Supermoon, Classic Wall Routes, and Wildlife in Zion and Red Rock.

The time has come for me to dust of the ol' blog and start sharing photos and stories again!  I hope I didn't leave too many folks scratching their heads because of such a long delay since my last post.  Luckily, my days have been filled with the same types of adventures to new places, new routes, new people, photos, and all sorts of adventure and mis-adventure.   I am making a point to update here more often again and don't worry, I'll still have the same type-o's and confusing analogies that got so many people psyched! In short I've been hoarding images and experiences inside my mind and hard drive for some reason that I no longer understand... So, hope you're all open to let the flood gates open again!

The Supermoon photographed November 13th, 2016 just outside Zion. 

The most recent and relevant trip I just took was going to see the Supermoon over Zion with my good adventure bud Andy Reger.  We had been longing for an adventure for some time now, as Andy has been out of commission due to a shoulder injury/surgery.  Originally he was going to just "tag along" as I went to attempt a solo on a wall route.  But soon after we packed our bags and got in the car, the same vibes of our many past adventures caught up with us and it became clear we would rather adventure around Zion as a team.  It certainly felt likeit would be silly for me to enter the world-of-pain that is soloing, when I could just kick it with my friend and enjoy all the beauty that is Zion.  So thats what we did!

Our first night we rushed to our camp spot just outside of the park in hopes of catching the moonrise over the horizon. Unfortunately prior to this we were also quite hungry, which caused a pitstop at Amigo's in Springdale for the "Super Burrito".  We filled our bellies but missed the true moonrise.  Either way the moon greeted us with its wonderfully bright glow as we set up out basic camp for the night.  Soon after I got the camera gear out and was able to start shooting the Supermoon and my Super burrito digested.  Since it was later and higher in the sky it was also starting to get very bright in the lens by this point.  It was a nice surprise for me because it allowed for a faster shutter speed, and lower ISO setting, which meant that there was a possibility of capturing more detail on the moon.  I clicked away, being still and limiting all movements around the camera itself to eliminate vibrations and micro-blurs.  I'm never quite sure what specific images will be the sharpest until I view them at 100% view on a computer, so I just shoot a lot, and focus on using the best practices.  I was pleased with the results! But I am always looking for more detail and clarity in the images.  Perhaps I will rent the Canon 800mm in the future...

Nic Gunter and friend on Pitch 7 of Desert Shield. 

The next day we awoke with a very open schedule.  With no longer a time crunch of having to get up so early to starting soloing a route, my mind was free to enjoy and relax in the surroundings.  We grabbed a coffee and bite to eat, and meandered into Zion and took a quick drive around to see where our energy might take us.  Immediately we had noticed most of the classic trade routes had parties on them.  Touchstone Wall, Prodigal Sun, Desert Shield, Spaceship, Moonlight Buttress all had people on them.  Made sense to us.  The weather was beautiful, the moon would be out, and these routes are mega-classic.  I took the camera out pretty excited to once again see what kind of clarity and detail I could capture, but now of the climbing teams on these routes.  I had never tried to capture climbing with the 400mm lens that I had brought, so it was all new enough and I was pretty sure that in the daylight the challenge would be a little more predictable than at night.  I first aimed my camera up on Desert Shield 5.9 C3.  

Pitch 7 complete. Nic starts to clean the pitch. Desert Shield. 

I captured a team on of two on the headwall pitches.  These are by far the most memorable pitches on the route, and I was having flashbacks of excitement. I later found out that it was a friend up on the wall, so the small world that is climbing just got a little smaller that day! Another team of 3 was starting up the route the same day, but were about a day behind the headwall team. I captured a quick shot of them on Pitch 3 that day.  It was pretty safe to assume they were planning on bivying at the "Jungle Bivy" that night, probably in hopes of watching the moon in the canyon.  The next day before leaving I got another photo of them and their portaledge nearing the top on Pitch 8.  Looked like they had a fun time!

Another team of 3 beings Pitch 3. Desert Shield. November 14, 2016

Team of 3 on the headwall Pitch 8. November 15, 2016. 

