MBUK feature: how to build trails legally

A few months ago I did an article for MBUK on the trails I have been heavily involved in getting built in my hometown. They are fully legal, and all above board.

Anyway BikeRadar has now put the article up online for all to read for free, so go check it out.

Photos and words by yours truly...

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/feature-how-to-build-dirt-jumps-legally-28995




On a different note, the Simon Aplins "Profiles" Edit I did for Wideopenmag.co.uk/ made it to Pinkbikes video of the day yesterday, so whoop on that, all good news!

See the blog post on the video and photos here:

http://jacobgibbinsdotcodotuk.blogspot.com/2011/01/si-aplin-profiles-2.html

and the video on pinkbike here: http://www.pinkbike.com/video/178810/

Got a pretty fun few weeks coming up busy shooting for a few different things with a few different people in a few different places, then on the 16Th head off to Africa to walk up some hill or something, more info on that soon.

Si Aplin: Profiles #2

Here is number 2 in a new series of short web videos im doing over the off season with various riders from around the south west.

See number 1 with Adam Price here: http://jacobgibbinsdotcodotuk.blogspot.com/2011/01/profiles-adam-price.html

2-3 minutes long, short interviews just getting to know some of the riders that make the UK race scene what it is a little bit better.

So this Saturday I headed over to Gawton and Tavi woodlands again to meet up and shoot with Simon Aplin. Si is an expert level racer from Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast, works for a building firm during the week to pay for the van and so he can race most weekends. Video has a bit about him, and just riding some fun DH trails on the weekend.

Check WOmag for the video here: http://wideopenmag.co.uk/news/8548/profiles-video-si-aplin

Anyway a few still photos from the day:







and the video here:



Wideopenmag.co.uk
JacobGibbins.co.uk

Sites I visit

Right a blog post I have been meaning to do for a little while.

Nothing really new or exciting in here, just a list of what sites on the WWW I check out on a daily basis with a few photos thrown in for good measure and to keep the eye happy...

Even though there are some 17 gazillion websites out there, you are always stuck for ones to look at, so you may find a few new ones in here.

Right first out the way is Email, Facebook, Twitter,Flickr My site etc etc

Now the good stuff...



http://www.aphotoeditor.com/

Great site with some good quotes, even better articles and very useful info on how the whole photography business works.

http://blog.defgrip.net/

Good BMX,Art,Culture blog, post up a lot of great videos,shorts,photos,riding etc

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/

Photography forum, based in the USA but full of good people and info

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/index.php

Another forum, this one for video though...



http://ffffound.com/
http://observando.tumblr.com/
http://blog.yimmyayo.com/page/1

All three of those are art,photography,design image blogs...you get a few new pics a day to look at, some good , some kinda shit, but every now and again you see something that inspires you...

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/
http://cheesycam.com/
http://nikonrumors.com/

These three are all geeky camera,video,web gear blogs. Boring as Ken for anyone who doesn't find mega pixels interesting...




http://vimeo.com/

Now this one may be a bit obvious, but if you use the explore bit in the top right, there is an easy few hours gone looking through the HUGE amount of gold on vimeo.

Now bike sites...

http://wideopenmag.co.uk/
http://dirt.mpora.com/
http://www.pinkbike.com/
http://www.vitalmtb.com/
http://www.southerndownhill.com/forum/
http://factoryjackson.com/

Keeping an eye on what those 5 sites post up normaly means you dont miss much.



And now for photographers/videographers sites/blogs...

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/
http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/
http://www.atomicsafari.blogspot.com/
http://strobist.blogspot.com/
http://erikseo.com/blog/
http://www.joeyl.com/blog/
http://sebrogers.typepad.com/
http://kemplemedia.com/blog/
http://dancarrphotography.com/blog/

And that in short is how I spend my online days...

If its not linked from one of the sites listed above, Its very unlikely I will ever see it ha But with FB and Twitter mentioned at the top, its hard you miss anything worth seeing.

Another "real" blog post in the next day or so.

Ta Jacob

Adam Brayton - Pre Season video...

A month or so ago my mate and totally pinner Adam Brayton called me up and asked if he could come down and stay with me for a few days after new years and do some shooting and ride down my way. I said yes of course, and that weekend was the one just gone.

2 full days shooting, got some great stuff, sent some big gaps, hit some turns so hard I thought he would break the ground...but the final product can be seen bellow.

The video is also on youtube,pinbike,mpora,vital so go find it on there and add it to your favs, if you liked it that is.



I got a good number of great still shots aswell while he was down, but Dirt are interested in running a few so they cant go online just yet...but when they do there are a few differant looking shots in there.

I have tweeted over the past few days with some shots of my pc as ive been working on the shots, see the twitter bar over here -----> keep an eye on that, or follow me on there @JacobGibbins

First sneak peek shot is a flashed sequence shot on the big step down at 3:10 in the video...

The gap for mere mortals is about 25 feet, but where most people are just rolling, Brayton was on the gas as hard as he could and said he wanted to build the turn in to this in to a nice smooth berm so he could go even further...to where he was landing was a good 40-50 foot! keep an eye on the blog and my facebook and twitter for when this shot goes online high res...its a good un.



I also tried something a bit different, the walls in my dinning room are nice and white, So thought we would shoot some high key , studio style portraits of him and his bike, I cant put any other shots up as again , Dirt want them, but when I can I have some set up shots of the lighting and the whole room so you can see just how these shots where made with such a shitty set up...



Thanks for looking, and keep an eye on FB,Twitter, the blog etc for more news...

