Kidwells Gulley 12/23/2009

Two Days before Christmas the sun was shining & the East winds were blowing. The holiday crowd slowly started to appear and it was time to find a place where you could be at peace without the crowd. Brandon Cocard, Alex Horgan, Brett Davis & I rallied up to ASI to see what the summit had to offer & decided it was a good call to visit the legendary Terry Kidwell Gulley. The Zone was wind-protected and sunny serving up a nice area for the windblown to accumulate and offer some great roadside distraction cutbacks & off the tops.

The boys had a fun session of slashes & hip transfers. That little gulley offers so much in just a small space. After everyone had thier taste of slashes, we proceeded to pay homage to Kidwell & built up the Quarterpipe for a great session. To be honest, no bangers or covers were made here....just a good time and lots of high fives. The session got even heavier as John Foy, Jason Tackit, Dan Pitbladdo, & Chas Guldemond all shared the gulley and got some as well. the trick of the day seemed to be the backflip as everyone layed one out. find your own roadside distraction & lay one out this holiday season!

KT-22 Spins for 2009-2010 Season!

The Northern Sierras has been getting pounded with snowfall for the past week. A total of 73 inches has fallen at Squaw Valley USA. After countless hours of snow removal for the past week, I finally decided it was time to take advantage of my new Squaw Valley season pass. Like many other opportunistic individuals, I took advantage of the early season season pass offered by Squaw this summer for the low $369.00 price tag. This pass was just too good a deal to pass up as regular all day adult lift tickets carry the price tag of $83.00! Do the simple math right there & the purchase of the pass pays for itself in just 4 all day tickets.
Many phone calls were made in the morning asking team riders where they were planning to ride. I was able to rally Brendon Drury and Alex Horgan to the cause. Brendon arrived 1st and had to settle his pass situation and I couldn't wait so I decided to do a hot lap up Red dog while he worked his mojo with the pass office. Brendon for sure was blowing it. It really didn't matter at that point as the KT chair was not yet confirmed to open. I did have a feeling it was going to happen as I was on the Red Dog Chair i noticed for a brief minute the KT chair started to churn for a second and I heard a few "hoots" off in the distance. Really?! Could this be happening?! After my quick run down the Dog, I met up with Drury and we bro'd down heavy as the rumor was confirmed...they we're going to crack KT around noon! We decided to take a few laps on Exhibition as to keep a close eye on the KT situation. At 10:30 am, there was a small pack of people already waiting to get the goods on KT. However not enough, to justify us waiting while the day was beautiful and sunny so we decided to take a few more laps. In hindsight there was no regrets with that move, but after just 2 short runs, the like at KT was filling up fast & stacking pretty deep.
Alex finally showed up & it was time to stand in line & get ready. Everywhere you looked you saw smiles from ear to ear in anticipation of he 1st true Pow run of the season. Not to mention it was about to take place on the famed KT, with blue skies on a beautiful mid December day. The thing I love about standing in line on the 1st official Pow day is all the familiar faces you see in line. Old friends that you haven't seen in a while always make it out on days like that. Former PortersTahoe employees Chris Doyle & Alex were in the line up as we caught up on current events. Our Norther California 32 & Airblaster sales rep Eric Wallis was in the lineup as well and as excited and stoked as can be. The Chair finally cracked & it was game on!
Once again, if its on, IT"S ON!

Horgan and I got a chair together & once we downloaded, rushed for our zone of choice and made some great turns. The snow was perfect! I must have waxed just right cause my board felt like a magic carpet. I was riding my LibTech TRS 159 while Horgan was on his Ride DH2. Both perfect boards for the situation having rockered cambers. We nailed slash after slash & pillow after pillow.....Oh damn it was good! DAMN GOOD! After the gut of KT was pretty much tracked, we decided to go up the Funitel and check out the upper mountain. It was also a great time to rest our legs and get to know an older gentleman who has been skiing Squaw since 1972, Dan Kiley. He gave us some past insight to some of his skiing and drinking adventures. I love meeting people like this as they share the same stoke as all of us avid snowboarders & skiers. This guy is 66 years old, fit as can be, and having the time of his life...I hope to be doing the same.
After the ride up, we noticed that we should head over to the saddle to finish out the day. There was still some untouched snow & pillow lines to be had. When we got down in there, I decided to stay behind and snap some shots as I noticed a herd of skiers getting aggro and dropping some questionable lines. They made it out alive & were happy as can be. What more do I have to say...wish you could have been there!
Another note....don't blow it like Drury, his pass situation was still in question as the day ended I finally saw him out in the saddle zone with Andrew Irwin, "Krizzler" & Sammy Lubke. Don't blow the early part of the day cause you don't have your pass lined up.

