Richard McGibbon Photography

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Skateboarding Austria

What do you do in Austria when there is no snow? Skateboard of course. Well, that is if you are a skateboarder I guess.
Yesterday I was speaking to a friend in Austria who I had done some skateboard shots with and he told me that he hadn’t seen the shots for a while as he had lost his copies. I realised that I had never actually posted many of them here on my website, so I thought I better rectify that.he shots of Patrik Pittl were taken in and around Innsbruck. The other shots are all taken in and around Brixlegg and the Cradle Skatepark.
I also want to say a big thanks to few people who made these shots possible:
Ben Herbert who introduced me to everyone.
Chris Cab (www.chriscab.com) for his amazing hospitality
and Flo Smith (www.flosmithphotographic.com) for helping me out in Innsbruck and lending me bits of equipment when I realised I had left mine back in Australia.

See more of my skateboard shots here

Blue Mountains and Kanangra Walls

A trip over the New Year’s weekend to the Greater Blue Mountains resulted in some shots that I am very happy with. It was nice to get out of the city for a short while. I had been in a rut lately, hence the shortage of recent posts, but a trip to a new destination always tends to crack the rut. A quick tip: If you find yourself in a creative rut take yourself out of your familiar surroundings.

Although I have been a few times to the Blue Mountains it is such a vast area that I think that I could take many trips up there without getting into a rut. They always seem to vary slightly whether it is due to a variation in light, visiting a different spot or a change in the weather. This was the first time I had been as far out as Kanangra Walls and without a doubt the walls look different at other times of the day. The shots from below were taken early morning but I think that late afternoon would be the best time to shoot the actual walls themselves. This is when the light would bring out the colours and light them up. In the morning the walls are all in shade as seen in the shot below (the actual are the cliffs on the right side of the picture).

One of the reasons I wanted to go on the trip was to visit a walk called the Grand Canyon Loop. It’s a beautiful walk that takes you down and along a narrow slot canyon. Inside of the canyon is mostly protected from the sun and is cool and moist with ferns lining the walls. If you leave early enough like I did you might be lucky to get a lot of it to yourself. Later in the day though plenty of people streamed through as it is such a popular walk. The walk takes about 4 hrs including plenty of photo-stops. It is an easy track to follow but make sure you take some food and water with you. The walk out get get quite warm.

My Favourites from 2011

I have thrown together a small slideshow of my favourite shots from 2011. It’s a variable collection and I’m sure a couple are in there just because I am sentimental and they evoke good memories. Each photo has its own special moment for a photographer.
It’s interesting for me to look at and see which direction my style, taste and technique is heading and how it has changed over the year. This year saw a big learning curve for me in the area flash photography. This has expanded my taste and without doubt altered my style considerable. Landscapes still dominate but alternative sports have been pushing hard again for my attention, especially with my recent purchase of the Odin triggers by Phottix.
Anyways have a wonderful new year one and all. I’ll see you on the other side. Unfortunately the sizing of my blog means it doesn’t quite fit properly so be sure and watch it full screen. I hope you enjoy!!!

Picks of 2011 – Images by Richard McGibbon