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. 

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.

Back In Black

I though about adding the appropriate sound track to this post, but I didn't have time and it would be in violation of copyright. So best not. 

Spent most of Saturday afternoon in the basement with my new el-cheapo studio set up. Thank you to the unknown poster on Flickr who suggested this path. I went to the fabric store and bought three yards of black muslin and three yards of white- both 108 inched wide. With the coupons (one from the store flyer, and one from the nice lady with the kids next to me in line) the grand total in fabric was $29.32. Beat that on eBay for two 10x9 backgrounds. Then I headed across the street to the greatest hardware store on earth.

 No you idiot- I do not mean the big orange box. They have good prices and the people are nice, but if you really need to figure out something strange, you go to McGukin's. 

There I happily purchased 15ft. of light bungee cord, two small

 hooks and wall anchors, and two six packs of small alligator clips. All that for under $10. Total cost so far- less than $40. Got home and had the wall hooks up before anyone was the wiser. Bungee and alligator clips to hold the fabric and presto- we've got a ripping little home studio going in my basement. 

I really love the effect of the low-key background. It 

makes all the colors pop and adds some dramatic effect. For the portrait shots I had an SB-600 cam left with a homemade snoot on it, and an SB-26 cam right with an umbrella. The snoot was aimed across the models at about head level and  pretty tight. The umbrella was shooting fill on the other side. As you can see, I am the least attractive thing in the house (except maybe the cat), and the pictures improved considerably when I stayed behind the camera. The portraits were taken with a 50mm 1.8. When the dogs came in I switched the lens to a 24-120mm so I could keep pace with a moving kid and dogs, and took the snoot off the 600 on the left and aimed it at the ceiling for a high overhead light. I really like the way it turned out.

 

There were a few really great shots of my wife and daughter. My daughter just kept mugging like crazy, and my wife kept laughing, and I kept shooting. 

I was using my new iShoot PT-04 CNs as triggers for the two SBs, and I didn't have one problem over the course of two hundred shots. I am not sure I would try them at a hundred yards, but close in they work great. I also really like the electronic shutter release from Younguo. The remote really slows my synch speed (see previous post), but attached to the camera it was great to fire without worrying about my hands moving the camera/tripod. 

I can also see how it would help keep contact with the subject. I wasn't hiding behind the camera, and could make eye contact much easier. That remote also operates the auto focus on the Nikon, which is nice. 

Eventually we even got the dogs to pose for a few shots (even tougher than the five year old). We do have a matched set of labs, and if we can get them to sit still they are pretty darned good looking. As you can tell, I am surrounded by blonds. I know that would have sounded good a long time ago...

Of course, as soon as I have tried one thing I am thinking of another. I am looking forward to trying out some product type shots with a more high-key look in the upcoming weeks. I have several friends lined up to provide products, some large and some small, and as soon as things get a little greener around here I have a plan for a series of shots in my town featuring elements of local life. I am hoping to improve not only my lighting skills but also my post production skills with some of these ideas. 

In the meantime, keep an eye over your shoulder!

She really is a total ham. But she's got the model moves down. There are a few more of these in my Flickr stream. Click the new button on your right to see them.