1leglance
2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
Riding with the master of the lens
I recently got a chance to spend a week watching the Beyond the Lane guys at work filming the last episode of their upcoming TV series and best of all Ben Edmonson rode in my passenger seat and watching that guy use his camera and then getting to pick his brain was a real blast.
I learned a ton about using pictures to tell a story, seeing when he would shoot, and more importantly when he didn’t was enlightening.
Most of us try to take quality pics to share with friends and family, to fill up our trip reports and to preserve the memories of our adventures so when we are too old and feeble to play in the dirt we can look back on the fun.
Riding with a big pelican case full of mega dollar camera bodies and lens taught me that it is much more about the shooter than the equipment. Sure it helps that Ben has quality gear, but the effort he would take to get himself into position, the way he paid constant attention to the light and shadow, the way he waited, simply waited for the moment to occur was very cool. Like many others I always imagined that getting those great shots was some sort of magic, but watching a pro shooter taught me is was more about mental focus than anything else.
I didn’t intend to document anything when I left for this adventure, it was more that I noticed how a pro photographer worked along the way, I ask questions and then when I got home noticed that I had a few pics that might help share what I learned.
Something I learned that I want to practice more of myself it to try for a unique perspective, a different way to see things through the lens so that the end viewer gets a feeling of being there. Looking through the log cabin at the vehicles instead of looking sideways at the vehicle with the log cabin in the background, that is what a pro does.
Hey there is the man, and of course that is how he looks most of the time, with a lens to his eye. When you go to the Equipt website most all those killer pics are Ben’s.
Another thing I learned was to take a sample pic, look at the image, and then maybe make some changes to the settings. That way you don’t have to work so hard at home with the software. Also checking your composition in the pic to see if it tells the story you want.
And of course sometimes you learn things you don’t want to know, like to get the shot you have to get into position, then not like that position and get in another, and sometimes there just isn’t a shot that works so you just walk away. Yep that’s right, sometimes there just isn’t a shot worth taking. I was really impressed by how often Ben didn’t take a pic, how often I thought there was something there until I ask and was taught about lighting, getting too much of the same thing and about telling a story.
Now I gotta admit there were times I wish I was a pro photographer leading the glam life, but then there were the times it was crazy cold, wind blasting under jackets, and just plain boring waiting around. Early morning, off in the distance, waiting for the green light from the video guys and all that to get a shot of a Rover off the in distance like below
Pictures just don’t let you know how blistering cold and stupid windy it was that morning.
One of the things I was impressed with was how willing a photographer must be get into the action, Ben cracked me up right after this pic when he suddenly disappeared and I about freaked. Turns out he went into the structure looking for “a good pic” and then hung out to look down the old mine shaft. Sure it was worth a laugh after, but at the moment all I could think was “dang this guy will go anywhere to get a pic”.
All in all I learned a ton and had a great time working with Ben and all the Beyond the Lane guys. Jim from Red Oxx bags was along as camp cook and general help. It was a real honor to lead them on the Continental Divide and eat some great meals, laugh around a campfire and watch the pro’s in action.
I hope I get to go along again in the future and if so I will try to do a better job of documenting the behind the scenes action.
I recently got a chance to spend a week watching the Beyond the Lane guys at work filming the last episode of their upcoming TV series and best of all Ben Edmonson rode in my passenger seat and watching that guy use his camera and then getting to pick his brain was a real blast.
I learned a ton about using pictures to tell a story, seeing when he would shoot, and more importantly when he didn’t was enlightening.
Most of us try to take quality pics to share with friends and family, to fill up our trip reports and to preserve the memories of our adventures so when we are too old and feeble to play in the dirt we can look back on the fun.
Riding with a big pelican case full of mega dollar camera bodies and lens taught me that it is much more about the shooter than the equipment. Sure it helps that Ben has quality gear, but the effort he would take to get himself into position, the way he paid constant attention to the light and shadow, the way he waited, simply waited for the moment to occur was very cool. Like many others I always imagined that getting those great shots was some sort of magic, but watching a pro shooter taught me is was more about mental focus than anything else.
I didn’t intend to document anything when I left for this adventure, it was more that I noticed how a pro photographer worked along the way, I ask questions and then when I got home noticed that I had a few pics that might help share what I learned.
Something I learned that I want to practice more of myself it to try for a unique perspective, a different way to see things through the lens so that the end viewer gets a feeling of being there. Looking through the log cabin at the vehicles instead of looking sideways at the vehicle with the log cabin in the background, that is what a pro does.
Hey there is the man, and of course that is how he looks most of the time, with a lens to his eye. When you go to the Equipt website most all those killer pics are Ben’s.
Another thing I learned was to take a sample pic, look at the image, and then maybe make some changes to the settings. That way you don’t have to work so hard at home with the software. Also checking your composition in the pic to see if it tells the story you want.
And of course sometimes you learn things you don’t want to know, like to get the shot you have to get into position, then not like that position and get in another, and sometimes there just isn’t a shot that works so you just walk away. Yep that’s right, sometimes there just isn’t a shot worth taking. I was really impressed by how often Ben didn’t take a pic, how often I thought there was something there until I ask and was taught about lighting, getting too much of the same thing and about telling a story.
Now I gotta admit there were times I wish I was a pro photographer leading the glam life, but then there were the times it was crazy cold, wind blasting under jackets, and just plain boring waiting around. Early morning, off in the distance, waiting for the green light from the video guys and all that to get a shot of a Rover off the in distance like below
Pictures just don’t let you know how blistering cold and stupid windy it was that morning.
One of the things I was impressed with was how willing a photographer must be get into the action, Ben cracked me up right after this pic when he suddenly disappeared and I about freaked. Turns out he went into the structure looking for “a good pic” and then hung out to look down the old mine shaft. Sure it was worth a laugh after, but at the moment all I could think was “dang this guy will go anywhere to get a pic”.
All in all I learned a ton and had a great time working with Ben and all the Beyond the Lane guys. Jim from Red Oxx bags was along as camp cook and general help. It was a real honor to lead them on the Continental Divide and eat some great meals, laugh around a campfire and watch the pro’s in action.
I hope I get to go along again in the future and if so I will try to do a better job of documenting the behind the scenes action.
