A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to do a photo shoot at the rock climbing gym. Climbing is one of my new favorite things to do. I started climbing back in April, and of course any activity I start I can't help but think about how I'd photograph it.
Laylon Beauty's Mary Stackhouse and I spent a couple hours with instructor Sarah Ambrose at First Avenue Rocks in Birmingham. I wanted to use a simple setup that could easily translate into an outdoor shoot, so I arrived armed with my Nikon D800, a few lenses, and a speedlight on a stand. The result was dramatic, one-directional lighting from the speedlight that sometimes cancelled out the ambient light in the room.
Here's what we were workin' with. If you've never been rock climbing before, each color of duct tape denotes a route, or problem, that climbers ascend. Hence the large collection of tape colors you see covering the walls.
You'll find Mary's post about our day of climbing here!
And be sure to check out First Avenue Rocks too, especially if you think you'd like to try bouldering.