The wonderful world of Multi-Media

While my primary focus has been creating videos that tell a story, the world of storytelling has really evolved and grown more complex over the past few years with clients now needing media in many various forms and flavors.  Over the past year, I've been expanding into written content (American Angler article, ZEAL blog stories, Orvis articles, Storehouse & Steller stories, etc.).  Facebook, blogs, Storehouse app, and the Steller app to name a few outlets provide excellent platforms for clients to reach out and tell their stories to a wide audience.  In addition to more written and photographic content, I've also been supplying video in different formats to again reach different audiences.  The video below is a standard 1080p video to be embedded anywhere on the web, but I also created a fifteen second Instagram version for SKILOGIK to use on their Instagram feed (@SKILOGIK).

It's an exciting time.  Democratization of storytelling is hitting its stride bringing an unparalleled ability to get out there and tell a story in an almost unlimited way.  This freedom does come with its own set of difficulties; number one being the problem of standing out amongst the din of so much constant media.  I believe a strong focus on the message, the branding, and specialization to hone the message to a select audience is the only way to successfully catch the attention of audience members.

Time will tell which outlets stand the test of time, but in the meantime it's a very fun time in history.  Within moments of an event, that photo/story/video can be shared through a multitude of outlets.  With a bit more time to refine the media - to edit, enhance, contemplate a bit more outside of the excitement of the moment - the story can be made even better.  This is the exciting part to me.  There are so many stories out there to be told.  So many interesting people.  With technology being affordable and outlets being accessible this truly is the Golden Age of Creativity.

American Angler Article

The current issue of AMERICAN ANGLER magazine contains an article I wrote about last summer's eleven day float down the famed Kanektok River in remote southwest Alaska.  It's a humorous story about my attempts to catch a mighty King salmon while under the tutelage of flyfishing veteran and good friend, Mike Navidomskis.  Do I catch a King salmon worthy of a photo?  You'll have to stop by a local bookseller, grab a copy of the magazine, and find out for yourself.

Powder Mountain Snowsports School

Kent Lundell, the director of the Powder Mountain Snowsports School, wanted a short video about the snowsports school, so I grabbed my Canon DSLR and in a quick morning shot what I needed for the video.  The atmosphere at Powder Mountain is so great; laid back, friendly, supportive.  This feeling permeates the staff and is felt by visitors and students of the snowsports school.  While we're still in need of another round of snow storms here in Utah, there's still a lot of fun to be had in the mountains right now.

Powder Mountain Backcountry

Recently, with the help of the great folks at Powder Mountain Ski Area, I was able to head into their surrounding backcountry to scout out the location of an upcoming photo and video shoot for SKILOGIK, ZEAL Optics, and ABS backpacks.  Ex-racer, Christina Guay, accompanied me on the outing to help as my talent/model/skier for the day.  She did a great job, as well as Garrett and Brian, who made sure we were safe in the backcountry.  Thanks to everyone who made this possible. #zealoptics #skilogik #powdermountain

WasatchReport.com

Last winter, my wife and I alternated spending days at home taking care of, and home schooling, one of our daughters who was going through a prolonged illness.  During some of the many hours I spent sitting in front of my laptop as I looked out at the snow, I put together an aggregation webpage focused on skiing, the backcountry, and misc good stuff from along the Wasatch.  I was going to so many websites on a regular basis, I wanted to compile them all on one page for easy access.  One thing led to another and soon I had WasatchReport.com.

The intent was create a central site I could bookmark and then find information in a quick, clear format.  It's a dynamic site with links, articles, and videos I found interesting, informative, or entertaining.  There's nothing extra here -- just links and some videos I thought were worth adding to the page.  Last season I tried to add a new article every day, but I'm not stuck at home this season, so therefore I don't see this happening...but who knows. 

