Snowboarding self-portraits

[mikekelley]

Since I love snowboarding and love taking pictures, I'm in kind of a catch 22. One of my jobs is taking pictures of people on mountains for corporate clients, but this doesn't ever leave me any time to get shots of myself, and since I hate taking pictures of other people if I'm not getting paid for it (I'd way, way rather just go snowboard myself) it's usually one or the other for me and I like to keep them separate. So I was thinking the other day that this would be a good (or not so good, depending on how much of a baby you are when it comes to your gear) idea. Remote in my hand + remote on camera, camera in hand, fisheye, snowboarding. Happy to say it worked out.

Though I'm sure my camera had multiple heart attacks while I did this, it's okay, I'm really happy with what I got.

I either held the camera in my hand, set up a tripod, or gave it to a friend to act as a voice-activated tripod. With a remote in my hand I was able to get the shot exactly when I wanted it in most cases with 2 or 3 tries. This of course worked best when I had the camera in my hand.

As a side note, it's really hard to ride with a camera in your hand and your arm extended above your head. Really messed with the balance.

all of this was done with a 5d, 15mm fisheye and pocketwizards.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4439713830_cb2e7a414c_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4436936667_3747d9bfe9_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4436932239_9bfcd323b9_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4439721650_8ff15bd99c_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4439888140_1a1af232ae_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4438952513_7a3687560b_b.jpg

[PlayerOne]

Cool shots mate! really diggin no.2.

[sparkin]

I like these - you did a great job! Spent a lot of time at Northstar around 20 years ago.

[mikekelley]

Hah- thanks! I hear it's changed quite a bit from then. No snowboarders were allowed back in the day, now it's sort of a Mecca for snowboarding.

[scsurfdad]

Great shots! #2 and #5 are my favorites. I thought I was the only one doing crazy stuff with my gear. I always shoot my kids while riding (video and still). I just bought a 7D so now I only need to carry one camera :cool:

[upshot]

Wow amazing shots. I'm a snowboarder as well, but I can never find a good time or place to take those kind of self portrait shots. #3's my favorite.

[golf88]

wow this is awesome!! i'd be too scared to mess up my camera though :(

[ScottWCDN]

Those are wicked, The air shots are great, background material!

[SnoDork]

your series came out fantastic! Bravo to you!

[ScottWCDN]

I keep coming back, #2 is phenomenal, Flow would be proud!!

[mikekelley]

Thanks guys - I would love Flow to see these and think they were cool!

I'm a little worried at how well they came out though, it means I have to go get more and that means putting my camera in the battle zone again. Oh well!

[puzzle]

your a brave, brave man riding like that with a 5D in your hand ! I was also riding this season with my 50D in hand but I was taking it really easy, riding like a girl haha taking care not to damage the camera.

big respect!

[JFusion]

Great shots although as a fellow Flow rider I might be a tad biased. :D I can't get myself ride with my cam in hand. I could definitely see a couple of those as ad shots.

[jkim05]

Really cool shots. #2 is my favorite as well.

[Mikeroscope]

Cool shots man. Did you get this idea from the cover of Transworld this month? They have one of a rider holding a camera looking down at himself. The article said it was shot with a 70-200 @140mm. Sounds like a typeo to me. I have also been thinking about how I have so few photos of myself snowboarding. I have a girlfriend I can use for a wireless release.

[mikekelley]

Haha, I saw that and knew someone would ask. I had the idea brewing in my head for a few months now but just never got around to doing it. The difference between me and Eiki Helgason is that I'm holding the remote in my other hand...hehe. I gotta get some points for that, right? Multitasking.

And I did see that typo - no way that was at 140mm!

[zacm7]

dude nice job inspires me to bust out my camera more, i cant seem to bring out my camera when i am riding because i just want to progress my riding...but i guess thats what backcountry is for pics and riding.

[squiLL]

really awesome shots.

2 is definitely my fav

[ScottWCDN]

I'd send them in to Flow, for real - Those are great. #2 is probably one of my favourite 'Riding pictures of all time. I love it!

[mikekelley]

dude nice job inspires me to bust out my camera more, i cant seem to bring out my camera when i am riding because i just want to progress my riding...but i guess thats what backcountry is for pics and riding.
Yeah, I was exactly the same. Didn't want to take a camera because I thought it would hinder my progression or something. Turns out I need to take it easy anyway because I've just been soo sore the last couple days and figured one way to take it easy would be to ride with a camera in my hand, or just focus on doing tricks that look pretty instead of spinning like a top and coming home dead every day.