We walked around the canyons exploring all sorts of things, but not too long without looking up at the walls.  We pretty much had the best view in the canyon for observing these teams from the ground.   Another route I took a good amount of photos of was Spaceshot 5.9 C2.  This route was in the sun, and at the time I thought that made it a little more easy to photograph and capture the same vibrant red sandstone we are used to seeing.  The team was moving a little slow but this is not uncommon for the route, and this team was also linking pitches which would help the pace in the end.  We imagined they were aiming to get to the Earth Orbit Ledge and bivy there to once again watch the moonrise in the canyon. Would be a blast! 

Team on Pitch 4 or 5 of Spaceshot. November 14, 2016

Adding some color to the shot... Spaceshot. November 14, 2016

Team on Pitch 6 on Prodigal Sun. November 14, 2016.

Lastly to share is just one images of a team on Prodigal Sun 5.7 C2 up the Angles Landing Wall.  Such a fun route and iconic wall in Zion.  I remember having a blast climbing this route with Andy in the past, but unfortunately the photos didn't really reflect the beauty of the wall, or the feeling of being up there above the Big Bend parking area and Virgin River below. Either way this team in all ninja-black seemed to be plugging away and in good pace for the summit.  Nice work!

The Streaked Wall.  One of the most awe-inspiring (for me) walls in Zion.

California Condor is the largest bird in North America and is considered critically endangered. 

As we walked around starring at the walls, we couldn't help but observe the finite details of the things we encountered along the way.  Trees, dear, butterflies, bugs, plants... I guess I could just say nature, wildlife, and everything in between.  Zion has such an awesome energy and feeling, it pulls the creativity and curiosity right out of your brain and its quite painless.  There were surprises around every corner, but I think the most exciting moment was trying to photograph the 10-point buck that we had spotted briefly and earlier in the day before it ran off into the woods.  As we walked around we had done a very novice but eager job of trying to find it again.  We walked for a good couple hours and saw many awesome things, but no deer.  It wasn't until we crossed the river and began heading back to the car that the deer emerged from right behind us.  It was a pretty serendipitous moment.  Also pretty hilarious considering how close we were but had no idea...

Clueless me. Photo: Andy Reger

We stayed in the river a while, and watched the deer walk back into the brush.  We laughed at how cool it was and how amateur it made us feel. I guess that was part of the joy. The river temperature felt nice so we kept walking down it and decided to look for a nice rock to rest and put our shoes back on.  Along this saunter up stream the deer emerged once again, but this time it walked across the river in front of us.  This was when I finally had my chance to get a good photo of a pretty unique moment.  A rewarding and unexpected experience.  I am seeing this reoccur everyday I go out to shoot photos of wildlife. Always seeing something I never expected when I didn't know what I was looking for. 

The Buck crossing the Virgin River as we walked down it. 

In the week or so before this I also went out to Red Rock Canyon in my backyard and started some of my first random explorations into "wildlife photography".  I didn't really think of it with any type of category in mind really, I just wanted to shoot and wanted to be outside.  I went to a few locations over two days and few hours and found that with patience and curiosity there is truly a lot to see in the desert environment.  Things don't always jump out at you (sometimes they do though), and being still in and observant in one location will allow you to see many things you might not have been looking for. Always a nice surprise. 

Bees, water, and leaves in Red Rock Canyon, NV.

Tarantula hunting Crayfish in a desert pool. Red Rock Canyon, NV.

Oasis - Red Rock Canyon, NV. 

Hope you all enjoy!  I am looking forward to sharing much more in the future.  Please feel free to comment, critique and share this and all future posts.  I am always open to hearing more opinions and experiences. See you out there! 

New Year Updates: 2014

Andy Reger on his journey up Wise Guys Off Size 5.10c, Red Rock, NV.

