Ice Climbing in Alaska

Prezwoodz · December 4, 2006

I went ice climbing today for the first time this season and got my first lead climbing done on Ice as well. It was a pretty good day and the ice wasn't to bad.

Heres some pics. Its my first real attempt at ice climbing pictures

Heres Billy

Heres Matt

From left to right: Billy, Yvonne, Matt, Graham

lifesdisciple · December 4, 2006

Man, that looks like fun. I do some free climbing but never tried ice climbing. Looks like you were having a good time. I like the 1st two pics the best. Good fun great shots.

controld · December 4, 2006

That first shot is great! Right off the cover of a magazine! You could even fit the title and content bits in without covering the meat of the image.

Was that shot taken while you were on the rope? I have some friends ice climbing this winter and they want me to come take some shots. They are trying to convince me to belay halfway down from the top - but I am not sold on that idea - it's about 300 feet from top to bottom.

Any tips on shooting angles, etc. would be well received if you want to PM me. Thanks and again, great shots!

- Mike

Prezwoodz · December 4, 2006

Lets talk about taking climbing pics in this thread. It would probably be easier then PM'ing.

First off I have only shot ice climbing once or twice and I am ont the greatest shot at rock climbing. However I do think I have some tips that could help!

Rapping down a rope to get some action shots from next to or above is an excellent idea. Be careful on ice because you can easily knock it down on one another and it will be better to be on the side of the climber. Also make sure you have either a way back up or a way to get all the way down. Jugging an entire rope is a pain as well. Also most ropes are only 60 or 70 meters long. Doing the math I think you can tell that it wont go 300ft! That leaves you in a relatively dangerous position. Make sure to tie the ropes off at each end so that you don't rapell of the rope! Going out and giving it a try will help you develop some systems for hanging from the rope where you can do hands free sitting. Gri Gri's and other devices help a lot.

As far as shooting angles I have found that it is definatly its own art in climbing. I will give some examples here.

Angles in climbing are a whole new experience because you can angle the horizon however you please!

Take a look at the photo below:
http://morffed.com/climb/RoadTrip06/road189.jpg

In this photo you can see that the horizon and the rock are at a slant. A lot different then you would take for a normal horizon! The photo was also taken on a rope the same way your friends are suggesting. You can also see that the ground is nice and green and free of clutter so it is sharp and not blurred. The focus however is still on the climber. To me this is an excellent rock climbing picture.

In this photo:
http://www.alaskamountainforum.com/roadtrip/redgorge4.jpg

You can see that there was a lot of clutter on the ground and would have detracted from the picture. Blurring it allowed the focus to return to the climber. The blur was added here through photoshop however if the Tree had not been blurred it would have been a more realistic photo.

Here:
http://www.alaskamountainforum.com/roadtrip/redgorge2.jpg

You can see that the rock horizon is straight up and down and lacks a certian amount of aspect. The rock angle is boring and without the movement of a person would leave for a boring photo.

Rope problems:
http://morffed.com/climb/RoadTrip06/road192.jpg

In climbing you will most likley either lead climb or top rope. Lead climbing means clipping into protection as you go along. Top roping means the rope is already tied to something above you and is usually safer. In climbing pictures however the rope is 99% of the time something that detracts from a photo. Also climbers have this built in system that says "Top Roping is safe." and will actually elliminate an element of danger from your photo. Taking pictures of someone who is lead climbing is where you will most often get your best pictures. Take a look again at the pictures above and see if you noticed the rope before.

In the ice photo:
http://www.alaskamountainforum.com/dgrin/weighstation03.jpg

You can see that the subject here is moving and gives a sense of balancing on the ice. There are lots of times during climbing when its just not that exciting and repetative. Some movements look better then others under a photo and faces can be a great thing. A lot of funny faces are made during climbing. Falling pictures are usually incredible and can be some of the best you may take. If you think someone is getting ready for a fall the take it in a series because they happen really fast.

Such as this picture:
http://morffed.com/climb/RoadTrip06/road190.jpg

Action is important in climbing pictures and Ice climbing has a lot of action movements. Constant jamming of the feet and pics leave ice floating all around the air and can be great for pictures. Also Ice can create some amazing formations. Use these formations in your photos to better convey the sorroundings.

The best thing you can do is go out and take a million pictures. See what you enjoy and you can see what others enjoy from your pictures. You can't take to many pictures climbing because they are all going to be different!

Any more questions? Let me know.

(Photo's taken by Coldclimb and Me)

mushy · December 4, 2006

I post a couple of shots of us messing in the quarry and you post some joy shots of ice climbing! well done nice shots and congrats on the first ice lead.

Prezwoodz · December 5, 2006

Thanks mushy! The roadtrip this summer made leading a whole lot easier on the mind.

OH and forgot to say all the three ice pictures were taken from the ground. There was a storm brewing to the north of our position and it made an awesome contrast to the ice as the sun shone on us.

dbaker1221 · December 5, 2006

fantastic shot!

controld · December 5, 2006

Prezwoodz - thanks for the sample pics and the explanations. I can see pretty quickly where the likelihood of getting good shots is going to come from. I appreciate the time you put into laying it out for me and hopefully I can come back with some shots worthy of posting!

I may need to get them to start on something smaller so I can rap down partway for the overhead/side shots and then continue down to the ground. I've indoor rock climbed before - but going back up an ice wall with my camera gear may be out of my expertise right now.

- Mike

coldclimb · December 6, 2006

Prezwoodz wrote:

Take a look at the photo below:
http://morffed.com/climb/RoadTrip06/road189.jpg

In this photo you can see that the horizon and the rock are at a slant. A lot different then you would take for a normal horizon! The photo was also taken on a rope the same way your friends are suggesting. You can also see that the ground is nice and green and free of clutter so it is sharp and not blurred. The focus however is still on the climber. To me this is an excellent rock climbing picture.

Awww thanks!

Yeah Kelsey has it pretty well covered. Most often the best angle is above and slightly to one side of the climber. This is a tough position to get and stay into though, so the best climbing photographers work and hone their systems till they can do it with their eyes shut. In your case, I would recommend getting into one good position (by rappelling, or however your friends plan on getting you there) and waiting for the shot. Look it over and think it through beforehand, and you should be able to get one excellent shot, plus a bundle of shots of the top of the climber's head and their butt as they ascend past you.

If you have a nice zoom lens, you can get up close and personal the whole time they're below you. I'm never afforded that luxury and always wind up frantically ascending my rope to keep up with the best position, keeping control of all the systems involved and shooting pics at the same time.

Looking forward to seeing your shots!

wxwax · December 6, 2006

Great stuff, Prez.

I love the bits of ice flying off in the first piccie. If you do it again, a somewhat tighter shot emphasizing the same, would be really cool, I reckon.

Prezwoodz · December 6, 2006

Thanks wxwax. I actually tried to get a few like that but they did't come out well. Next time I hope I can get onto a rope next to them and get some ice chunks floating off.

Ice Climbing in Alaska

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