Monday, February 22, 2010

Let There be Light

Over the past month, Greg and I have talked at great length over many meals and drinks about the future of our photography over the next months and year to come, as we will be living together. As a pair, we were chosen to shoot a fund-raising 5K race for the University of Colorado Triathalon Team. It was a great experience, and certainly an achievement. Our website has existed for 24 hours and we're already making a profit! Hopefully, there will be many wonderful and exciting things to come from Sundown Studios. Check out the photos from the race on our photoshelter account here... http://www.photoshelter.com/c/sundownstudios

This might not be the most politically correct, but this is how it went...

David: "How did the creation of light go in Genesis?"
Greg: "God said let there be light, so we took some f***** photos."
David: "Great, Greg. You're gonna make the national team."

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Between the Trees

Finally! My climbing life has blossomed. My brother, Jason (or John if you prefer), sent me Keith Bradbury's (unclesomebody.com) video of him and Ty Landman crushing in the magical forest of Fontainebleau. My climbing received a Ronnie Coleman-sized shot in the arm after I watched the film 8 times in two days and back to back the first time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWubJ5OrmjE

This is going to sound stupid of me, but I will try to explain. The film is not state-of-the-art, but it does feature a place which I would love to visit. This is the first and only extended piece of footage that I've seen of the "Forest," as it's called. I am fascinated by how people imagine or perceive things and how this changes upon the initial interaction and subsequent ones. Absolutely fascinating! Anyway, that's another post. The point is, this movie allowed my mind the freedom to inform my body. I believe the mind is the strongest/weakest muscle in climbing; depending on who you are. If the mind and the body operate seemlessly, then the possibilites are endless. I have already experienced this new connection and my eyes are wide with eyebrows raised. Michael Jordan, Ted Williams, Usain Bolt, and Michael Phelps have all performed under a state of hyper awareness. When the mind and body can understand quickly enough to slow down reality, reaction times plummet and the realm of possible becomes a suggestion. Most people would call it " the zone." Jordan would say the basket felt as big as the ocean and Williams would confess that it looked like a beach ball en route to home plate. However, to put it universally, hyper awareness during performance feels effortless and is the epitome of beauty.

By the time I write again, I'll have probably watched it twice as much and may have learned to levitate.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Photos

A close friend of mine (gregmionske.com) is taking a journalism class at the moment which allows him acess to a wide variety of professional level Nikon lens and cameras. This is perfect for Greg, as he is interning for the Fort Collins Colorodoan and inherently the rest of the Associated Press since his photos are so good. He covers the athlete of the week for high school athletics, general sporting events, and random local assignments. Needless to say, he's taking advantage of all the new equipment at his disposal. Here are some links to some of his online galleries for the paper and a few shots from our trip to Eldorado Canyon yesterday.

Someone had to be the stand-in while learning how to use a flash.