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Category Archives: Random Thoughts
How Working as a Professional Mountain Sport Photographer has Changed
In a fairly remote part of Switzerland’s Wallis Alps last week, I caught myself knowing about a little water hole around a coming turn in the trail. Sure enough, moments later, there it was. The fact that I knew about it made me realize just how much time I have spent in this part of the world. In fact, since 2000, we have spent the vast majority of every spring, summer and fall in the European Alps. All this had me reflecting on our time working in the mountains and how we, as professional mountain sport photographers, have evolved in the last 10 years.
For us, here is a fun comparison of What Was vs. What Is.
Film
Film management has been replaced by file management
Then: Within every pack we carried was a drybag full of film cannisters. Velvia for saturated colors, Provia 100 for the go to film, Provia 400 for lower light, B&W for fun and a few Agfa 1000′s for grainy moods. Film was heavy, bulky and needed protection from moisture. Each roll needed its own care and details written with magic marker on the outside; push 1 stop? clip? shot at 160 instead of 50. If you don’t know these terms, you didn’t shoot film.
Now: A large drybag full of film has been replaced by a neat & tidy film card pocket. Where there was processing, now there is download, storage and backing up. We never really thought much about the fact that film had no backup, but now the thought of having digital files in just one spot is not an option, of course it needs to be backed up, in three places no less. Film took up space, digital takes up time.
Image Storage
Then: After shoots we would take all our film and head to the lab. There were always rolls needing special processing and so we would have them clipped, where a small piece of the film is processed separately. We would then return to the lab and make decisions about processing times. Once everything was determined all the film was run. 48 hours later it would be ready. With all our traveling, we decided to not have the slide film mounted, it took up too much room. Instead we had it sleeved which we would then edit and hand mount later. Today, this seems absolutely crazy.
Now: Return to computer from shoot. Download to Lightroom, backup on two hard drives. Keep hard drives in separate places, upload to remote storage if time and internet connection allows.
Regardless of what, how or where you shoot is to simply just be out - so you can shoot
Presentation & Delivery to Client
Then: This got interesting while traveling in Europe. We had no scanner so the film was sent off for review. Those same images we didn’t have mounted at the lab all had to be hand mounted, packaged up and FedEx’d off to the client for review. No backup. If the needed image was elsewhere, we begged the client to wait.
Now: Clients visit and order from our online Stock Site. With iPhone App we deliver ready for print hi-res files with one click.
Internet
Then: Traveling in the Alps, it basically didn’t exist. Weeks might go by without the option of checking in.
Now: Traveling in the Alps, it basically exists everywhere, and if it doesn’t, wait an hour or two and you’ll be in range.
Style
Then: We climbed alpine peaks, we hiked multi-day tours, we ran long distances – always making images of everything we did, whether it be for stock, commercial shoots or editorial assignments.
Now: Nothing much has changed here, except we stop to Facebook and Twitter about it all.
Attitude
Then: Psych level was off the chart, everything was new and exciting.
Now: Happy to report that 10 years later the psych level is still off the chart but with vastly more experience to make it all even better..
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The PatitucciPhoto Story
Dan & Janine : India 2008
This post goes up as an introduction to who we are for our new Facebook Page. Sure you can read a brief summary on our Portfolio’s About Page, but if you feel like getting to know us a bit better, the personal story, here it is.
PatitucciPhoto is the husband and wife team of Dan and Janine Patitucci. In 1999 we set out to build a photography business, we didn’t know what that business would be, but we knew we wanted to make photos. After a little fashion work, commercial this & that, and editorial assignments – all of subject matter we were not interested in, we decided to stop pursuing being photographers, and start pursuing our passion – mountain sports and travel – of these things we loved, we would make some photos.
We bought a VW Westfalia, moved in, and hit the American roads. For two years we lived out of our van. We climbed, we ran trails, we hiked, and of course we made photos of it all. Along the way we made countless friends and a lot of contacts. What we didn’t make was money. But we persevered, strongly believing in the idea that to Follow your Dreams can only only lead to success. And so it did, but not after a lot of breakdowns in the VW.
Janine doing a little fishing in Alaska
Along the way were some detours. There was the much needed financial payoff of a spring and summer spent commercial fishing in Alaska. There was the winter spent living in a warehouse when every waking second was spent making PatitucciPhoto a reality – with a dial up connection. And there was a lot of time doubting that what we were doing would ever lead to anything but a long road trip with some funny stories. Amongst all of this we had amazing support from family, friends and a few very special businesses that believed in what we were doing.
