Reverse engineer - 3 recent wedding shots

Last week one of my oldest mates, and fellow MTB film maker Aaron Bartlett of Creative concept and Life on Wheels fame got hitched.

I have known them both for years, got pissed for the first time at one of Viks house partys and crashed bikes into trees down the woods with "mono" every weekend from the ages of 13-16.

All the sentimental stuff aside they picked a hell of a place to get married. Polhawn fort down on the south Cornish coast in the UK and they even got dry weather which in February is a miracle in itself. 

I put up the image below on social media the days after the wedding and it got a fair bit of positive comments from Photographers and fans alike, and after someone suggested I do a blog post on how I took the shot I thought why not.

Gear wise all the images in this blog post where taken with the:

• Canon 5dmk3
• Canon 24-105 F4L 
• 1 x speed light fired off camera
• Pocket Wizards plus 2

Before shots right out of the camera on the left, finished files on the right.

In the first shot myself and another friend/photographer Duncan Phillpot saw the rocks and pools leading out to the sea and knew we had to get some shots on them. Dunc was shooting all naturally lit stuff so I thought I would get the flash out and try some kill to retain some detail in the sky.

Bit of dodging and burning to bring out the detail in the sky and the subjects but other than that nothing to wild. 

Gear was listed above and settings where:
ISO 200, F8, 1/200th with fill flash on full zoom, about 1/8th power and about 5 feet out of shot cameras right, held by Duncan at about head height.

In this shot much the same as the last one in terms of ideas and set up but the camera settings for this where: ISO200 , F4, 1/200th with flash again just out of shot to the right but this time wider zoom and higher power, about 1/4.

The last shot for this blog post and again very much the same as the last ones in terms of ideas, exactly the same as the last shot settings wise. I did how ever drop in a sky from another images shot about half hour after this one was taken as we where coming off the beach when some sun broke though slightly. I feel having the darker sky helps keep the eye on the subjects and not up in the bright sky.

Cheers to my voice activated light stand Dunc who is a shit hot photgrapher himself. Was good fun to shoot a wedding super chilled out, just bouncing ideas and shots about between us two and the groom. 

Thanks for having me along and letting me shoot your big day Mono and Vik, and if anyone reading has any more questions or any other shots of mine you would like to know more about the How/Why just leave a comment below.

Cheers

Jacob

How To Be A Biker And A Businessman With Rowan Sorrell | Under The Radar, Ep. 2

New video out today, sadly Rowan re broke his leg yesterday and is using this video as a chance to give young riders the chance to have his bikes on loan to race on for the whole season. If you can post this up on your sites it would be much appreciated. Please find all info, images to post with the video etc below:

Press release:

This film was shot just a month after Rowan had come out of an external fixator cage for a bad multiple fracture of the right leg and ankle known as a 'pilon' fracture sustained when overshooting a jump. As you can see from the video, he was still finding his speed but was comfortable on the bike and making a strong recovery. Unfortunately on Sunday we heard that Rowan suffered a nasty compound fracture of the same leg, after an innocuous low speed fall again at BikePark Wales. The leg fractured higher up than previously and seemingly as a result of the hole that was created in the shin to secure the previous cage; a weakness that was unknown. A bad chain of events, that will result in more surgery and a longer road to reach a true place of recovery. But one that Rowan will no doubt face head on and be back on 2 wheels when the time is right.

When we spoke to Rowan, he wanted to share his thoughts and this opportunity with you:

"Bikes have brought me a lot of joy over the years, riding in places and with people I would never have imagined. Along with that they have brought me a fair share of pain; injuries can be hard to deal with but it is the underlining passion for biking and travel which keeps me motivated.

When I was younger, a few people recognized that enthusiasm and talent and helped me out and I'm always thankful of that support. It's something that I've always wanted to be able to pass onto younger riders and something that we have taken steps towards this year with our development team at BikePark Wales. 

With an enforced lay off riding my bikes I now have a unique opportunity to offer a couple of young, passionate and talented riders the chance to ride more and with a loan of some quality equipment thanks to my continued support from personal sponsors Orange bikes and Mojo Suspension.

I would much rather see my bikes being ridden hard, than gathering dust in the shed!"

Rowan Sorrell

This is an opportunity for a couple of riders who perhaps have the passion and the talent but only have a ratty old bike that's holding them back.

Think that's you? Then make a short video (1 minute 30 seconds maximum) demonstrating what you can do, and why you think you should get the ride and post it to Rowan Sorrell's wall on Facebook.

For practical reasons only, there is a preference that the riders would either live in, or be able to easily travel to, South Wales. Riders should be over 5ft 9" to suit the bikes.

Bikes available:

• Orange 322 DH bike, with fox suspension and shimano groupset.
• Orange Alpine 160 with fox suspension and shimano groupset.

Closing date for entries is the 27th Feb with the chosen riders announced on the 2nd March 2015.

Note: This is a loan arrangement, that is hoped will help a couple of riders further their progress in the sport. Details will be discussed with the chosen individuals.


Aspect Media / EpicTV