One thing I really like about my job (one of many that is) is that it takes me to places I wouldn’t normally visit. Parkes is one of those places. Parkes is five hours west of Sydney, home of The Dish and the Elvis Festival and although it has been on my radar for a while. It was one of those trips that just kept getting put off. So when work takes me there, I’m more than happy.
All the images from the event can be found over on the Outer Image website.
After many years of trying to get down under, Sea Otter finally landed in Australia. I went down there to cover the happenings around the Bikes Online marquee.
For those who aren’t aware, the Sea Otter is an expo featuring a mix of international brands and local vendors displaying their new products geared specifically towards the mountain bike market. For my skiing friends, it’s similar to ISPO in Munich.
As it was the first year, there were a few notables missing. There seemed to be an air of uncertainty about it in the lead-up. But the great atmosphere and crowds of day 1 quickly dispelled the doubts.
I didn’t get out onto the trails at Mogo, where the main enduro racing was being held. Aside from a couple of hours on Saturday morning at the botanical gardens to look for some Polygon or Marin riders. It’s not an easy task to identify bike brands through a camera as they’re zipping past. I’m yet to get out on the Mogo trails for a proper shoot. One day….
Will I be back? Definitely!! It was a great event. Rocky Trail put on a great weekend. I can only imagine that next year will be even bigger and better.
24-hour racing has to be one of my favourite types of racing to shoot. I love that I can shoot through all types of light and play at night with my flashes to get creative. I recently went to Canberra to shoot the World Endurance Mountain Bike Organization (WEMBO) World Championships.
It’s been a couple of years since I shot my last 24hr mountain bike race. I did shoot Wild&Co’s Top Dog adventure race last year which was full of its own challenges. The tough thing about adventure races is you are never sure how long it will be before the next competitors arrive at your chosen location if indeed they arrive at all. With mountain bike races run on a set track you can be sure that if you miss a shot a rider will be around again shortly so you can adjust your settings, particularly handy while shooting at night. It took me a few tries to get the night shots just how I wanted them.
I have long wanted to shoot a rider under the Milky Way. Balancing the various intensities of riders’ lights with the starlight was a challenge. It kind of seems like my recent trip shooting the stars at the Warrumbungles was a practice run but this was not the case. Until a couple of days prior it had been planned that I’d go to Orange to shoot the final round of the State Gravity series.
One of the main things I get asked is “Do you spend all 24 hours out on track shooting?” And the answer is no. I shoot until I have had enough and then get up and out before sunrise for some of that soft morning light. In my opinion, there are only so many night shots you can do before the flash irritates the riders and affects their night vision.
I’m unsure when my next 24-hour race will be but hopefully, it will not be another few years away. Maybe next year at the next Wembo if it comes around again.
You can see all the images from the event over on our event website Outer Image here
The final round of the Enduro Gravity State Series was on at Mount Borah mountain bike trails near Tamworth. It was 1 day of practice and 1 of racing in warm conditions. These are great trails which somehow manage to be both flowy and technical at the same time. Although they are on a private mountain the North West MTB club holds regular shuttle days. If you are up this way I would recommend you check them out.
I have long wanted to pay a visit to the Warrumbungles. I talked myself into the broken logic that, since Mt Borah is Northwest of Sydney and the Warrumbungles are Southwest of Mount Borah I would be heading in vaguely the right direction if I paid them a visit after the event.
The drive out took way longer than it should have. It is a common issue for photographers and spouses of photographers which I call the photographer’s curse. Trying to drive anywhere new in a hurry is near impossible and I think you need to add 50-100% of the expected time onto the drive to account for the required photography stops. With the rape field all in bloom at the moment each one demanded I took at least 1 shot and put the drone up for a look. They did make for plenty of great colourful shots.
The Warrumbungles are a series of mountains left over from an extinct volcano. It was the first time I had been out there even though it had been on my bucket list of places to see and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s famous for its landscape of rocky outcrops and its spectacular night vistas. It’s known among astronomers for its lack of light pollution, higher altitudes, low humidity and clean air which all come together and make the Warrumbungles Australia’s first dark sky park. The stargazing is amazing!!! I enjoyed it so much that already a return trip is in the planning.
Below is a selection of images I took from over the 5 or so days.
The Cartel Series from Greenvalleys has come to an end for 2024. Three races were held over a bunch of different tracks. There were supposed to be four but rain cancelled the first of the season. This year instead of just racing two runs on one track per race, riders could put down as many shuttled runs as they wished on two separate tracks.
Yet again another great series from the team at Greenvalleys Mountain Bike Park. I’m already looking forward to shooting the series and its new format again next year.
Underneath are a few images from the 3 races. All the series’ images can be found on the Outer Image website here.
See more of my mountain biking photos here
It’s been a hectic month. After 5500km or thereabouts, I think I have been on the road and away more than I’ve been at home. Thredbo, Sydney, Mt Buller, Sydney, Thredbo, Narooma, Sydney, Orange and home again. I managed to sneak a couple of days of R&R into the mix while at Narooma.
I was in Narooma to shoot the Rocky Trail Superflow on the new MTB trails they have there, 2 days of racing on 4 different trails. It’s the first time they’ve had a race there and guessing by all the smiling faces it won’t be the last. The trails are fantastic or at least the couple I saw, smooth and flowy with some unique features such as the half-buried car. The trail system is big. I was surprised looking at the map just how expansive it is. I only saw a couple of the trails this time but by all accounts, Dirt Art has created another masterpiece.
Narooma has long been a favourite coastal destination of ours. The coastline is spectacular, the water is beautiful (not called the Sapphire Coast for nothing), and the marine life is fantastic. There’s a small colony of Australian and New Zealand fur seals living on the harbour break wall easily accessible from town. Sitting off the coast is Montague Island or Barunguba where a much larger colony lives. If you are visiting Narooma paying a visit to Montague Island for a dip is a must-do in my opinion. I’m already looking forward to a planned visit later in the year when the water is clearer and the seals more numerous. Plus I want to brush up on my underwater photography skills first too.