Urban Reno Snowboarding

I woke up early Monday morning to grey bird sky's and almost a foot of new snow in Northwest Reno. The National Weather service called for substantial amounts of snowfall along the crest of the Sierras and low level valleys even as low as elevations of 200 ft! I received a text message from my sister this morning that they had received snow in the foothills just west of Tracy, Ca. Snow falling in farm towns is a pretty big deal and unheard of, especially in CA. Almost a foot of snow in Reno, NV means that the town will literally shut down as they really do not have the infrastructure & resources to deal with the snow. It also means playtime for all snowboarders looking for urban features to express their riding style.

The night before the big part of the storm, I called Brandon Cocard to see what his plans were for Monday morning. Not to be disappointed, Brandon had informed me that he was already planning on making the trip down to Reno with Alex Horgan to start filming for their next installment of the "Get Into The Van" movie. The rail mission was on as we me up at one of the more popular rail spots as our 1st destination. To my dismay, when I showed up there were 3 other crews along with ours and an insane amount of people. When it's on I guess it's on. The guys battled the lineup of participants and the rail won most of the time. Alex tacoed super hard on one of his boardslide attempts that it put him down for the rest of that session. Brandon was having issues from the start trying to drop in switch. After numerous attempts, he finally go one in the bag, switch boardslide to tail 270 out. Lunchtime!
As we broke down the setup there was another crew setting up on another set of rails nearby, then the boys in blue showed up asking us what we were doing. The boys replied, " we're sledding & having fun just like those guys". The cop smirked at them & moved on to the other crew to take out his life frustrations. Since school was out on a snow day, there were lots of kids in attendance on their boogie board shreds catching air and getting the whiteroom as well. Since the cops had nothing on us and none of our camera gear wasn't in sight, no problem. The other boys on the other hand were having some issues. Hopefully they didn't get stacked with too large of tickets...ouch.
After a tasty lunch courtesy of Raleys, the boys got in the van and rolled to another spot. I had to separate with them for a bit to go grab some other camera gear that I was anticipating to use. Right when I pulled up to the session was on. Once again to my dismay the session was now stacked at least 20 deep with skiers as well. I've shot this spot before & I knew it wasn't going to last long as I have dealt with property management here in the past. Alex was up again and went for a Five-O which ended up into another Taco...damn! Once again, sat the rest of the session out. Brandon dropped in next with a nice & clean half cab front board. Right when he unstrapped, "You guys need to stop that!" Property management showed and session 2 was done.
It was time for our final session and we really had to try to get to a spot without the herd. Filmers Rob & Cam went to a spot ahead of us to see if it was doable...right when they showed up, boys in blue again. Since we weren't with them we proceeded to rendevous to site B. Site B, no cops, but a herd of shreds trying to get the shot as well. It was getting late in the day as the sun was starting to fall on the western crest of the Sierras. Cam & Brandon decided to hit the rail while Alex sat this one out deciding to take on more classical snow advetures hooky bobin behind a quad that showed up to check out the show. Cam was on his game an landed a few slides. Brandon got a nice backlip in the bag & decided to step it up a tad. It took him a couple of tries and put a frontside 270 board on the bolts....call the day done.
In retrospect, Monday December 7, 2009 was a very fun & productive day. We learned that Horgan should be sponsored by Taco Bell, don't roll around with too large a crew (given), and Cocard is a machine. There's more snow in the forecast this week so wax up your board & get ready to ride.

Powerful Photo Essay

I ran into this photo essay just now and I thought that I would share it for those of you who happen stop by into my blog.
http://www.dayswithmyfather.com/

I found this in the Livebooks blog written by Benjamin Chesterson. I felt the need to share this as some of the issues the photographer Phillip Toleando deals with, many of us have to deal with as well. I cannot speak for the photographer so please check out this body of work. FYI the site is a bit of a task to navigate...just scroll to the bottom of each photo and once the image moves, click & you'll be to the next image.