In 2003 it started to come together, work started coming to us. We had settled in Bishop, California but were splitting our time between the US and Janine’s home country of Switzerland. For five years we went back and forth, shooting summer in Europe and winter in the US. Since 2003, we have been fortunate to have constant streams of commercial & editorial work as well as a thriving stock archive. In 2007, we decided to spend more of our time in Europe and settled in the Sud Tirol of northern Italy.
We often hear that we are living the dream life, followed by the, “How did you do it?”. While we feel endlessly fortunate, we did, and still do, work very, very hard. We had a vision, we believed in ourselves, and then what is really the most simple, yet difficult step – we started the process – and we never gave up. We believe the single most important factor is to be true to what you are most passionate about. For us, it is to be free and healthy, to surround ourselves with great people, to play in the mountains, and to make images derived from the energy created from this lifestyle.
Seems there is little need to add any photos here with the exception of some fun, “who we are” additions. If you want to see our portfolio, and what we do for work, it’s but a click away.
This is our story, and it’s ongoing. We hope you enjoy our work and would love to hear from you.
Dan & Janine Patitucci
Also posted in Personal, Photo Business
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A Morning Walk
“I want to go for a walk with my camera this morning.” My waking thought.
Like each year, I take a break from making photos. Come early November, the camera gets put into its bag and only re-emerges when the time is right. Apparently that time is now, and it does feel right.
Outside our home is a small chapel, a place for the spiritual to go and spend some moments in silence. I do this, not for religious reasons, but because it is a symbol of something, something special and well taken care of so we may all use it for the purpose we each require. I thought about what it is to see things, and to make images of them. How incredibly beautiful I find life, especially the things we humans are capable of doing within the natural world.
As the day began to lighten, and with clouds still thick in our valley, I took my walk. With open eyes and an open mind, I looked a little closer at where I live.
As I arrived, one candle was lit and glowing in the window
There is no lock on the door, the chapel is open to everyone
Road Trip Reflections
Almost exactly ten years ago, a rickety old VW Westfalia pulled into Moab. Its owners had no real plan as to what they would do, they just knew that things would fall into place. The length of their stay would depend on how things went, how they liked the area and how they found the community. With no home but the van, life was free and easy, the days would be full of mountain biking, climbing or trail running. If it rained they would sit it out in some cafe, making friends and plans for when the sun returned. Life was good.
Today a Subaru with mountain bikes on the roof rack pulled into Moab. Like the VW, its owners have no real plans, they simply know that things will fall into place much as they always do. The length of their stay is also undetermined, it depends on how they like Moab and how they find the community.
The people are the same in both these cases and they are of course us. After not having really been on a road trip in several years, we are marveling at how little has changed in terms of who we are. I drove along singing off key back then and I sing along off key still today. A road trip is a road trip, it offers a “take it as it comes” lifestyle and serves as a mirror reflecting the difference the years have made.
In these years we have built a successful mountain sports photography business – which was our goal upon arriving to Moab so long ago. We bought a home in Bishop, California where we lived for many years until deciding to get a second home in Europe, where we now spend the bulk of our time.
While making our way back to Utah, we have had numerous reminders of what we have done with our business. Numerous mountain shop visits along the way had us continually confronted by our own work; as store displays, posters, in magazines, hang tags, and catalogs. Finally it culminated in seeing the current Runner’s World on the reception desk of our B&B as we checked in, a Runner’s World in which we have a two page spread.
Janine (x2) alongside a Deuter Packs poster
We have worked extraordinarily hard in the last ten years and this journey back to our roots has revealed where we have taken our business and how we feel about it. This trip is neither a beginning or an end, it is simply a moment within the process in which we find ourselves.
We are excited at the coming months of being on the move, we have no idea where we will go, what we will shoot or whom we will meet. Life is still free and easy and it is most certainly still good.
Janine (x2) at Patagonia's San Francisco store
Also posted in Personal, Photo Business
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Saying Yes to Life
This morning we woke up to heavy rain. Ok, fine, computer time it is.
Soon it was noon and I was antsy to get out, but the rain came down heavier. So dark was it outside that we had to have our lights in the house. Two, still inside, three, ditto. Four rolled around and I was feeling a bit, “Oh why bother, I’ll call it a rest day”. But it’s not a rest day, it’s more about just getting out. 4:30, things were cruxy. Settled in my seat, I was being productive, good tunes filled the house, and the thought of that initial soaking of rainwater on my shins was too much to bear. The rain was really coming down. 4:35, guilt. 4:40, Alright, YES, okay, I’m going.