Happy New Year! …  A little late, but now that I've said that I can move on with slightly more interesting ramblings.  The motivation and time to climb or shoot has fluctuated around the holidays as usual.  This phenomenon (as it seems) is actually relatively normal for those of us who choose to see our families, eat lots of great food, and have a few glasses of egg nog to unwind.  But now with the new year, the motivation is back in full swing and the great American West is looking like a lovely playground once again.  This year I plan to expand a little from the regiment of offwidth and aid climbing I have somehow found myself adhering to.  Not to say I will leave these fun disciplines behind, but rather I plan to take some time to explore a handful of challenging boulders, climb some finger cracks, and maybe take some massive sport lobbers off something I should probably be able to send by now.  Plenty of climbs to work on!

Slogging upwards after the crux on Malicious Mischief 5.10c.
Red Rock, NV.

For the first adventure of the year me and good friend Andy Reger decided to head up the non-classic Malicious Mischief 5.10c.  This route receives very little attention; I haven't talked to anyone who's been up it. Its position directly next to the classic Epinephrine 5.9 means that pretty much nobody really considers going up this climb anymore.  At first I thought it must be because the crux pitch is described as "scary" and begins in a "10-inch down flaring offwidth", but to me these things seemed relatively intriguing and moderately inviting.  Even before entering the crux, some complications were encountered and I soon had a few additional descriptive words to include. We pressed on through the sea of loose rock and on one pitch Andy selectively avoided the remains of an old webbing anchor wrapped around a now completely dead bush and opted for building a belay stance 15' below the crux pitch.  I then headed up the crux, which involved an unprotected traverse to gain the offwidth. After a few fist jams I was able to plug a piece and kept climbing.  I offwidthed my way through the flaring fun and soon was wedged into the base of long squeeze chimney.  35' feet of unprotected squeezing led to a neat flared tight hand crack corner, where I placed my second and third piece of gear on the pitch.  This brought me to a nice ledge which was an easy rest, but the spice was not over. 

This is when it got more interesting, again.  The climbing kind of halted, and it appeared that I would need to traverse 10' left to get into another wide crack system, which would continue to the top.  I envisioned a traverse route across, and as I started to climbing I ripped off a nice chunk of stone and stepped back down to the ledge. Yikes. Opting out of another unprotected free traverse on questionable rock, I chose to tension-traverse over (with the rope) and swung to the next crack system off to the left.  From here you enter another squeeze and offwidth up a ways until the crack becomes a tighter corner.  The rock quality is still pretty crunchy and many features are questionable.  I will leave it at that, an adventure for sure!

Inches from the send on Chinese Handcuffs 5.11d/5.12a.
Red Rock, NV. 

A little burnt-out on some of remaining obscure wide climbs in Red Rock, I decided to venture out into some smaller splitter cracks.  The Monument in Black Velvet Canyon features some nice splitters of the finger sized variety and a lot less loose rock to rip off.  It felt great to crank on just my fingers and toes after so many days spent jamming my whole leg or arm.  I still need to hone in on this smaller size, but overall I felt pretty good when I think about how these climbs felt over a year ago.  We'll be heading up soon for more work on these great crack features.  I sense sending soon. 

Snapshot from some preliminary moonrise time-lapse shooting. 

In my spare time I've also be pursuing a variety of video based projects.  I have been eager to explore some new shooting and editing techniques, so I found the challenge in time-lapse shooting.  I decided to start with shooting various moon-rises over Las Vegas and the desert at large.  As many of you know the colors at this time of day/night in the desert are incredible and very conducive for time-lapse work.  I have found time-lapse photography to be conceptually easy but more difficult to execute.  Lots of editing steps and lots of images to string together.  The procress has been exciting and things are coming together well.  Check back soon for some examples of this work.  

Experimenting with some angles for a video project on cycling. 

Being a regular bike commuter I have also been pretty interested in creating a cycling short video.  The concept remains mostly in my head, but the basic idea is to shoot a short ride using one camera placed in as many possible angles as I can think of.  Using a GoPro, this idea might seem trite before I even begin the project.  But using some artistic judgement I think this project could take on a life of it's own, and avoid being the helmet-cam catastrophe I see all too often. Although it might be a little time consuming.  I am currently in the preliminary stages of the project and have been working on bringing the ideas from my head into actuality.  A new and exciting process that I'm looking forward to figuring out. Well, that's all for now.  Hope everyone is having a fun a productive 2014. 