I invite you to check out the site, click and explore, and discover new people and places.  Let me know if you have something I should add or suggestions to make it better.  My email is chris.twosherpas@gmail.com

Thanks, Chris

WASATCHREPORT.COM

"PRO-Files": Ski Patroller GR Fletcher

ABS Avalanche Airbags and ZEAL Optics sponsored a video I created about avalanche control professionals at Snowbasin.  Veteran patroller GR Fletcher leads a crew of ski patrollers doing avalanche control work after a fresh dumping of Utah powder.  I'm glad to finally be able to release this video for general viewing.  We shot it late last season on crisp, bluebird morning.  Through the graciousness of the ski patrol, I was allowed to shadow them as they made the mountain safe for everyone to enjoy.

The video was primarily shot with a Canon 70D since the camera's auto-focus capabilities are incredibly helpful during single-person documentary style shoots such as this one.  I also shot some footage with my GoPro3+ and stabilized it as best as I could in post.

NUTCRACKER BALLET

Last night I recorded a performance of The Nutcracker ballet performed by Ogden's Imagine Ballet Theater.  Since the recording was simply a wide, static shot of the stage, I had time to wander around with my Canon 70D and fast prime lenses to capture the activity in and around the stage.  While I've now seen this ballet more times than I ever thought possible in a lifetime, I'm still amazed by the dedication, passion, and excitement of the young people who work so hard to make this performance a success year after year.

Below is the link to the photo essay I created on Storehouse, since the photos look wonderful on a large monitor.  You can see a very similar photo essay I made using Steller here.  The Steller version is optimized for viewing on a cell phone screen.

A Little Photo of Mine Was Published

Okay, so my photo is a small square amongst twelve others on one page (upper right...almost too dark to see), but it's still an honor that the creators of ALPINE MODERN liked my photo enough to include it in the inaugural issue of their quarterly magazine.  It's also an honor, and rather humorous, my photo is included on the same page as a photo by the amazingly talented Chris Burkard.  I hope he's not too offended to have to share page space with an amateur like me; I'm sure it's a one time anomaly.

Wonderful Winter Season Partners

As the temperatures continue to stay cold and the forecasts keep predicting more waves of snow, I can say I'm getting excited about this ski season.  This year I have the support of four wonderful partners, and I'm itching to get out on the snow and start creating inspiring media for all of them.  I hope to see you out in the mountains this winter!

EXPLORE MORE: SEATTLE

(I originally wrote this article for the ZEAL Optics website where it accompanied a photo essay from my recent trip to Seattle.)

What does ‘explore more’ mean to me?  Well, I know it’s not limited to grabbing a passport, hopping on a transoceanic flight, and paddling in a dugout canoe to some far flung corner of the globe.  ‘Explore More’ is a mindset.  It’s about seeking out unique moments and new experiences where ever you can find them.  

Whether it’s eating at a new mom and pop taqueria in town, skiing a new area, or floating down a remote river with friends -- these are the experiences I look for and what I consider to be ‘exploring.’

Recently, I traveled back to Seattle; the city of my youth.  My best friend from high school picked me up at the airport, and we spent the day roaming around various neighborhoods taking photos and 'exploring.'

A camera is a great excuse to slow down, to look at the details, and it’s your ticket to ‘explore more.’  To stroll the sidewalks, check out the alleyways, study architectural details, to walk into stores, restaurants, tattoo parlors, coffee shops and begin conversations with people from every walk of life.  At the end of the day I had a fresh view of the city I thought I already knew so well.

You don’t have to travel far to do this.  Just visit a place you’ve never been to before.  Invite a friend.  Get out of your car.  Walk around.  Strike up a conversation with a stranger.  Order a meal you can’t pronounce.

Want to ‘explore more?’  Then stop reading this article and head outside.  You don’t have to have a ticket to a foreign land to be an explorer, just a mindset to get out and experience something new.  The world is waiting.

A Farewell to Fall

Outside it's snowing and cold...and I'm loving it.  I'm in the middle of a bunch of different video projects and looking forward the publishing of my first articles in a national publication next month, but I took a moment to create this little collection of photos from this past autumn.  Fall is one of my favorite times of year and this year it didn't disappoint -- we had a gorgeous season of color and Indian Summer temps right until the bitter end. 

