In Focus with Adam Barker

Exciting news today as I received an email from a client of mine down in Texas. I traveled to Wildcatter Ranch (give em’ a bit to load up some new images!) around a month ago to document the experience down there in images. What a cool place. Romantic, rustic and luxurious–all at once. It appears USA Today included Wildcatter in a story about Stay-cations and used one of my images on the home page of their Travel section. Check out the screenshots below, or grab one off your nearest newsstand!

Well then. It’s been way too long since my last blog post. In the last 6 weeks I’ve traveled to Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Los Angeles and Denver. Since returning home, I’ve been preparing for my gallery exhibit entitled “Colors of Costa Rica” showing here in Salt Lake City. The opening reception was last Friday and it was great. If you were unable to make it, the show will be up thru July 31 at the Wasatch Frame Shop. Many thanks to Bill at the Wasatch Frame Shop for providing a killer space. I’m off to Montana in the morning for some fishing and, just maybe, some photography. Enjoy summer!

The word “burly” adequately describes shooting conditions the other night at Antelope Island State Park. The light was epic, but shooting conditions were made difficult by howling winds and spotty rain. For the first time in a long time, I witnessed an amazing display of light and weather and all things photographically “awesome”, and was simply unable to capture it. It wasn’t one of those “I’m so overwhelmed I don’t know how to digest it all and put it in one frame”. More along the lines of “I can’t keep my lens and filters clean enough for 1/3 sec. to get off a great shot”. It was frustrating to a certain extent, but on the other hand–what can you do? I came away with several great images that evening regardless, and enjoyed the moments I was unable to shoot just the same. If you’ve never had opportunity to check out Antelope Island, you should! What first appears as a rather broad expanse of dirt and rock in the middle of a salty lake–it quickly has become one of my favorite locations to shoot classic western landscapes.

Below is an article I recently wrote. Who knows, you may see it in some publication before too long…

Just Drive…
Sometimes the Best Plan is No Plan at All

The alarm on my watch lit up the dark, sleepy silence like a lighthouse in a thick Nor’easter. It was 4:30 am and I was groggy and undecided about what this morning held for me in photographic terms. Armed with a crude internet map, a Red Bull and a general idea of which direction was east, I jumped in my car and headed out into the darkness. Where my tripod legs would rest that morning was anyone’s guess—especially mine.

***

I know what you’re thinking—those that fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Any photographer that’s ever traveled to somewhere new and undiscovered has likely done his or her homework before arriving, having diligently researched fantastic locations with everything from geographic coordinates to tidal charts to the exact minute of sunrise and sunset. The simple truth, however, is sometimes all this just isn’t possible. Whether it’s a business trip or family vacation, you may not have had the time or foresight to lay out your dream photography schedule. Fear not! Just because you don’t have somewhere to go and shoot, doesn’t mean it’s not still out there waiting to be discovered.

It’s a challenge not knowing what, where or how you’re going to capture a memorable and meaningful image on any particular morning or evening. Therein, however, lies the magnificence of such a situation. Having no particular destination heightens the senses along the journey. Each new bend in the road reveals a potential five-star image. Each mysterious trailhead beckons to be trodden.

***

As I approached Galena Summit, my mind was racing with the inevitable thoughts and questions that plague me each time I pull the “drive and shoot” routine. Where was the sun? Are those clouds going to part long enough for me to capture that magic light? How am I going to find an engaging foreground in the dark? Man it looks cold out there…

Eventually I arrived at a dirt road with a sign showing Alturas Creek was nearby. I had seen this little blue line on the map earlier in my minimal research and knew there was potential in this area for a great image. If I could find this body of water, regardless of how small, I knew I could capture a fabulous foreground reflection, and find a way to work in the rolling prairie and majestic peaks in the remaining thirds of my image. I grabbed my (frozen) fishing waders and hurriedly put on my pack. The light was coming quickly now…

***

While it is possible to find a solid location to shoot by sheer chance alone, it’s best to have done at least some sort of minimal research beforehand. Beforehand, however, is a relative term. Ten minutes on the internet or five minutes with a local can go a long way in giving you a general sense of what you’d like to capture or what photographic bounty lies nearby. Below are several helpful hints to making the “drive and shoot” routine work for you.
1. Know when the sun will rise and set. This will help you to know when you’re getting down to the wire as you search for a shooting location.
2. Give yourself plenty of time. Inspiration may come quickly, or it may not.
3. Pack all your gear AND the kitchen sink. Not knowing what image awaits, it’s best to be prepared with an arsenal of lenses and filters.
4. Look for scenic byways in and around the area. They are named so for a reason.
5. Tap into the local knowledge. Find anyone that’s willing to chat for a moment—tell them you’re a photographer and you’re looking for great places to shoot. Everyone has a favorite haunt, and it may be just what you’re looking for as well.
6. Take a map and look for prominent landmarks. Rivers, creeks and lakes often harbor wildlife or at least several scenic elements to work with.

***

I was frantically pacing now, searching for a frame-filler that would make the early morning goose-chase worth it all. I waded through the river and crested the bank. VICTORY! Before me lay several slow-moving pools of water, a brilliant sky reflecting off the still surface. Frost-laden reeds filled my foreground as the morning sky ignited like wildfire with the rising sun. Did I find this spectacle of nature, or did it find me? I’d say it was a little of both. You’ll never know what’s out there if you don’t get in the car and drive. Don’t let a lack of location squelch your creative vision—even with minimal preparation, a maximum desire to shoot will pay off in the end.

