Another 12 months of firsts – 2013 in pictures

Doing what I do, you’d think it’s easy to get blase about travelling to new places. You know,  “what a job… another month, another remote but beautiful location to shoot”. But in reality, it’s the unknowns of new places, their challenges and unexpected rewards that keep me doing what I do. And 2013 was one of those years –  a series of first time experiences, most unique, some incredible, some insane and some I’d rather not repeat. Whatever their lasting impression on me, whatever the pain, the scary-bits, the ‘too many hours in airport departure halls’, I’m glad I got the chance to go and shoot them all, from Arizona to Afghanistan.

So here’s a little look back at the places, people and things that through 2013 helped me continue becoming the worldly-wise, level headed pro-photographer I am today. Or maybe they just made me go a little more crazy. You decide. 2013 was also the year I started Twitter (follow: @danmilnerphoto) and got an iPhone, which can do most of the things photographers do. Apparently.

The year kicked off with the Voelkl team ski shoot. Epic snow always helps. Getting the balance between aspirational, inspirational and just showing what the product you’re there to shoot can do is the photographer’s challenge. Is there an app for powder landings? Nikon D3s, 70-200 f4.

Tales from the dark side. Nothing beats working with light like this. It’s a popular misconception that today’s photography is all about computer work, processing and instagram-like filters. Who needs them when you have January winter light? Nikon D3s, 70-200 f4, @ 1/1000th, f1/8.

An 8-day assignment in the Italian Dolomites for Transworld Snowboarding magazine was the only snow-based feature I shot in 2013. With 3 athletes, 1 filmer, 1 journo and myself along, the team was big, meaning a lot of faff. When it came together though, it really came together, like this natural hit for Blair Habenicht, inbounds at Cortina. I never get tired working with talent like this and it’s only through experience that you get used to making the call on image composition that will do it justice. FYI, I could have blurred the background more by opening up to maybe f4, but that would be annoying as a double page spread (too much blurry image). The blurred foreground lends it a tilt-shift quality, but also hides some unsightly previous tracks.  If I’d been updating my twitter I might have missed the shot. Nikon D3s, 20-200/f4 @ 1/1250th, f6.3.

The flipside of the same Italy trip was a lot of splitboarding in the backcountry. I turned away from helicopter shoots a few years ago, seeing their 200-litres-of-fuel-per-hour-burning as being a little ironic in climate-challenged snow sports. Instead the splitboard has become equally rewarding (if a lot slower). This was my favourite shot from our TWS assignment. For me it balances power and the real beauty of riding the backcountry. No instagram filters were hurt in the making of this picture. Nikon D3s, 70-200 2.8 @1/1600, f 7.1 ISO 2

Meeting the maker. Joe Breeze is perhaps the ultimate legend in mountain biking’s history. He’s been on my itching-to-shoot list for years now and finally I got chance to hook up and shoot with him. I set up this ‘standard’ portrait in his basement -the place where so much of mountain biking’s development has been born- combining a panoramic B&W of the sports founding fathers (including Joe) and one of Breezer’s newest bike models. Leica M9, Zeiss 50 1.4 @1/45th, f3.4

He may have been around at the start of mountain biking but he can still whip your ass on the trail. I’ve ridden this Californian trail many times and finally I got chance to shoot this incredible section of trees that has always turned my head. During our ride neither of us answered our phones once. Leica M9, Zeiss 50/1.4 @1/500th, f2.

Not just any backyard, and you’d better know it. Heading to California to shoot a profile on one of mountain biking’s ‘toughest’ riders was a privilege. Mark Weir -the rider who once climbed over a million feet in a year- is an eclectic mix of influences. Riding and family are still his highest priorities in life. This scene in his back yard seemed to capture a lot of what he is about. Leica M9, Zeiss 50/1.4 @ 1/500th, f1.7

Hitting Weir’s local trails in March meant seeing California at its greenest -something that has always eluded me. The play of light on the tangled oaks in the background of this shot was what caught my eye and meant I ‘saw’ it in B&W. My phone probably could have done that B&W conversion in 1.3 seconds. Leica M9, Summarit 90 f2.5 @ 1/1000th, f 4.8.

A commercial shoot for loyal clients Osprey Packs meant hitting some of my reliable shoot spots in April. Snow shoots can be hard work if only because of the ‘race’ to get untracked, fresh snow -a priority for many that now sits above all others (like safety and respect). For photographers this means heading into arenas that sit away from the usual hubub, but can make great photo studios. This shot will be billboard sized at the industry ISPO show at end of this month. hashtag wherestheuntrackedsnowforaphoto? Nikon D600, 70-200 f4 @ 1/2500th, f8.

