How to shoot winter sports and not die in the process

Shooting winter sports is fun, especially if you’re prepared. I’ve compiled a few tips to keep you warm, dry and creatively capturing the action in some extremely cold, high-altitude conditions.

My Favorite Cart

I’ve used a lot of carts over the years to transport my gear from my truck to the location. I finally found one that handles it all better than the rest.

Photoshop CS4 has some amazing new features!

I recently upgraded to Photoshop CS4, also known as Photoshop version 11. This one has a few new features that made me want to upgrade right away instead of waiting to see if there were any issues.

Shutter Sync Speed Hack

Back in the earliest years of the 21st century, when many of us were just switching to digital, any DSLR with an interline-CCD had a fantastic advantage. It would sync with flash at ANY shutter speed. The early Nikon D1, D1x and D1h, as well as the Canon 1D and a couple of others had this. They don’t use the physical shutter to make an exposure. Instead, the shutter gets out of the way, and the sensor is read for the desired amount of time.

Most claimed they’d sync at 1/500, and any dedicated flash would keep the shutter speed there or below. But hooking up a set of portable strobes like the Dynalite Action Pack allowed sync at all speeds (though after 1/4000 of a second, give or take, the camera reads the exposure for less time than the flash duration so you start to lose light). The camera was unaware of the flash other than firing the impulse, and that was fantastic for overcoming harsh sunlight without having to use a grip truck full of lighting.

DIY Location Lighting Power

I don’t know about you, but I don’t try to create images like everyone else. To that end, I often end up with equipment needs to handle the type of work that I do, and sometimes that equipment either isn’t made, or isn’t made the way I’d like it, or is really expensive. I rent what I need on occasion, but I like to own the core of the equipment I use regularly. I always know what state of repair it’s in, it’s ready at a moment’s notice, and I know how it works.

Where it all began

I thought I’d kick off my blog by posting a column I originally wrote for Xtreme Video magazine. I will be covering the world of shooting extreme sports and a few of the other subjects I shoot here, and I welcome your comments and questions.

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