Orange bikes 2011 Brochure

Back in October I went up to south Wales for a few days shooting with Rowan Sorrel the man who has built most of the trail centers in Wales and also rides for Orange Bikes to shoot some stuff for there new 2011 brochure of a few bikes ( ST4 and missile )

Anyway been waiting a while for the new brochure to come out, and makes its way down to me, but now it has I can do a blog post on the shots they used, plus a few of the ones that didn't quite make it in...

First a bit about the days shooting. We ( Rowan and I ) had decided we needed some trails to shoot the Mii on, and some nice single track xc with good views for the ST4.

So on day 1 we went to a few spots over looking the Severn bridge, and also to some lesser known parts of Cwm Carn, then on Day 2 went a bit further a Field over to west Wales to a trail center he built that has some stunning views and sections of single track, and also to the trails down in Swansea...Anyway I will show you the shots I took, and how they looked in the brochure, then a few shots from the shoot that didn't quite make it in...

This is the shot that ran for the Mii, shot down at Moos trails in Swansea, on a Nice hip, 2 flashes...





This is one of the shots that they have used most both in the brochure, the website and in adverts that ran in MBUK and DIRT...





This is another one that ran for the ST4 but this time as a full page...





And now just a few random shots form the shoot that didn't quite make the cut for the brochure...although some went in magazines, and where used elsewhere. This first shot of Rowan in the green forest ran DPS in MBR last month which looked really good, I tweeted a shot of the

Profiles: Adam Price

I’ve been wanting to shoot something a bit different to the normal MTB web videos for a a while.

I look at a lot of BMX sites and blogs and the videos on them are more about getting to know the riders themselves than just showing off their riding. So over this off season I’ll be doing a few short 2-3 minute videos with random riders of all ages and abilities to just get to know why people ride, what they gets from it etc.

So the first video in this series is with South West local and pinner Adam Price, watch the video, look at the photos, get an idea of who he is and watch him shred his local trails 10 mins from his house.

Anyway Video here:



And a few photos:









wideopenmag.co.uk
JacobGibbins.co.uk

Bits and bobs from the last month...

I am always going out with the camera, even when no ones paying me, when there's not even an aim or reason. I just love taking photos, these are just a few of the photos I have taken in the last month or so that didn't have a place in the multiple projects I'm working on, or any other blog posts...

They have all been on my flickr stream http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobgibbins for a few weeks, so for the latest from me add me on there...

Anyway enjoy, comment with your fav image from this post bellow...



Interesting weather makes interesting photos, and when Tavi was covered in thick fog for a whole day a few weeks back me and my mate will from uni went out and got some shots...( including some of me he took on MF film which I will post up when I get them )



One of my Mate Adam riding down the local woods, I love the texture in this shot.



Another one of Adam, this time railing a berm, 2 flashes, one low and right in front of him, another one back left of camera, both on about 1/16th power... ?



Yet again, Adam, this time trying to get his bars in the Dirt, and he did get it and ride it out...



Cool B/W portrait of my Mate Jay who I shot for Locals my film I made last winter
http://jacobgibbinsdotcodotuk.blogspot.com/2010/01/locals-film.html



There are a load of old buildings all over Dartmoor, this is an old Tin Mine Pump house that I have been meaning to shoot for a while now, and the snow we had a few weeks back was the perfect chance



This is just an abstract shot looking through one of the old windows in the building...



Another one, this time with guest star to the blog, the Dartmoor pony.



Another one from the day Tavi was swallowed by mist, this time Will in the FG, and Fred up in the BG...

Anyway next blog post will be a photo/video post with a cool little short vid I did with my other mate Adam on Sat at his local trails for WideOpen and a few others...

Ta Jacob

Dialled Alpine

All the work I do for WideOpenMag.co.uk/ throughout the season was rewarded with a nice end of year bonus/thank you a few weeks ago when this little beauty turned up on my door.

Dialled bikes http://www.dialledbikes.com are long term friends of the magazine and make some of the best hardcore all round mountain bike hard tails out there. First impressions are great, really nice looking frame prime for long distance riders and aggressive trail riding, super light weight, amazing attention to detail, slick dark red metallic paint job.

All in I'm really happy with it....




Here is the frame in its entirety, looks pretty slick eh ?



The immaculate drop outs with built in hanger, looks strong!



Arty shot of the bike.

Anyway that's all really, Ta to Dialled bikes and wide open, bring on this season!

Could tell me what a career in photography is like?

Someone just sent me a message asking me a few things about starting in photography and I kind of just wrote an answer without thinking, just went for it...read it back and thought it was worthy of sharing with more people than just the person who sent the question...

Hello,

I was just wondering if you could tell me what a career in photography is like.

I'm at that stage where you don't know what to do as a career, and photography is one of the things I am into and enjoy doing and think I would enjoy as a career.

Could you please tell me what the best way into photography would be and how hard it is to build up a client list like yours (I have seen it via your website).

I would appreciate it if you could email me back.

Thank you,
-------.


I myself am only just starting out in this whole photography thing in the grand scheme of things but so far I can tell you its damn hard work, and has very little or no job security, has very long hours, and you need to be willing to get up at 4am and sit in the rain till 8pm for very little money,its SUPER competitive and only getting worse and unless you are really good, and have more enthusiasm,drive,skill,and business acumen than the million other you's out there you wont succeed. Its a very hard time to be a photographer right now.

But on the flip side, Its also one of the most exciting times, for me this is my dream job and I love every second of it, I wouldn't be doing anything else in the world.

As for how to get in to it, Get out and shoot the best stuff you can, share the best of the best online, and when you get good enough doors will start opening, if they don't maybe think again about it as a job, and keep it as a hobby?

And to get a clients list like mine has taken 2 years full time, 3 years before then doing it every waking moment god gave me for nothing more than the love of it, and 2 years before that playing about with cameras. The clients just come as you get better.