Flying above the snowy mid-west.

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A few more photos from bike rides and the first recent roll on the Olympus-35RC.

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Lately I've been taking an old Olympus 35-RC around with me biking. The camera just stays clipped to my belt with a small carabiner and it easy to grab and shoot while riding. I like using the old film camera because of it simple functions and compact ruggedness. The camera has no built in light meter, so all of the exposures have to be evaluated and selected by your best judgement. Also you focus the camera by distance and before every shot you estimate your distance from the subject and then move the focus ring to that number. (It ranges from 3 feet - 15+ feet.) Every roll that goes through this camera is a surprise, and I enjoy the variety of shots that can be captured and juxtaposed.

Variety and Perpetual Options

Over about a week's time I've continued to work on several different mini projects. I didn't notice when I was working on them individually how drastically different they each are. I guess it just goes to show the wide range of capabilities of photography especially with the new addition of video to most Digital SLR's. At times it seems the possibilities are nearly endless as long as you can keep thinking of new things to try.

"Perpetual Options"

My first project is a continuation of my music and video collaboration I am experimenting with. The idea started as a way to integrate music I enjoy making with video I enjoy making. Simple enough right? The two processes have shown major differences in work flow and the creative process, but I have found the two can meld together very well and have some surprising results. The video above joins two separate audio and video tracks that are both completely unedited. The music was created by me in my basement using a Bass and loop pedal in a one shot recording and the video was recorded with my DSLR at my friend Dave's house while he layered video inputs and channels over one another on his TV. Together the two make a curious and engaging show that I find stimulating for your mind.

Another completely unrelated job was a portrait/beach photo session I had with my friend Kelsey. She was looking to update her modeling portfolio for an upcoming audition and needed some new summer pictures. Although I was strategically looking at the weather to pick the right day and time the temps were still just around 50 degrees and it was windy. I chose to shoot this in the early evening in hopes of catching that "warm" light as the sun is coming down. This turned out to be the right decision and I think the photos reflect that choice. I was also using an on camera flash to help add a little bit of fill light on the subject. A fun shoot with some unique challenges that differ slightly from shooting rock and ice climbers... I think I could get used to the change.

Last but maybe least is a little portrait session I had with myself. This photo shoot was also pretty different from most of my portraits. As an example the last time I wore this suit for a self portrait I had a lamp shade on my head. But the times they are a changin' and I need some specific examples of lighting for a potential one day portrait shoot for a Milwaukee based consulting company. Hopefully they like what they see and I'll get the gig. All in all this week has been a lot of fun. I am sure that this variety is what keeps you most prepared when doing the things you want to pursue even more. Every new shoot provides new opportunities, and I'm sure in this line of work the next one will be completely different. Anyone need some photos?

Spring Fever and Site Updates

Ideal spring weather is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited for the conditions the rejuvenating spring weather will bring. Lately it has been a lot of rain and sleet coming down, but I am confident the wet conditions will drastically transform the great outdoors into a simply refreshing place to once again explore. I am especially looking forward to the one year anniversary of an unexpectedly profound moment from my life last year which I can best describe as "48 Hours Free". Since another year has passed I am proud to say I am becoming more in touch with the natural flora and fauna of Wisconsin, and I am quite eager to continue searching for new sprouting plants and fungi in the warmer months to come. In stride with the new growth of spring, I am also planning on expanding some of the content of my blog to cover more than just climbing and photography. I feel that I've been updating less recently do to some potential repetition in my "blogged" content. I'm still going to be embracing my main passions directly in the blog, but I'm also hoping to focus on some of the lesser known experiences in my life that are equally important to me in the big picture.