I'd send them in to Flow, for real - Those are great. #2 is probably one of my favourite 'Riding pictures of all time. I love it!

Thanks - I might send them in after all. I'll keep you updated :)

[geoff5093]

These are some of the best snowboarding shots I've seen!

[escapeartist]

great shots! #2 is definitely my favorite, but I'm respecting the handheld photos a lot (I tried to hold a flip hd off a pow jump a few weeks back and did a somersault).

[mikekelley]

great shots! #2 is definitely my favorite, but I'm respecting the handheld photos a lot (I tried to hold a flip hd off a pow jump a few weeks back and did a somersault).
Thanks - I love those Flip HD cameras. My friend brought one out while he was visiting me last week and we had a ton of fun with it. So easy to use and the video quality isn't half bad for $150.

[miralas]

my fav is the first one mostly because i understand the devastation of a stair set given the size. these are great. when i heal up i'll have to give these a shot next year.

[mikekelley]

Here's another one that I did tonight. I set up all the lights and used pocketwizards to trigger myself...a lot more that can go wrong here. took a few attempts to get it right, but i'm happy with this attempt. two lights, one above, one camera left.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4447167330_789fde5640_b.jpg

[ScottWCDN]

It's still hot, but nothing has touched #2 still.. you can't man, It's gold!

If the board was a bit inverted towards the lens, and closer to the board you may see some better results. Obviously, easier said then done.

[mikekelley]

Haha! Yeah its way hard to get it all right in the air. I'll keep trying different things.

Between balancing the speed, direction, grabs, watching for the lights to go off, getting the timing right...it gets crazy! the worst is when you hike all the way up and hit the thing, only to have the lights not go off or you to miss the timing on the remote - it's super frustrating.

[mikekelley]

Here's an outtake. as you can see, it seems like every time i got something right, something else went wrong! perfect air, no flash :(

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4447252832_f694b9fbdf_b.jpg

[OwensSi]

SOO BRAVEE

[GoHokiesGo]

Wow, these are awesome!

I've always wanted to take my camera with me when boarding, but am always afraid I'll wipe out and destroy it. And that's usually just heading down the mountain, I'd never dream of being able to handhold it in the park or pipe - impressed! :shock:

[Comerfjc]

Oh my word... :shock:

EXCELLENT shots. Really makes me want to get out on the slopes just one more time this season.

I'll have to try this some day. ;)

[mikekelley]

Wow, these are awesome!

I've always wanted to take my camera with me when boarding, but am always afraid I'll wipe out and destroy it. And that's usually just heading down the mountain, I'd never dream of being able to handhold it in the park or pipe - impressed! :shock:

To be honest i'm more afraid of falling with my backpack on - it's a lowepro computrekker plus. the thing is HUGE. I had a tripod and two lightstands strapped to it, and if i had fallen with that thing on my it wouldn't have been pretty. At least when I have the camera in my hand I know that I can keep it above ground if things go south. I take off the battery grip when i'm shooting with it in my hand and a 5d+15mm fish isn't that heavy at all, so i'm not too worried, though the shot over the stairs did have me a little bit nervous. dropping a camera onto the stairs would have gotten very ugly very fast, but my hand was on the outside so if i wasn't able to save it, at least it would have landed in the snow.

but alas...i did a few runs like this and didn't even put my hands down. maybe i should start doing this in contests! then i'll be untouchable...just makes it so i dont fall :)

[PHOTOSBYSCOTT]

GREAT SHOTS. IVE BEEN TOO SCARED TO TAKE MY DSLR ON THE RUNS. IVE DONE IT BUT HAVE HAD A SCARE OR TWO IN THE PAST.

[Onyxdragun]

Wow awesome shots! What a cool concept too! never thought about trying to take photos of myself while riding!

[scroller52]

awesome awesome awesome!!!

[nthach]

I'd be scared to do this with my camera - but I love the perspective from these shots. All my snowboarding self-portraits I have so far are from me handing my 50D to my friend after giving him a crash course on SLR operation.

Do you have a wrist strap for your 5D as a CYA for this?

[mikekelley]

Ohhhh that's not a bad idea at all. I just wrapped the strap around my wrist as best as I could and held on tight.

[alpinekiwi]

Dude those first few shots are sweet! I would be happy to get shots like that of anyone, let alone they are self portraits!

Really cool.

[robie]

Those are some very nice shots! I would never have thought about doing that. Great idea. I ride APO (Apocalypse).