On The Road
"Walking On The Road"
September, 2007
Hi and welcome to this edition of On The Road.
Are you like me? ... Do you get so busy that one job rolls into
the next without a break? I have not come up for air since the
beginning of the year when I set out to Lightpaint Ice Climbers
in Ouray. It's good to be busy and as any freelance photographer
knows it can be an uncomfortable feeling when the phone doesn't
ring, but these past 8 months have challenged my abilities both
mentally and physically. I have enjoyed the work ...Ice Climbing,
Egypt, Mexico, Arlington ... Dirt Track Car Racing, the Ballet
and putting the new Nikon D3 camera through its paces ( article
and images to be in future WATR and OTR articles, ) but one job
sticks out in my mind more than others ........... gymnastics
camp. Every year or so I leave home for one week of camp, International
Gymnastics Camp to be specific. I grew up in the sport and during
the years of my youth I attending, coached, and eventually directed
gymnastics programs and camps long before photography was even
a thought in my mind. Photographing for the IGC brochure is like
stepping back in time for me. I see some old friends and talk
about the college years gone by. Camp life has always been an
escape for me, ... when I was growing up and even today .......
no TV, no newspaper, no thoughts of what is going on in the world
beyond the camp boundary. Gymnastics camp has a pattern, a rhythm
that is constant, I always feel at home when I'm at camp. It calms
my thoughts and allows me to think about my life ...... where
I started and where I am going. Oh sure, there is much to photograph
each day for the brochure ... portraits, activities, facilities,
kids flipping and cart wheeling along, but, when the day begins
and again when it ends I get to walk along a quiet path that connects
Stone House (my lodging quarters) and the camp grounds that are
a whirl of activity. Here are a some pictures from one day's journey
to and from work at International Gymnastics Camp near Stroudsburg,
Pennsylvania.
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Image
#1 Morning Glory ...
Stone House is located about 3 hundred yards or so from
the camp facilities. This bench is near the house and marks
the beginning to the path that leads to camp. It is a quiet
place, a sanctuary where I would sit for a few minutes at
sunrise and talk with God as is my daily custom. Nikon D200,
ISO200, 1/250 at f11, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 8000K, Lexar
8G Flash Card.
|
Image
#2 Bruno's Boat ...
Sunrise was short lived on this day as a storm front rolled
in quickly. About 100 yards from the bench is an old forgotten
rowboat. I call it Bruno's boat after the owner of the
camp, Bruno Klaus. Bruno and I are alumni of the same
university where we both competed in the sport of gymnastics
although in different years. The approaching storm front
brought with it a fog which quickly settled over the pond.
It occurred to me that a couple of Nikon SB800 Speedlights
with warming gels might help make a interesting picture.
Nikon D200, ISO160, 1/40 at f9, Nikon 12-24mm Lens, WB
3600K, Two Nikon SB800 Speedlights with warming gels at
a power output of +1.3, Nikon SU800 Commander, Lexar 8G
Flash Card.
|
Image
#3 Forest Ferns ... The forest
thickens once you leave Bruno's boat and the path begins
to wined it's way through an area of dense undergrowth and
ferns. The fog I encountered at the pond was also hanging
low near the midway point of the forest. My SB800 Speedlights
were the perfect way to add a little warm accent light to
this eerie woodland scene. Nikon D200, ISO250, 1/30 at f8,
Nikon 12-24mm Lens, WB 3600K, Two Nikon SB800 Speedlights
with warming gels at a power output of +1.7, Nikon SU800
Commander, Lexar 8G Flash Card.
|
Image
#4 Bug's Life ... I was finishing
up early one evening when a sudden thunderstorm sent campers
and staff alike running for the cabins. As the rain let up
I walked through the camp garden and saw this little bug resting
on the rain soaked peddle of a flower. The storm clouds were
thick and the hope of a last glimmer of sunlight before twilight
was unlikely so I placed my LumiQuest Snoot over the front
of my SB800 Speedlight and "pinched" the open end
of the snoot with a paper clip to allow only a small one inch
shaft of light to escape. The warming gel gave the shaft of
light a golden hour color and I proceeded to photograph this
little bug's life before heading down the path to Stone House.
Nikon D200, ISO250, 1/500 at f5.6, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, One
Nikon SB800 with warming gel and a LumiQuest Snoot "pinched"
with a paper clip at a power output of +0.7, Nikon SU800 Commander,
Lexar 8G Flash Card.
|
|
Image
#5 Bruno, the Journey
Home ... I thought I was done for the day but one of the
staff coaches came by and said he was available for his
portrait. Like clockwork, this day ended like all the days
at gymnastics camp, late at night after all the camp training
sessions, activities and songs had finished and the campers
had returned to their cabins. The walk to Stone House seemed
longer at 11:00 pm than it did 15 hours earlier. Perhaps
I should try and Lightpaint Bruno's Boat tonight ..........
maybe tomorrow night. Then off in the distance is a light
... could someone be Lightpainting? No, it's Bruno patrolling
the grounds. He stops for a moment to ask me how the picture
taking went today and then tells me a story about college
back in Southern Illinois. I love those stories. Bruno brings
me back ... back to gymnastics camp, ........... back to
my past, to a simpler time, a rhythm.
|
Thanks Bruno, Cheryl and Brent .......
the Klaus family and owners of International Gymnastics Camp.
See you next time On the Road ......................... Adios,
Dave
December,
2008 (click here)
Memory Lane

