Lyons Outdoor Games!

I guess summer is really here, because it is time for the Lyons Outdoor Games. Click the link for a full schedule and all the details. This year's festival is bigger than ever- more fun, more crashes, more events... more of everything. Isn't that just what you wanted?

LOG (as its affectionately known around here), started as a small local whitewater event- but boy has it grown.  This year there will be competitions, classes and shows in kayaks, on bikes, with fishing rods- you name it, its here.

Of course there will be the whitewater events- the creek race on the South 

St. Vrain, Boatercross (wicked collisions), and the rodeo in the Black Bear Holes. There will also be booths, vendors and lots of activities along the river. The organizers have made a real effort to make sure that there is something for everyone at this year's festival. 

And the dogs! Who doesn't want to watch happy dogs hurl themselves into the pond in pursuit of a ball- come on, that's the best!

But the big news this year is probably the new and improved bike park and all the events that will happen there. With a lot of local support (especially Glen of Bitterbrush Cycles), the park has had a complete makeover. There is an awesome pump track, some really great landscaped obstacles, and the jumps are better than ever. 

Volunteers were out working over the last week to have the park buffed and shined for the events of the weekend, and some of the volunteers managed to take a few laps as well. The overall quality of the park is great, and there are jumps and moves for riders of all levels. Expect the competition this weekend to show off all the possibilities the new park has to offer. 

I caught Matt Radich of Lyons checking out the new jumps last night- nice moves there Matt. The ramps in the park have been completely reshaped, and there are some really great lines now. Hopefully we will see a lot of very cool action this weekend. 

Its already clear that the improved park is going to make Lyons an even better attraction for cyclists then it already is. With our awesome trails, the bike park, and the great hill climbing for road bikes, there really isn't anywhere else you need to go!

If you are looking for something to do come on out to Lyons this weekend- it will be a great show. 

Lyons Market

There is a fun new weekly event here in Lyons- an outdoor market. Last weekend was the first weekend, and Marin and I went to check it out after soccer. 

Marin had a daisy painted on her face by Heather's Happy Facepainting, and we wandered around checking out all the other action.

There was wine tasting in the old dynamite shack- get blasted indeed! Lyons is an old mining town, and the dynamite shack is actually exactly what its name implies. I didn't personally sample the wares, but was assured that Ciatano Winery's quality was excellent. Plus the fun of the location can't be beat.

If you are driving through Lyons on a summer saturday, or need something to do that's easy to get to from just about anywhere on the Northern Front Range, come check out the market. They have music, food and some fun vendors including fresh vegetables, baked goods, yummy food from The Giggling Greek, handmade guitars by Jonas Guitars and many handcrafts. More information is on the Lyons Outdoor Market website, including a complete list of vendors.

Hooray for Earth Day!

Hooray for Earth Day!

We celebrated last Sunday with an Earth Day festival here in Lyons. 

This festival included a community garage sale of kid stuff supporting our local Montessori School-Lyons Community Montessori 

Across the street in Sandstone Park there was a play and singing by the kids, and there was entertainment at Oskar Blues as well. Many thanks to OB for providing space for the festival as the weather here in Colorado was looking pretty iffy on Saturday. 

The picture of the play at the top ran on the front page of the Lyons Recorder yesterday. Two weeks in a row. New York times here I come.

Tomorrow I am heading to Northern Wyoming for fishing, friends and if we are really lucky, some bird sex. Really- it's mating season for Sage Grouse, and we are hoping to have a chance to photograph them on their Leks (the technical term for the spot where they all gather and the boys duke it out with each other). Stay tuned for some pics- I hope.

Local Spring Special!

It's Spring- get your portraits now!

Book a portrait session for a group or individual by May 15 and receive the 1 hour photo session and an 8x10 print of the image of your choice for only $95.

That's a savings of $65 over the regular price!

Email me at Jay(at)jgstottphotography.com

to book your portrait session now.

Photo session must be scheduled by May 15, 2009 and must be within 10 miles of Lyons.

Shoot must be completed by July 31, 2009

Man and Dog for Easter

My favorite shot of last week. It ran on the front page of the Lyons Recorder this week. 

Sam Tallent (minister of the day and co-owner, with his wife Mindy, of the Stone Cup) considers sharing his Easter Ham with a friend at the Lyons Community Easter Celebration. It's Easter Sam, give a dog a break.

Finally taking pictures again!

After a bit of a hiatus- I'm  back on the shutter. I am really spending some time with off-camera flash right now, mostly just experimenting, so todays post includes some of the experiments (hopefully none in the Frankenstein mode!)

This is Marin and Lor in the basement. Strobe is camera right and up high, with a totally jury rigged diffuser (some foam clamped into the Justin Clamp that's holding the flash. I included this because you can see the flash and diffuser reflected in the TV. I just ordered new stands and some shoot through umbrellas, and I hope to add another flash soon, to really expand the options.

This was an experiment in color. Flash is gelled blue, with a home made snoot, and held directly over the glass. I was just messing around on this one. I tried a bunch of colors, liked this one the most. 

And last, a shot of Lor outside that I made today. We were trying to get some new images for her website (Nextwritething.com). It was breezy and we had hair control problems, so she wasn't happy with any of the shots for that purpose, but I really like this one. I also really liked shooting portraits with the bigger lens (Nikon 80-200 f2.8), which I hadn't done much of so far. I will do a lot more of it. The flash is on a stand camera right and just out of the frame. I do like the way the sun worked as a rim light/hair light- wish I had stopped it down a bit and I wish I had noticed that the snow on the hill was intersecting her hair. If we had moved there would have been a bit more separation.

I've also discovered Flickr recently, so some of these images are showing up in my photostream under JGstott.

Hopefully more experiments on the way.

Holy Cyclocross Batman!

Wow- it was really something to see all those bikers out sweating like crazy in 30 degree weather. I was freezing my butt off taking pictures, but it was a lot of fun. The 2009 Lyons cyclocross races were sponsored by Oskar Blues and Boulder Racing. 

I really loved shooting this gal. She had the biggest smile every time she went by. Some people make it really easy to take pictures.

Cyclocross is a bit like mountain bike racing on road bikes by people on the run from a smash up derby. It is a lot of fun to watch. The course ran in a twisting line from the high school, uphill and across the ditch trail, down through the dirt jumps in Bohn Park, and back to the high school.

I especially enjoyed the crashes (of course). and the competition.  It was also nice to be shooting people I know within walking distance of my house. And, there were some pretty arresting visual moments. I hope I captured a few of them.