Rolling out the door and onto the street, I was immediately in my element. Outside, on a bike, smelling the fresh air, freedom. I headed to the forest behind our house and on to my favorite singletrack, warmed up a bit and then opened up the throttle for some muddy fun. Pure, 100% joy.
My obligatory long uphill had me thinking what the word “yes” means. Yes, as opposed to No. Go as opposed to Not go. I have long had a rule. Say yes. If it sounds good, say yes.
More often than not, a well thought out yes leads to goodness and rich rewards. No kills opportunity and closes doors and the mind.
Roaring down my path
1987 – “Do you want to go climbing for your first time?” – Yes.
1989 – “Do you want to go to your first road race?” – Yes
1991 – “Do you want to drop out for a bit and drop into the climbing bum lifestyle?” – Yes
1997 – “Do you want to commercial fish in Alaska?” – Yes (seriously, true.)
1998 – “Can you start shooting some photos of your travels?” – Yes
Photo school? Yes. Do you want to go out for a drink (Janine) – Yes. How about traveling for a couple of years to shoot and grow our business? Yes.
All things which, when looking back have lead to the bullseye I am lucky enough to be living.
Still it continues. On a whim I’ve said yes to some crazy travels and regretted none of it. (By the way, Andreas – yes, I’ll go to Costa Rica for the Mountain Bike Stage Race). For me, yes has been all good but for one time I said yes for the wrong reason – I said yes knowing in my heart it was wrong, I said yes for money over life. I regretted it immensely and for some time was stuck being someone I was not. Luckily there was an out, and to the out I said Yes, adios.
Once at the top of my climb today I knew my descent was going to be a good one. Thanks to the rain, the trail was in perfect shape, the creek crossings deep with rainwater, and I had chosen the smoothest of all the descents. For 15 minutes I surfed my wave, squinting through the mud and pine needles splattering on my face until I was at the bottom and emerged from the forest and onto our street. I hadn’t even noticed how hard it was raining under the forest’s canopy, but once in the open I was getting drenched. The 4 minute ride home was just long enough to let the rainwater give my bike and I a good rinsing.
Just another path I would have missed out on had I not said Yes
Pursuing Vision vs. Assignments
One of our most effective product photos, shot for a client who said, "Shoot what you want".
As a professional photographer, there is some hard wired belief that one must shoot assignments. As creative people, shouldn’t we be out making images that come as a challenge from our clients? Somewhere along the lines this all became a glamorous theory.
Rather than saying, “I am shooting stock” or “I’m scouting” or even, “I’m really not doing anything”. Most photographers will broadcast, “I am on assignment”. It just sounds better. But is it?
I would argue that for me – shooting assignments has not been all that it is cracked up to be. There have been the dreamy ones; National Geographic Adventure sending us to shoot a big section of the Swiss Alpine Route. Backpacker having us hike the Summer Haute Route. Trail Runner sending us to Patagonia to run the Torres del Paine Circuit. And of course, a few dreamy commercial gigs.
But for the most part, it is a terrible let down. Here, a photo editor, or even other photographers will say, “Every job is a challenge, you must put your creative skills to the test and come up with something unique for the client, no matter the subject matter”.
Fair enough. But not all of us are so inclined to look at it that way. Perhaps it is because Janine and I primarily shoot stock. It is a rare day where you will hear us say, “We are on assignment”. Shooting stock gives us 100% freedom to do what we want, when we want, how we want, and where we want. Yet all with the end user, the potential client, in mind. They just don’t know what they want yet. We prefer to make it for them and see who wants what.
We have seen some curious things while “on assignment”. We were once sent to a town in the US that was on a magazine’s Top 10 List. The problem was, we discovered the town didn’t actually exist, rather it was a crossing of two roads, Main and Broadway. It all sounded good, but apart from a gas station and a market specializing in past expiration date food, it was hardly a dream town. It was the exaggerated result of a writers imagination. That town was later bumped outside the top 10.
And there were the catalog shoots we were called up to do because the clients loved our style and wanted an all new, authentic look for their images. But once on location, we were told how to shoot everything and exactly as they had been doing all while being entirely contrived.
And finally, shooting commercial work where the client insists on nothing backlit, no unique angles, no blurs and they give you product to shoot that may as well be camouflage for the environment. Oh, and they only want blue sky in the mountains but told you which day you had to shoot. Followed by, “Why is it cloudy?”.
