This month we are looking for shots that were a real challenge for you to complete. Difficulties like reaching the location, waiting for lighting or conditions to be just right and even shots that took some real challenge in post-processing. Make sure to tell us your story on why the shot was hard to complete.
For this contest - location is irrelevant and we welcome shots from anyplace.
I'll start things off with this one. This is an example from the UNESCO protected Batad Rice Terraces in the Mountain Province of the Philippines. I have been to this area three times and the last time I was there brought along my Wisner 4x5. To get to this area requires getting into Manila (which is a challenge by itself) , hiring a driver or taking public buses (I have done both) for a 10-12hour tough drive to Banaue, then you have to take a 2-3 hour drive on mountainous 4wd roads til you get as far up the pass as you can (a week before I took this shot my driver was telling me that someone rolled their vehicle and everybody was killed), then a 5 mile hike over the pass in sweltering heat and finally you are at this location. Since there are communist guerillas in this area (as well as al qaeda) there are regular police patrols going on. I had 5 'policemen' with rifles and shotguns walking by and when they asked if they could 'see what I was shooting' I didn't argue. The best part about shooting in this region is being able to hire people to hike with you and carry all of your gear for you. For very little money these assistants very quickly got my rhythm down and were handing me correct lenses followed by quickload sheets.
Wisner 4x5
Schneider 110mm XL
Fuji Velvia 100
RichieV
Posted by Pam Colander on November 2, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Unless Jody G. can top this I'd say you get the prize for difficulty on all levels Rich
Posted by Jack Brauer on November 4, 2009 at 11:27 AM
I have a lot of photos I could choose from for this topic! Each with stories behind them. But this one here from the Julian Alps in Slovenia takes the cake, without doubt. It seems calm enough, in fact there was even a cozy alpine hut nearby.
What the photo doesn't tell is that on the first day of the trek I did through these mountains, I nearly died. Long story short, I was climbing a steep mountainside when there was an earthquake (epicenter right down the valley). The earthquake triggered a massive rockslide that cascaded over and around me as I was huddled terrified at the base of a small cliff. I've never before or since felt so close to imminent death.
Icing the cake, quite literally, is that after I took this shot here, from Triglav (the highest peak in the range) it snowed over a foot - in July! The next day I descended the mountain in dumping snow, followed by pouring rain.
Posted by Scott Bacon on November 7, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Unnamed Peaks in the Brooks Range ~ Alaska
This is near Gates of the Arctic National Park, 325 miles (mostly rough dirt road) and 11 hours North of Fairbanks, Alaska. Its out there. In '93 very few private individuals traveled this route along the Dalton Highway. It was either the 1st or 2nd year you could do so without a special permit. I made the image at the end of a solo backpack near Atigun Pass where I spent 9 days in the remote and very wild wilderness. The only sign of human activity I saw during that time was a small float-plane overhead on the 4th day.
This was a very special trip for me, during which I began to learn who I really was and what I really wanted from my life. The distance and difficulty of this journey was just as much internal as it was literal. And I can still trace the path of my life today back to this spot.
Posted by Bret Edge on November 17, 2009 at 12:17 AM
Yes, I know the walk to North Window isn't particularly arduous. However, doing that scramble in the middle of winter when the sandstone is covered in ice with no crampons on your boots gets a wee bit dicey.
Scott: Your killer image gets my vote. Awesome photo and a great story to go with it. Thanks for sharing it!
Posted by Laurent Baig on November 19, 2009 at 3:27 PM
Somewhat extreme, I suppose, though it doesn't look like it. From the top of Sharkstooth in RMNP
Posted by Roger Rouch on November 23, 2009 at 4:36 PM
I'm not even going to try to compete with the stories or image quality. Those are amazing! I will add a story, though. This is Lower Aero Lake outlet in the Beartooths, taken in the evening light. Early September. If you look closely, there are two bluish colored tents just right and below center and in the shadows. The next photo shows the following morning.
Posted by Roger Rouch on November 23, 2009 at 4:44 PM
That night a howling wind picked up and brought in about 8 inches of snow, with deeper drifts. This is me clearing off my tent early in the morning. The rock to the right of the tent shows the snow depth. This was the last day of a loop through the Beartooths and we were a day behind schedule. Friends had word to call authorities if we weren't out that evening. The route out was down a talus slope descriptively labeled "cardiac ridge" and then a 6 mile hike. We decided to try hiking out rather than worrying authorities. Fortunately there was a happy ending and not so much snow down lower. The beer, pretty waitress, and chili in Cooke City still linger as some of the better things I've experienced in life.
