Monday, December 7, 2009

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.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

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.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

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

Thursday, September 10, 2009

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.