I guess some photographers would look at all of this as a challenge. I happen to not look at it this way because at the end of the day I like to see images coming into my editing program that I am proud of. Thankfully there are still many clients who understand that the best images from us come with time. They tell us what they want, compensate us fairly, and expect great work, not in a day, but weeks or even months down the road. For them we work very hard, communicate throughout the process and have fun making their images. Certainly not every client has this kind of time, but many are at least able to provide creative freedom.
In these days of lean budgets we have made a decision to not just work for anyone because work is slim, but to focus on clients whom we would be best suited to support with our style while seeking a lasting relationship. My Post titled “Saying No to Make Yes More Effective” was my mantra this summer. It worked for us, and more importantly it worked for our clients.
There is great reward in looking back on what was influential to us while growing, and to see how those influences played out. For me, I still refer to a letter that was read to my class in 1999 at the Brooks Institute of Photography. Paul Liebhardt, who became both Janine and I’s mentor, read us this letter. At that time, before ever really working as a photographer, his beautifully constructed letter struck me as what would be the truth for me as well. Now, looking back 10 years I have had it confirmed to be true. For us, our favorite images, those we are most proud of and that have made our clients most happy, have resulted when we’ve been provided the freedom to pursue our own vision.
The author, Ernst Haas, later went on to be a great photographer and is considered to be one of the first true masters of color.
Some of our personal favorite images are below, images that represent how we like to photograph what we experience and see.
Dan's favorite image. The memory of this gentle man offering me this flower is incredible. The photo had to be made in less than a few seconds, it was truly a captured moment.
Four runners at sunrise in the Dolomites. An assignment with complete freedom.
Janine's cherished image of a Buddhist monk's reflection on a flooded street in Thailand. No assignment, personal work.
No Photos, just Words
Twenty years ago I did little more than climb; sport climb, trad climb and alpine climb. Like so many other climbers of my generation, Peter Croft was a hero. He was also, and still is, a friend. I vividly remember one morning we spent having coffee together at my house, he was telling me all about a morning he hiked in to climb a North Cascade peak. Alone in the pre-dawn with the smells, the sounds, and the anticipation of going climbing – things all climbers will understand. He recalled crossing some frozen snow where he banged his knuckles, causing them to bleed a bit. Details of the climb were skipped, instead he described seeing the little spots of red in the snow later that day and having his morning come back to him, realizing that he had passed through the environment in the darkness and that he had been a part of a much bigger picture.
Something made me think of that this morning as I hiked alone in the dark toward a climb in the Alps. I am fortunate, for well over twenty years now, the majority of my days have been spent in the mountains. Yet still, when the alarm wakes me in the middle of the night I often feel the same child-like excitement for what I will see, what I will experience, and for all the emotions of the coming day.
We are inundated with images and video, everything everyone does is broadcast with visuals. I am a part of this. Deeper than what we see are the feelings we have when we, as individuals, are actually doing what we love, passing through the environment and taking it all in. We must not forget to slow it all down and do something purely for the sake of what it gives us. And we must not forget that in addition to photos and video and all the impact that they can carry, there are words. Maybe they’re not as fun, and certainly slower paced, but perhaps they are the most important of all. Especially those words which run through our own head and remind us that yes, there is a much bigger picture through which we are passing.
And so this post is just words, I made no photos of my climb, I just thought about how wonderful it was to spend a morning alone in the big mountains.
PatitucciPhoto Schedule
Unlike last summer, where we had loads of stories and work photos, this summer has been a bit different. No longer are we just PatitucciPhoto, we are PatitucciPhoto and DolomiteSport – both are thriving, but we are finding out that both, meaning two, means twice the workload. And this year, unlike last, has me bike racing again and training 25 hours a week. Thankfully, my lifelong motto of, “You never remember sleeping in” has been keeping me going, and going, and going.
This summer has seen the beginning of DolomiteSport’s partnership with Holimites grow to now offer running tour packages in the Dolomites. Our first tour was a few weeks back and thanks to our live Twitter feed, our second tour starting next week has a group of Californians arriving for the Alta Via 1. Of course our images from the first Alta Via 1 Tour are posted.
The stories are here, the photos are here – but here is the computer and we are are not “here” so often, rather we are out “there”. In the coming weeks we’ll do our best to get things posted, tell some tales, and show some photos. But first, this week we leave for Zermatt and a commercial shoot, then Chamonix for more of the same, then Iceland… home in mid August.
Stay tuned. And remember, for more sport oriented posts, trip reports and gear reviews, visit DolomiteSport or follow us via the Twitter Feed.
Questions or Comments… Love to hear them – Fire away on the Comment button. Thanks!
Also posted in DolomiteSport, Photo Business
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