Posted by Jeff Hackett on November 27, 2009 at 11:44 PM
Jack, great shot, and all the stories are cool. The story here isn't nearly as dramatic as you folks'. The difficult parts were being willing to get wet, which for some reason the initial plunge is always the hardest decision to make for me. Then getting in, and staying in position for the shot. The image is from an unpopular slot in Zion NP.
Posted by Ken Wyatt on January 1, 2010 at 10:58 AM
This is by far, my most difficult shot...although it may not seem that way to the casual observer. Usually, people die from making too many poor judgments in a row, but angels must have been looking after me this day. I had decided to make a (1) solo climb up the Crestone Needle some years ago. I realized partway along the way that (2) the Vibram soles on my boots were nearly worn off. (3) I was under-dressed for summiting a 14er. (4) I had no rope. (5) I had no communications. (6) I had no route map. (7) I decided to continue on anyway. I did have an ice ax and lunch with me...
Partway along the route towards the main couloir, I found myself inching my way along a 6 - 12 inch ledge that curved gradually around a large nose. About halfway along this ledge, I suddenly met a mountain goat heading the other way! Neither of us knew what to do at that point. I had the ice ax in one hand while clinging to the rock face with the other and had a large exposure below me. Fortunately, the goat hopped down to a lower ledge and went on his way. I kept inching along until I reached the couloir...but the most exhilarating part was to come. The couloir was steep and at the lower end was a 1500-foot cliff straight down to the valley below. One misstep and I was a goner...and me with boots that didn't grip well! I was really wishing about then that I had a partner with a rope to belay me! Well, I finally inched my way carefully to the top and was able to descend without incident...but I learned a valuable lesson that day! I still shudder to think about the consequences.
Discussion
10 repliesFor this contest - location is irrelevant and we welcome shots from anyplace.
RichieV
Wisner 4x5
Schneider 110mm XL
Fuji Velvia 100
RichieV
What the photo doesn't tell is that on the first day of the trek I did through these mountains, I nearly died. Long story short, I was climbing a steep mountainside when there was an earthquake (epicenter right down the valley). The earthquake triggered a massive rockslide that cascaded over and around me as I was huddled terrified at the base of a small cliff. I've never before or since felt so close to imminent death.
It's worth reading the full story here: Shaken in the Julian Alps
Icing the cake, quite literally, is that after I took this shot here, from Triglav (the highest peak in the range) it snowed over a foot - in July! The next day I descended the mountain in dumping snow, followed by pouring rain.
This is near Gates of the Arctic National Park, 325 miles (mostly rough dirt road) and 11 hours North of Fairbanks, Alaska. Its out there. In '93 very few private individuals traveled this route along the Dalton Highway. It was either the 1st or 2nd year you could do so without a special permit. I made the image at the end of a solo backpack near Atigun Pass where I spent 9 days in the remote and very wild wilderness. The only sign of human activity I saw during that time was a small float-plane overhead on the 4th day.
This was a very special trip for me, during which I began to learn who I really was and what I really wanted from my life. The distance and difficulty of this journey was just as much internal as it was literal. And I can still trace the path of my life today back to this spot.
Scott: Your killer image gets my vote. Awesome photo and a great story to go with it. Thanks for sharing it!
Partway along the route towards the main couloir, I found myself inching my way along a 6 - 12 inch ledge that curved gradually around a large nose. About halfway along this ledge, I suddenly met a mountain goat heading the other way! Neither of us knew what to do at that point. I had the ice ax in one hand while clinging to the rock face with the other and had a large exposure below me. Fortunately, the goat hopped down to a lower ledge and went on his way. I kept inching along until I reached the couloir...but the most exhilarating part was to come. The couloir was steep and at the lower end was a 1500-foot cliff straight down to the valley below. One misstep and I was a goner...and me with boots that didn't grip well! I was really wishing about then that I had a partner with a rope to belay me! Well, I finally inched my way carefully to the top and was able to descend without incident...but I learned a valuable lesson that day! I still shudder to think about the consequences.