One of my newest and most eclectic pursuits is a video and music project in which I document myself in the process of making improvised music with a bass and loop pedal. All the shots are live and one-take only (just like the music). I've been finding there are many challenges to overcome before a "final" video will make its way online to be viewed in full. Regardless the process is constantly exciting and ever evolving. For this project I am using two different cameras simultaneously to document the action, one camera being my DSLR and the other being the built in camera in my Mac. The two couldn't be any more different to use, but I welcome the opportunity to try and integrate them. The entire process is based on improvisation which is something I have found essential to my understanding of the ever changing world around me that I willingly participate in.

Also, some of my photos will be featured on the new Figure Four Climbing Hold's website. I was excited to load the page for the first time and see one of my shots from Quick on the Draw right away. I am glad the shoots have a home there, and although the photo is neat I think most people are far more interested in those huge mustache holds! They're still getting the website up and running, but everyone should check out all the different shapes because they are truly fun to climb on. I have also updated my own website with some new rock climbing photos and will be adding to the freelance section in the near future. So while its still a little cold and rainy outside don't feel bad surfing the web for a little longer to check out the updates. But once it's nice out you better join me outside!

Photo Restoration / Time Travel

The final image after restoration.

The original print.

My first restoration project is complete! Believe it or not I'm actually looking forward to another project like this. The process was meticulous at times but also consistently rewarding. With every hour of work the original would become more and more clear and vibrant... and if you're feeling psychedelic, I equate the experience to traveling back in the time. In addition to restoring the blemishes, colors, and levels/contrast, I also scanned the image at a high resolution, allowing the now restored print to be enlarged to 13" x 19" instead of its original 3" x 4". By and by this was a fun project that has lead to learning a few new editing tricks and work flow solutions in Photoshop.

As a (somewhat sarcastic) side note: I anticipate in the future I will be contacted by many of today's youth to restore their once trendy "hipstamatic" prints taken via "smart phone". For those unaware this cell phone application allows the user (usually featured in most of the photos) to add preset aging such as faded and tweaked colors, scratches, light leaks, and "film" boarders that give the photos a faux vintage or low-fi film look. I hope someday to make a living restoring their fake old photos into what will finally be, just a bad cell phone photo.

8,000 Photos later...

I have recently been hired by VisionBeam Action Photography to help shoot and document a variety of sporting events happening here in Wisconsin. I spent three full days photographing gymnastics last weekend, and this weekend brought a basketball tournament. The challenge of photographing a new variety of action sports outside of rock and ice climbing has brought new incite and innovations. After the first two shoots I have already added a few items to my photography arsenal. Some of the unexpected yet priceless additions were a small hunting stool for sitting low and moving easily, kneepads (for kneeling obviously), and earplugs to dampen to onslaught of whistles, buzzers yelling parents, and repetitious music. I have found these items to be the little luxuries that make the shoots run smooth... Beyond getting a great opportunity to document these events I am humbled by the mental and physical endurance needed to shoot perpetually for multiple days in a row.

Photo Restoration Project

Out of the blue I was asked to restore an old and aged print for a friend of mine through the climbing gym. The photo was shot by her husband many years ago and it is one of her personal favorite images. The print itself was significantly aged and had very faded colors as well as being physically damaged. I was excited to work on this project because I could tell how much the photo meant to her. For this same reason I was nervous to take the project on because its not my "expertise" and I really wanted to succeed in restoring it. I've been pulling out all the stops in hopes of getting the restored photo to look as close to new as possible. So after many hours of starring at the screen I am excited to say that this project is almost complete and looking really great. With permission from the owner I might do a side-by-side comparison blog post of the before and after images later on.

Stag Barbershop: Mustache Shaving Party

In preparation for the 12th Annual Quick on the Draw climbing competition the men of Adventure Rock visited Stag Barbershop in Bayview for a classic shave. Each year the gym has a new theme for this competition, and this year's just happened to be mustaches. I think most people were pretty excited, although some still perplexed by this manly decision. Either way we knew we'd need a professional and classy shave in order to be contenders in the best mustache competition. So plans were made to visit Stag, and we all waited patiently for our upper lip hair to grow. And as time passed we left no mustache style un-googled in our growing excitement and preparation for the big shave.