November,
2008 (click here
Gone Fishing

October,
2008 (click here)
National Geographic Adventure Photography Workshop
September,
2008 (click here)
Olympians, Weather and Workshops
August,
2008 (click here)
Camp Life

July,
2008 (click here)
Lightpainting the Southwest

June,
2008
The Kentucky Derby

May,
2008 (click here)
A Southwest Tour
April,
2008 (click here)
The Endless Winter

March,
2008 (click here)
PMA Show in Las Vegas!
February,
2008 (click here)
At the Ballet
January,
2008 (click here)
One Week of Work

December,
2007 (click here)
A Look Back at 2007

November,
2007 (click here)
Traveling
with the New Nikon D3

October,
2007 (click here)
High Country Journey

September,
2007 (click here)
Walking
On The Road

August,
2007 (click here)
Speedway
Thunder from PA

July, 2007
(click here)
"Arlington National
Cemetery"

June, 2007
(click here)
"Kentucky Derby Day"

May, 2007
(click here)
"Mexico Trek"

April,
2007 (click here)
"Egypt Trek"

March,
2007 (click here)
Transit Mix
"Images From the Air"

February,
2007 (click here)
Ice Climbing in Ouray

January,
2007 (click here)
2007 Year in Review

December,
2006 (click here)
People of Willoq, Peru
November,
2006 (click here)
Lexington, Kentucky TREK
October,
2006 (click here)
Training for the Mr USA Title
September,
2006 (click here)
"The International Golf Tournament"
August,
2006 (click here)
"Tour of Champions Documentary"
July,
2006 (click here)
"Northern California, the FBI and Clint
Eastwood ..."
June,
2006 (click here)
"The 2006 Kentucky Derby"
May,
2006 (click here)
"Off the Road Picture Sales"
April,
2006 (click here)
Ladies Olympic Figure Skating
March,
2006 (click here)
Torino Italy and the 2006 Winter Olympic Games
February,
2006 (click here)
"Hey Dave, are you going to the Winter Olympics in Torino
and What Equipment Do You Take?"
January,
2006 (click here)
The Holiday Tea with Tchaikovsky
presented by Colorado's Classical Youth Ballet
December,
2005 (click here)
Landscapes at Pebble Beach:
a look back at 2005
November,
2005 (click here)
Lightpainting Landscapes
NFL Football
October,
2005 (click here)
3 Day Photography Workshop
Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, North Carolina
September,
2005 (click here)
Michelle Kwan
August,
2005 (click here)
International Gymnastics Camp
July,
2005 (click here)
the Men's US Open Golf Championships
June,
2005 (click here)
The Kentucky Derby
May,
2005 (click here)
Nevada Photojournalism Day
April,
2005 (click here)
John Bolin's "The Thorn"
March,
2005 (click here)
Indoor Track and Field
UC Irvine's Paul Spittle and
the Sports Shooter Academy
with Nikon's new DX2
February,
2005 (click here)
Broncos Football:
Denver vs Indianapolis
the US Figure Skating Nationals
Portland, Oregon
College Basketball:
Colorado State vs Air Force
January,
2005 (click here)
Broncos Football:
Broncos VS. Dolphins
Assignment work:
Wrestling
December,
2004 (click here)
A look back at 2004
November,
2004 (click here)
Rich Clarkson's Photography at the Summit Workshop &
Moose Peterson's Digital Landscape Workshop Series
October,
2004 (click here)
Whitewater Kayaking
Gymnastics and more
September,
2004 (click here)
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games
Athens, Greece
August,
2004 (click here)
A look back at some wonderful Olympic moments
July,
2004 (click here)
USAFA Graduation flyover
US Olympic Training Center - Swimming and Gymnastics
June,
2004 (click here)
Last Month the Masters, this month The Kentucky Derby......I
love my job
May,
2004 (click here)
Masters at Augusta National
April,
2004 (click here)
The American Cup Gymnastics
NIKON COLLEGE WORKSHOP
March,
2004 (click here)
Indoor Track and Field
Women's Freestyle Wresting
Rhythmic Gymnastics Nationals
The Glass Flower Ceiling at the Belagio Hotel in Las Vegas
February,
2004 (click here)
College Basketball
Women's Waterpolo
Olympic swimmers on their way to Athens
January,
2004 (click here)
NFL Football
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Finals
A look back at The Greenbay Professionals
December,
2003
Monday Night Football the Sports Shooter Workshop and Luau in
LA
November,
2003
Photography at the Summit workshop
October,
2003
Portraits to workshops to stock image sales
September,
2003
Lightpainting in Banf
The World Gymnastics Championships
August,
2003
International Gymnastics Camp
July,
2003
Thunderbirds
Gymnastics
The Sports Photography Workshop with Rich Clarkson
Velodrome Cycling, More
June, 2003
The 129th running of the Kentucky Derby
White water kayakers
The Champions on Ice tour
May,
2003 (click here)
PBR Rodeo
Chris Shivers and Little Yellow Jacket ride for $1 Million
April,
2003 (click here)
Nikon's featured speaker at PMA in Las Vegas
American Cup Gymnastics
USAFA Women's Basketball
USAFA Swimming
USAFA Boxing
NCAA Fencing Championships
March,
2003 (click here)
USOC's Titan Games
February,
2003 (click here)
Air Force Basketball
Pro Football Pre-Superball Stock Sales
Swimmers train at the Swim Flume at the USOC
Much more!
January,
2003 (click here)
Diving at the Air Force Academy
Denver Broncos VS. The Arizona Cardinals
Olympic Hopefuls Lenny Krayzelberg and Tom Molchow practice
at the USOC