This visit to Elba island, Tuscany, wasn’t a first, but trying to traverse it for a magazine story was. So often the hook needed to make a story fly is something original. And so often the actual mission you undertake to shoot the feature means shooting at less-than-dynamically-lit times of day, often between 10am and 3pm. Sometimes though you find you’re still out when its getting dark. Then it gets tasty. Apparently there is an app that predicts what time it will get dark. Leica M9, Zeiss 18/3.5 @ 1/500th, f3.4

Sometimes you bave to just shoot a travel image. No bikes, no riders, nothing extreme. Sometimes. End of our trail, Elba island.  Leica M9, Zeiss 50/1.4 @ 1/8th, F2.

April was also time for a commercial ‘winter’ shoot for clothing brand Keela. Something with a ‘real feel’ was the brief. I had a spot in mind -the mountain drops away vertically over 1000m on the right of the frame. It was actually meant to be snowing when we headed up the mountain (damn weather forecasts) but the dramatic cloud inversion covered our backs on this one. Nikon D600, 70-200 f4 @1/1000th, f8

It’s easy to get smitten by exotic places, but some of my favourites are right back home in the UK. A trip to Snowdonia, North Wales, in April to shoot a video episode for EpicTV reminded me how beautiful this place is. I came across this scene halfway down the Rangers path descent having hauled our bikes to the top of Snowdon (a first for me with the bike). Leica M9, Zeiss 18/3.5 @ 1/90th, f9.5

The life of a pro-racer isn’t always as romantic as people think. I shadowed Tracy Moseley at the first Enduro World Series event in Italy in May, to capture life as a pro as it really is. This one shot captured it perfectly for me -her state of the art (and not yet launched) bike leant up against the launderette wall while she gets on with daily chores inside. The full photo essay from this shoot will run in Singletrack magazine later this month. Nikon D600, 50/1.4 @1/320thj, f3.2.

There is a reason the Mediterranean coast is a popular place to live. So to get this coast road free of traffic for the Endura road shoot meant being on it at 6am. A half hour later it was dangerously busy with traffic. My aim had been to have this stretch bathed in the warm hues of sunrise. The morning cloud that obscured it though ended up being a more dramatic canvas and proved more versatile for the “autumn” ride clothing we also had to shoot. Nikon D3s, 16-35/4 @ 1/1000th, f4

Yes it really is that steep. After the EWS race I headed to Finale Ligure with Tracy Moseley to shoot the Endura clothing catalogue. This unusual composition with the azure blue sea below was a must-shoot when it arose. Following riders down such trails on my own bike with a fully loaded camera pack can have its own set of highlights. Nikon D3s, 70-200 f4 @ 1/2000th, f5.6

I’ve been shooting in Finale for a few years now and this trail, with its late light potential, is always high on my list of locations. By the end of October though, after the final round of the Enduro World Series had taken place in Finale, bringing with it the world’s media, this trail may have become the most photographed trail in Europe. Some of them taken with real cameras. Probably. Nikon D600, 70-200 f4 @1/1250th, f5.6

Arizona in May is damn hot, but you go where the work takes you. I had a week ‘enjoying’ 100F temperatures shooting for Trek bikes at their 2014 launch. Employed to capture their new bikes in action so assembled journalists can go home with ready-to-roll content is the fun bit, while juggling assorted demands of different editors can make for long days. At least the desert landscape helps make great images, all I have to do is work out how to frame each rider so they all get something relatively unique.  Nikon D600, 24-70/2.8 @ 1/1250, f.5.6

After months of planning I travelled to North East Afghanistan in June to shoot the first ever MTB traverse of the country’s Wakhan Corridor. The trip was so brutally hard physically and mentally that I felt all prior expeditions I have undertaken in 30 years of adventuring were a mere warm up to this one. Undoubtedly there are plenty of instances on such trips when being at home is all you wish for. Ironically when you get home, often all you wish for is to be away on a remote, expedition like this. The hardy nature of the locals living in this remote, high altitude, impoverished corner of the world is perhaps the most striking impression I was left from this trip. I have not met such a tough, but equally friendly and welcoming people. War has no place here (does it anywhere?) Nikon D600, Zeiss 18/3.5 @ 1/500, f6.3

One of the hardest challenges on such trips -aside from the physical effort of hauling yourself and bike over 5000m passes- is to retain enough energy to shoot when you are as good as beaten. I won’t pretend that I haven’t missed some shots over the years, but the nagging desire to capture the flavour of a trip’s toughest moments is hard to ignore. We got hit by blizzards during 3 days of our 12 day expedition. Apparently iPhones don’t like the cold. Nikon D600, Zeiss 18/3.5 @ 1/400th, f8

It’s moments like this that seem to make the travel all worth while. Never mind that it was -5 C and the only shelter -this old stone shepherds hut- was filled with choking smoke from the yak-dung cooking fire. My jacket still smells of it. Nikon D600, Zeiss 18/3.5 @ 1/30th, f6.3