A Stag Barbershop Stag

I have visited Stag once before to get a haircut from my fiend Sarah, who just got a job working there. From the moment I walked into the place I could tell that I wasn't in for a typical haircut experience. I had only had my hair cut once since I cut off all of my dreads with a regular scissors while camping in the woods. Walking into Stag I felt like I had just discovered a mecca of Milwaukee class and style and in the confines of the small and aged building. Right away I knew that I was in for a treat as well as a stylish haircut! Before I knew it I was enjoying a nice cold Pabst and the company of three classy gals, Sarah, Robin and Jess. After getting my first haircut at Stag done entirely with a straight razor, I had been immediately transformed from your everyday slob-slum looking bum with halfa-mullet, to an outstanding slob-someone with a non-bum haircut. What can I say, I didn't even leave with a new set of jeans or t-shirt, but that haircut looked good and I smelt nice! Everything just fell into place...

Sarah working on Rory's stache with Robin trimming up Danny in the background.

Owner Jess Stern giving Craig a nice, professional, and sophisticated stache.

After being so impressed with my first visit to Stag, I knew I had to spread the word to my friends about this gem in Bayview. I was confident that they would think my barbershop transformation was a success, as well as an entertaining story and perhaps they'd be down to go check it out someday. One of the first people I saw was Craig Burzynski, manager and funny-man of Adventure Rock climbing gym where I am a loyal employee. I told Craig about how rad it was to go to a barbershop for the first time, especially after all of the years of having long dreadlocks. I mentioned I was planning on going to get my mustache worked on before Quick on the Draw so that I could fulfill my dream of having a mustache worth noticing. Craig thought it was a great idea, and he wanted in. Before we knew it the word had spread around the climbing gym like the chalk that circulates with the air, and a mustache shaving party was born.

Soon the day had come, were the blade met the skin, and the faces of eight men were to become new again. What once was a group of bearded ape-like men was to now been transformed with the simple grace and discipline of a straight razor. And you might be asking yourself "Well where are they now after the shave, and how has their mustache blessed them?" And I assure you the men who once spent their time climbing the walls of the local climbing gym have now been spotted in the most sophisticated and upholding of establishments and organizations.

Craig Burzynski sports his new look.

With his new stache, Craig is now considered to be everyone's favorite (and trusted) uncle, regardless of any legitimate relation to his new "family" at the local super market.

David Nimmer gives us his version of "Blue Steel"

No longer having a chunk of "tree sap" stuck in his hair, David Nimmer has jump-started his modeling career and is reported to have a major portfolio review with Maytag in the

near future.

Mark Nimmer leaner and meaner than ever.

Mark Nimmer, now better known as has"Johny Stache" became the new face of the WWF with his new found self confidence after sporting his new stache in his first ever wrestling match tie.

Peter Beck might make you look like a fool.

Peter Beck is the brain child for VH1's new hit series "The World Wide Web's Most Outrageous Uploads!" where he has worked his way up from comment poster to head-criticizer of popular youtube videos.

Danny Clifford has the authority and might just use it.

Danny Clifford has also fulfilled his lifelong goal of becoming a stunt double's double on the popular TV show Reno 911, where he also works on-set security part time.

Rory Trainor is just having the time of his life and wants you to know.

Rory Trainor is now a trainee for peanut salesman position for the peanut super company Planters, where he sees himself having a salty yet sweet relationship with the manufactured peanut corporation for many years to come.

A big thanks to the women of Stag for giving all of us an opportunity to fulfill our dreams and to give us the confidence to pursue the toughest and most mustache dependent of lifestyles. A little off the top, and a little over the top indeed!

Live Painting Session

It Begins...

The Stage.

Next time I thought he should paint over there huge TV Screen.

Near Complete.

This Photo: Justin Reinders

Some quick shots from Andrew Azad's live painting session last night during WhyB's Dj set at the Jackalope Lounj in Milwaukee's Third Ward. An interesting experience to say the least and I'm looking forward to more of these in the future.