April 10 dawned bluebird and relatively cold for a spring day in the Wasatch. Jamey Parks stopped by my house and we headed up to Alta to find ridiculously deep snow in certain spots on the mountain. We were fortunate to get early ups and work a small section of BLOWER for about an hour before the public had access. This is perhaps the first time I’ve ever just shot straight up fill-the-frame deep powder shots. Typically, I’ll try and work some different angle, or strive for something beyond the usual pow shot. This day, however, was so perfect to just shoot epic, waist-deep Utah blower. Enjoy the images.

Why not make like a monkey and shoot? In following my own e-letter advice to rediscover your home playground, I headed up Grizzly Gulch at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon the other day to shoot some sunset skiing shots. There were fleeting moments of spectacular light, but it seemed by that point we had already used up what little good snow there was. It was a bit of a frustrating night, but fortunately, simply for the sake of trying to get a new angle on an area that has been shot hundreds of times over, I think I came away with at least one keeper. This is a testament to not standing up and shooting. Look around, get down on the ground, get up high, peek in between a foreground object–all of these techniques will allow you to portray the same old scene in a new and different light.

I recently organized an event called the Ski Salt Lake Shootout as part of my full-time job with Ski Salt Lake. In a nutshell–we flew 5 pro photogs out to Salt Lake for a 5-day photo competition in the Cottonwood Canyons. We also used used two local up-and-comers to participate from the Wasatch Front as well. It was an awesome week ,with a mixed bag of shooting conditions. Some days were epic–some were difficult. All in all, it was an awesome event that yielded some amazing images. In the end, the photographers and athletes worked like crazy to produce unique and inspiring imagery. I was pretty slammed the whole week, but did manage to tag along with some of the photogs, document the action and even snap a couple of my own. For more on the Shootout, check out www.ski-saltlake.com.

To win any sort of award in a photo contest. I’ve been extremely frustrated with contests in the past. In a sentence, photo competitions are so subjective, it’s almost anyone’s shot at winning anything on any given day–as long as they’ve got a solid image, and they strike a chord with a judge or judges. I know that, were I to judge a competition, there are certain types of images that appeal to me more than others. Regardless of how photographically sound or innovative an image is, I will be drawn to, and therefore rate higher, certain images over others. It’s for this reason that I think most photo competitions must be taken with a grain of salt.

This time, however, I’ll be taking home several awards with that salt. I entered the Bean Life Science Museum Nature Photography Competition with reserved expectations–trying not to get my hopes up. At first look, I thought this comp would be a gimme for at least some sort of award–it just didn’t seem like the level of photography entered would be all that professional. When I arrived to enter my prints, however, I was impressed with the caliber of imagery just sitting there at the table that had already been entered. In fact, last year’s winner of Best in Show was David West–an accomplished and very skilled scenic photog in his own right.

Anyway, I ended up winning 3rd place in the landscape category with this image from Snow Canyon, and I also won the Allen’s Camera Excellence Award for this image of the Golden Gate Bridge at Sunrise

Having entered three images and left with two awards from a photography competition that surely sees hundreds of entries, I am quite content!

“That’s weird,” I thought to myself. “I can’t feel my shutter button. Why can’t I feel my shutter button!?” Well, it would’ve helped if I could have felt my fingers to begin with. It was a cold, cold morning in the Wasatch this last week as I hauled a heavier than normal pack (thanks to a hefty new lens!) up 2,000 vertical feet or so to Cardiff Peak in the Wasatch backcountry.

When I left my house I could see the stars. As I parked my car, it was snowing lightly, with spotty clouds. By the team we reached our destination, it was socked in. Great. I love waking up at 5 am and skinning up in zero degree temps to get shut down by Mother Nature. No matter how cold I was–I was waiting. I didn’t care if we had to wait hours for the sun to poke out–it was a waiting game as far as I was concerned. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long. Sure enough, the sun manifest itself through brilliant pink light on Mt. Superior, and I knew it was only a matter of time and a meeting of the elements before we saw that light on Cardiff.

I sent two skiers down the ridgeline and kept one with me to work the other side facing Superior. We were greeted with a fleeting moment of warm, golden sunlight and were then forced to wait just a bit more for pockets of light. The day was a success as I came away with several more ski images than I would have, had I not made it up that morning. There’s something to be said for dawn patrols in the Wasatch. They’re often very cold, and sometimes rather questionable as to what sort of light you’ll end up with–but the moment that sun crests the horizon and the mountain-tops are lit by that giant pink spotlight, it’s as magical a moment as any.

Hello from Whistler! Just about to head out of town but thought I’d throw in a quick blog while I’m up here. Leaving Utah on Wednesday was a lot like leaving three feet of fresh snow to everyone else. Wait a sec–it wasn’t like that, it was that. So to see snowy skies in Whistler was a welcome sight.

While it’s not Utah blower, Whistler has definitely produced some great snow over the past couple of days. What is hasn’t produced is anything even remotely close to good light. Regardless, the shooting show must go on. It’s always challenging to turn out quality ski images without light, but this trip has been a great learning experience, and I feel like I’ve even churned out some dynamic images along the way.

I met up with some buddies up here and they led me to some killer gladed tree shots and pillow lines. The trees up here are unlike anything we have in Utah. Huge, tall pines with old man’s beard hanging from the branches. Almost gives the feeling of skiing straight through a scene from Lord of the Rings or something. My main shooting goal for this trip was to give a sense of place to these images. This was no Utah resort, and I wanted to show it. By incorporating more than just the skiing action and including more of the skiing environment up here, I feel like I’m able to help the viewer identify and relate to not just what is taking place, but where it’s taking place. Hope you enjoy the images.