Frequently asked questions
What is long exposure photography?
In a basic sense, photography works by opening a hole (the shutter) to expose a light-sensitive material. That material can then record the light it receives and display an image of the scene. When there is a lot of light present (e.g. during the day) keeping the shutter open for any length of time other than a fraction of a second will result in a completely white image. The camera recieves so much light that all the detail is washed out, leaving an image of completely white light.
However, in the dark of night, you can leave the shutter open for much longer periods of time without overexposing the image to light. This allows you to record seconds, to minutes, to hours of information in a single image. This allows you to record the passage of time in a single image.
Why don't you show up in the photos?
The camera records an image by recording light. This light can either come from a light source itself (e.g. LEDs) or be reflected off an object (e.g. moonlight bouncing off a rock face).
In the dark of night, it takes a long time to record enough reflected light to record an image, but it takes a relatively short amount of time to record the bright light being emitted by a light source such as LEDs. As I am climbing, my camera is taking in all the light being reflected off the still background around me. This long exposure time allows it to show a clear image of the rock face, for example. But, it can also capture a clear image of the lights that I have tied to myself, even though those lights are only ever in a single spot for a fraction of a second. This is because the lights are bright enough that the camera doesn't need a long exposure time to capture their image.
Now, to the question of why I don't appear. The only light from my body that the camera can collect is the reflected light from the moon/my lights. But, because I am never in one spot for long (I'm climbing as fast as I can), the camera can't record enough light to capture an image of me. There are some images that have an exception to this where I stand still atop the rock face after I'm finished climbing. This allows the camera to record some light being reflected off my body, but I still appear "ghostly" because I am not standing in that same place for the whole duration of the exposure (unlike the background).
How do you come up with the names of photos?
For the climbing photos, I try to base my name in some way around the name of the route. The vast majority of climbs have names given to them by the first ascensionist. The first ascensionist is the one who first picked out and climbed a specific line up a rock face. It was their vision that brought the climb into existence. I want to respect that vision as I strive to illuminate it in my own way.
How do I get into rock climbing?
If you want to do it the easy way, look up climbing gyms in your city. They're currently blowing up in popularity and new gyms are constantly being built.
You don't even need any of your own gear. Just show up and you will be able to rent gear. The employees will be able to tell you everything you need to know to get you off the ground and you get to do the rest. Good luck and have fun! But, be careful it's addicting!
Why metal prints?
Because they're hip.
Where do you take your photos?
I currently live in the great city of Las Vegas and do most of my shooting in the nearby Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area. I guess one benefit of 110 degree days is that we're blessed with warm summer nights, perfect for shooting long exposure photos.
I also love traveling to climb, especially in all the stunning areas surrounding Las Vegas. If you have a route or boulder problem that you think deserves to be illuminated, please let me know and I'll make it happen.
Can I add a frequently asked question?
Please do! I just made these questions up on the spot. If you have any further questions please reach out to me through the "contact" page on this site. I will be more than happy to answer them. And if they are pertinent, I'll add them here.
But actually why metal prints?
I love the look of the metal print. It displays my photos in all the vibrant colors that they deserve. It also highlights the contrast in my photos between the brightness of lights and the darkness of night.
Another benefit of the metal print is that it comes ready to hang on your wall. You don't have to deal with finding and buying the perfect frame. The photo speaks for itself as it "floats" off your wall with a gallery style mount.