as she came down. You can see the shadows on the wall.
Concentration
A few of my favorite shots were of this young lady. She was practicing on the short wall, allowing me to shoot her from a better angle. The competitors were all above me on the wall, which makes capturing the face a hard task. The practice wall also had a failry clean, far away background. LEtting in go out of focus brought her out nicely.
Yes, we can
Ben was a real fighter. It is just too cute that he is sticking his tongue out.
Up and On
I took a number of shots of this photogenic girl, but her hair kept falling in front of her face.
Hanging Out
This shot is much too grainy. I like it becasue the climber is trying to get over a fully horizontal stretch on to the final part of the wall.
Planning
A last shot of the girl, Amanda, on the practice wall.
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