Karen & Trent

The Lake Tahoe Basin has a lot to offer the outdoor enthusiast. Biking and hiking in the summer, to Skiing and snowboarding in the winter. Tahoe is truly a majestic place that draws people to it's beauty. This last summer, a friend referred Karen & Trent of my photographic services as they were looking for someone to document their wedding in a style they saw fit to capture their wedding day. Being outdoor enthusiasts, they ended up being a perfect match! Trent served for a few years on Ski Patrol at the north shore ski resorts and was very familiar with the area living up here in Tahoe years previous. They chose the Lodge at Tahoe Donner as their venue & stayed at the Cedar House in historical Truckee, CA. The Lodge at Tahoe Donner is home to a signature golf course that is recognized for having the best greens in the Tahoe Region. The Cedar House is a hotel that "explores our need to connect to nature, emphasizing in its design a harmony that is sympathetic to the human body, mind and spirit." If you have a dog, this hotel is for you!

Bear Valley Wedding

Choosing wedding venues can be tough at times and quite a task. For those of you who want a wedding venue that is very private without a lot of glitz & glam and stays true to the outdoors, look into having a wedding at the Bear Valley Lodge. This summer I shot a very intimate wedding there for Brooke & Ryan. The valley holds a place in their hearts as they traveled all the way from Portland, OR to get married at the place where their family has owned a cabin there for over 30 years. The setting for their ceremony took place at Alpine Lake which has great vistas nestled within the pine trees and granite. The reception took place at the modest Bear Valley Lodge. The Lodge has minimal amenities and may be a perfect setting for those who are budget minded. If you can get past the dated decor, this may be the setting you're looking for. DIY couples could take advantage of this location as Brooke & Ryan did, as they took the responsibility of doing their own decorations, centerpieces, & cupcake wedding cake. Bear Valley has a miniature Lake Tahoe feel if you will and can offer a great alpine feel. This location is home to many skiers & snowboarders who seek a winter getaway from Central California.

Playdate Shred!

It has been a great summer of shooting weddings for me this year and I hope next summer is just as successful. Winter has arrived and it is time to switch my shooting mode. Summer sure was fun, but it's time to get suited up and start getting into winter mode as the snowboarding season is just around the corner. We've had a few early storms that have hit Tahoe, just enough to get some early season snowboarding. I've taken a few laps already on the hill at Squaw Valley USA and Boreal Mountain resort. The riding hasn't been anything to go crazy over, but just enough to get the stoke up and do some snow dances.
During this early time of year, the minimal snow coverage allows just enough snow for some early season stunts. I was invited by a handful of snowboarders to come shoot their on snow antics. This group of guys ride year round and travel all over the country in search of satisfying their snow cravings. Nick Visconti, Brandon Cocard, Johnny Lazzareschi, Silver Severino & more were all in attendance making the most of the Squaw Valley Park. The park is not made for these types of antics, mainly used as a children's playground during more ideal weather conditions. But hey, big kids can play too right. Here's a little photo essay of what went down.
Enjoy!
ericasistinphoto.com
PortersTahoe.com
easyloungin.com

Erica & Gabriel

Lake Tahoe is a premier destination wedding site. The Edgewood at Lake Tahoe is one of those premier sites and home to have your wedding. Here's a wedding that my assistant Zak and I shot at the wonderful location. Congrats Erica & Gabriel!

Abby & George Revisited

Genoa NV is a quiet little town that sits on the Northeastern side of the Sierra Nevada's. Abby & George had a great engagement session at Lake Tahoe and a wonderful wedding in Genoa. I posted a shot before on m blog from their day, but here's a little slideshow for you.

Amnda & Brad

Back in June, I had the pleasure of shooting a real fun wedding in Vegas with some great people. Here's a little slideshow from their day in swanky Vegas!

Abby & George

Last weekend I had the pleasure of shooting at a beautiful location in Genoa, NV. The Orchard House is a wonderful venue for weddings and events. It's nestled in the the Northeastern Sierra Nevada's just south of Carson City. We almost had a situation on our hands as the rain settled in right after the ceremony, but the weather cleared and set us up for great photos. They say that rain is good luck on a wedding day and I feel the Abby and George will have the best of times!

The Countdown Begins.