The real story is often in the details. This was the spare tyre on the jeep that carried us and gear 2 days across Afghanistan. The 4 tyres on the vehicle were no better. Leica M9, Zeiss 50/1.5 @ 1/1000th, f3.4

Nothing contrasts more sharply with an expedition to Afghanistan than a commercial shoot for a major clothing brand client. The retro sports car was rented for the shoot. Nikon D3s, 50/1.4 @ 1/4000th, f2.5

The flipside of the above commercial studio-esque shoot was an authentic on-mountain action shoot for the same client. The rain, while making it hard work on the gear, adds the required authenticity to product shots like this. Or you could add a filter to achieve the same effect. possibly. Nikon D3s, 24-70/2.8 @ 1/1000th, f2.8

What clients often don’t realise is the ‘extra’ photographers put in to get ‘the shot’. To nail this sunrise session for Van Nicholas cycles meant van-camping up on the mountain pass the night before.  iPhones work as alarm clocks too. If their battery lasts long enough. Nikon D3s, 70-200/2.8, 1/1000th, f5.6

In the rain.

Catering for a clients ‘ambitiously varied’ brief means having to work quickly to capture different feels within one day. Luckily Italy’s old village architecture is good at helping out. Imagine the hassle of organising laying all those cobbles without being able to Facetime the builders. Nikon D3s, 24-70/2.8 @ 1/250th, f4

Drama and an ‘out-there’ feel deliver the essential ingredients to the Van Nicholas MTB shoot. Who’d have thought this trail in July is really one of the busiest in the Alps? The value of location scouting is something all-too often overlooked by clients when budgeting shoots, which means photographers need to rely on their own resourcefulness to deliver the goods. Maybe Joe-X could get this same shot with his iPhone though?  Nikon D600, 70-200/4 @ 1/1000th, f4

Another early start to nail the SubZero clothing catalogue shoot. I had this mid mountain location in mind, knowing that the sun would backlight the tent and background ridges. All we had to do was try to get there in time.  A half hour later and the scene had lost its atmosphere. hashtag raceagainsttime. Nikon D3s, 70-200/2.8 @ 1/1000th, f7.1

Classic alpine cols might be the roady’s dream, but locations you come across on the way to them can make the more head-turning image. This was shot during our Kinesis bike shoot. Nikon D3s, 70-200/2.8 @ 1/1000th, f4.5

Road bike shoots are way easier than mountain bike ones. You can drive to the locations and you don’t get muddy. Although not much of a roadie myself I love the challenge of capturing the lure of ‘being out there’ that compels grown men to dress in lycra. Kinesis bike shoot. Nikon D3s, 70-200/32.8 @ 1/800th, f6.3

Can you see the stitching detail? Having been in the game for quiet a while now, I find many of my clients come to me because of the authentic feel of my imagery. San Francisco’s Acre-gear (Mission Workshop) are one. For brands like this, marketing is all about aspiration, not models looking forlornly into the middle distance. That’s whaty makes it so much fun to shoot for them. Oh and the fact that to get shots like this means a major day out, with a 1300m climb, some storm lightning dodging and being back after dark. Long after dark. Nikon D600, Zeiss 18/3.5 @ 1/1000th, f5.6

Assigned to cover magazine needs at Eurobike, the Worlds biggest bike show, every year is a double edged sword. This year was the most intense 4-day session yet, covering photo needs for 6 different magazines under the Future publishing banner. Sessions like this drive me into a frenzied state of creativeness, (or maybe just a frenzied state) with usually only minutes to get the shot of a product that is on the editor’s list before moving on to the next. It doesnt help when the trade stand people won’t let the product off stand, as was the case with Breezer. With only minutes in my schedule to shoot their new full-sus bike, I’d hoped Joe Breeze, who I’d shot with earlier in the year in California would be around. I missed him by minutes and denied the possibility to take the bike off stand, I decided instead that this surreal image of the bike, nestled in what could be an office environment was a worthily different shot. If I’d have texted Joe, the shot probably would have been different. Nikon D3s, 24-7/2.8 @ 1/60th, f5.6, 2x speedlights & pocketwizards.

October is early (or late) to be shooting ski catalogues but the job comes in every year right on cue. With few resorts open and the weather notoriously fickle, you have to make the best of what you’re dealt. With a good weather woindow forecast we headed to Saas fee, Switzerland to do this shoot for ski clothing brand Nevica. For 8 hours of the first day the weather had other ideas. Not the kind of conditions that are going to appeal to a mainstream holiday skier. Day 2 came through sunny. It was one hell of a busy day. Nikon D3s, 24-70/2.8 @ 1/6400th, f 3.5