Michelle 1, originally uploaded by ela1974.

Another child on the way. I cannot describe this feeling in words to anyone that doesn't have kids and for those of you that do already know...all I can say is it really is wonderful! There's a a huge mix of feelings & emotions to see your wife become a beautiful mother. Also, the fact that you're going to be bringing a child into this world. We're super happy about what's to come & wouldn't have it any other way.
All shot with natural window light from both sides of our dining room.

Summer IS here!

Girls_Veeco_KB-7, originally uploaded by ela1974.

Summer is finally here in Lake Tahoe! There's nothing better than to kick it off with a photo shoot with beautiful models. With the help of my trusty assistant Zak Shelhamer, we were able to get these wonderful shots of Melody & Lindsey all in natural light and a simple reflector. The great thing about this shoot was that we packed a bag full of lighting, but never broke it out. Zak and I were forcing ourselves to see the light and use simple tools. I feel the look is genuine and fresh which got me away from trying to overpower the situation with watt seconds. This whole set was shot with the Canon 50 1.4 and Canon 70-200 2.8 IS lens on a Canon Mark II. Comments, critiques & advice welcome.

BrandonStash-4.jpg

BrandonStash-4.jpg, originally uploaded by ela1974.

Another shot from the same day.

BrandonStash-1.jpg

BrandonStash-1.jpg, originally uploaded by ela1974.

Keep things simple and light....it will make you better. No matter how much gear you bring to a shoot...your eye & mind will make the difference. Yes, I'm a little proud of this one and it feels good. Thanks to all the great tips at Strobist, I think David Hobby's teachings are finally sinking in.

Backcountry snowboarding with snowmobiles

There is nothing better than untracked powder and not another snowboarder in sight. I ventured out on "sleds" snowmobiles into the Northern Sierras with Brandon Cocard & Chris Bosco. About 30 minutes off the trail head, we found a nice little zone to build a kicker. We got stuck plenty of times trying to get out as I was on a borrowed sled from Andy Finch that I have named "Orca", Brandon hit a tree and Bosco found a hole!

It was a great day out there shredding and soaking up the sun...Bosco made sure to get me in on a few laps as I made a few glorious turns. They got their share as well:)!

Zak Shelhamer.

TruckeeRiver-2, originally uploaded by ela1974.

What can I say about Zak? Well, he is a great guy with many talents. He snowboards, shoots photos (acts as my assistant from time to time) and likes to play around with video as well. Here he is sending it off the bridge in complete control. Atta boy Zak!

Eric Willet

TruckeeRiver-3, originally uploaded by ela1974.

I love shooting with new people...and this is one snowboarder to watch out for here in the near future. Eric is from Colorado and an insane snowboarder who has been placing top 10 in this years most major snowboard events. Such as the Dew Tour and The open snowboarding series prented by Burton Snowboards.

2009 Winter Dew Tour: Northstar at Tahoe Day 1

This is the last stop for the Winter Dew Tour and it couldn't be a much better setting. Northstar at Tahoe is hosting the final event here in our own backyard. Being the last stop, there is a total of 1.5 million bones of prize money being handed out for the winners of all disciplines. Snowboard Slopestyle & Halfpipe as well as Skiing Slopestyle and Halfpipe in both mens and womens divisions. Today My main focus was Mens Snowboard Slopestyle qualifiers as PorterTahoe.com had serious interest in routing it's team riders Chas Guldemond & Brandon Cocard. They both made it in and this is Brandons 1st major final in his rookie year of competition in the professional ranks. Congrats Brandon & Chas! Tomorrow is the finals and we'll be doing a much more in depth post. Zak Shelhamer and myself are covering our snowboard competitors closely and have lots of different footage to put together for you. Instead of waiting for us...get on out to Northstar at Tahoe and see all the action for yourself. Its gonna be a great time!

The Storm Clears

It's been snowing for over a week now in Tahoe and the results are phenomenal! There is seriously over 7 ft of new snow on Donner Summit. I headed out today once again with Mike Basich & Andy Finch for some bluebird powder snowboarding. The drive up was unbelievable on Historic Old 40 as the sun, clouds, sky & mountains made a beautiful setting for our day of adventure. In the process, we ran into local photog Dalton Paley and ski bum Skogen Sprang. We all rode together and got some great photos.

The Storm Clears

Valentines Day Wedding

We got more new snow in the Sierras and it sure did create a great backdrop for a Valentines day wedding. Tanya & Chad got married in South Lake Tahoe at the very popular Regan Beach. The heavy snow subsided for a few hours just in time for their special day. Thanks you two for being a joy to work with.
ericasistinphoto.com

US Grand Prix of Snowboarding: Boreal Mountain Resort

My job at PortersTahoe.com allows me to get out on the hill and try some new ideas & play around with my photo gear. This weekend was eventful as the top Halfpipe riders in the world descended into Tahoe. Here is an album of some of the shots I was able to get on Saturday.

The blue sky was awesome, and in order to enhance that, I decided to play with a CTO tungsten gel over my flash head and set the WB on my camera to tungsten. The tungsten setting is much cooler and is around 3200 K which is equivalent to your ordinary household lightbulb. Mixing these elements together, I was able to get some real saturated blues in the sky. It's fun to experiment and try new things.
On Sunday, the boardercross took place and I got myself into a more traditional sports shooting mode in order to document all the high speed action.

I love the fact that I can go out and work on these aspects of my craft and just try to engage in new things....working with top notch athletes doesn't hurt as well!

Nate Holland at Boreal Grand Prix

Nate Holland Pre US Grand Prix Interview from PortersTahoe.com on Vimeo.

This last week wraps up a crazy schedule for 4peat XGames Gold Medalist Nate Holland. Nate is happy to be home and to be able to race on home turf here in Tahoe. This weekend is the USSA Chevy Grand Prix tour at Boreal Mountain Resort. I was able to catch up with Nate and get a few runs in with him and play with some new toys I've recently acquired.
In particular, I've recently acquired the much talked about Canon G10 camera. This little lightweight Point & Shoot has a plethora of features including video capture that I was able to interview Nate with. It can also sync up with all my Canon dedicated flashes & studio strobes( tests to be coming soon). I also got my hands on a GoPro helmet cam. I've just scratched the surface of multimedia things you can do with all this gear...this was my 1st attempt at doing something in this nature. Come on out to Boreal and check out all the action this weekend.

The Easy Life

I tell ya, this is the life. This is what definitely keeps me going.

Mount Rose Jan 6, 2009

I love receiving last minute phone calls with the 2 stroke hum of snowmobiles in the background. PortersTahoe.com Team Rider Brendon Drury hit me up and said he and his younger brother were up at Mt. Rose riding around on his snowmobiles in search of some terrain for some snowboarding.

It is always fun riding side saddle getting up to your destination as it can be quite a task. I did bail once off the sled on my belly like a land seal! Out in the backcountry you never know what kind of characters you'll run into as we ran into these slednecks who offered us cheeseburgers, beer and some of that funny smelling "rope". After a brief chat with these friendly dudes (Brendon snatched a brew), we proceeded to find our zone where we could get some shots. Brendon dropped into a face that was really sunbaked and it was hard to get the spray that we wanted. It was a fun turn but we wanted more.Brendon got another ride up on the sled and I was scouting a zone trying to find a good place where he could snap a turn. The snow surface had about a 3-4 inch crust layer on it so I had to find an area that was thinner. I found just the spot.
Brendon hiked over to where i was camped out & we planned our shot.
In pure anal photographer fashion...I had to light this shot up. Packing light this time out I had my Lumedyne 400 WS Action Pack, Canon 1D Mark II, Canon 15mm fisheye lens, Canon 50mm 1.4 prime, and my Canon 70-200mm lenses. This is a great 3 lens & one light setup to have out in the backcountry or anywhere for that matter.This is what we got.

Not bad considering the snow only had an inch of crust in this zone. He did break through to the bottom and hit the rock, but in the end it was all worth it. On the way down we had to stop just one more time to take in another epic Lake Tahoe sunset.

Tahoe Vista Session

This last week in Tahoe we've had very moody climate changes. We've experienced white fluffy dry snow, heavy wet snow, freezing rain & snow, overcast & cold, and the bluebird sunny and gorgeous. I just so happened to have an engagement session with Erica & Gabriel on a bluebird and gorgeous day. Thanks you two for being great subjects and not afraid to have some fun in front of the camera. Can't wait till your wedding at Edgewood!