You can see my other Steller and Storehouse visual stories on those pages of my website.

Kokanee Salmon

I love living in a state with distinct seasons, and I look forward to every autumn as it brings a massive wave of change in weather and colors.  Here in northern Utah the maples are first to change with their brilliant oranges and reds, then the aspen with their shimmering waves of glowing yellow, and finally the majestic, sprawling oaks which turn a somber maroon as a final farewell to our Indian Summer.  

During this time some of the rivers above our lakes and reservoirs explode with crimson as thousands of land-locked Sockeye salmon, known as Kokanee, make their lives' final journey upriver to spawn.  Within half an hour of my home is a trailhead that leads to one such small river.  In September I hiked to the river to take photos and video of the small salmon.  While I posted the multi-media story on Steller and Storehouse, I forgot to post the video here.  As the Wasatch Range becomes dusted with our first real winter storm, I thought it would be a good time to post the video before the excitement and activities of the winter season lead to me forgetting about it until next spring.  Here it is...better late than never.  

Caroline Gleich

Last weekend Caroline Gleich and I spent the day shooting footage for a video we hope to complete later this winter.  We spent part of the day in SLC and the late afternoon up at Snowbird where I took the following photos.  Besides crashing my Phantom 2 drone, it was a fun day and we got a lot of great footage.  It was beautiful at the top of Snowbird, but let's all keep praying for snow.

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Craftsman

In conjunction with ZEAL Optics posting my video, article, and photos about local violin-maker John Young, I also created photo essays in both Steller and Storehouse.  Here's a link to the new Storehouse page I added to this site where you can look at my Storehouse stories.

Phantom2 Aerial Photos

It happened last spring.  All it took was for my wife to see a video with an aerial perspective of a skier descending through trees and knee deep powder.  She was sold.  She showed me the video and so was I.  Now I've been experimenting with my own Phantom2 copter and GoPro in preparation for the upcoming ski season.  The aspen groves in the mountains around my house are lighting up and give me a great excuse to head out and get some footage before all the leaves fall away.  This particular shot was taken a few minutes from my house on the road heading up to Snowbasin.

Amazing Story Apps: Storehouse and Steller

Being a very recent convert to the word of the iPhone, I recently discovered the iPad/iPhone apps Storehouse & Steller.  Both apps let users use their own multi-media to create stories along the lines of more expensive and complicated online stories, such as those created by the NY Times and Powder Magazine.  

This link on the right is to the Storehouse version of the story, which is presented in more of a scrolling article format that's great for high fidelity photos.

Over at Steller, which features more of a flipbook type presentation, I was pleasantly surprised to see a larger community and quickly a lot of people were reading and liking my stories....which is exactly the point of posting stories in the first place.  Here is the same story about Kokanee salmon, but in the Steller flipbook format.  Enjoy.

I Am SheJumps. Are You?

Tomorrow night is the world premiere of Lynsey Dyer's film, PRETTY FACES, in Boulder, Colorado.  While I can't make it out to Boulder for the premiere, I'm certainly going to the SLC screening later this month with my family to show our support for the movie (it was funded in part through a Kickstarter campaign).  Several years back, Lynsey, along with Claire Smallwood and Vanessa Pierce, created the non-profit SheJumps organization to promote women getting out and involved in the outdoors.  I'm proud to say a short video ad I created for SheJumps will play at the premiere and most showings of the film.  Thanks to Claire for asking me to do this and having the confidence I could quickly put something together fitting of their inspiring organization.

Warren Miller Contest Results

Thanks to everyone who rallied behind our video and cast votes throughout all the rounds of the competition.  We garnered more votes in the final round than any of the previous rounds, but the Midwest team proved too strong.  Congrats to Joey Wallis and his supporters!  It was a well deserved win, and I look forward to meeting him at the SLC premiere.  Joey won the overall contest and we proudly settled for the runner up position and winner of the Intermountain Region.  Thanks again to everyone for your support -- we'll see you at the premiere and on the mountain!

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Snowbasin in late winter.

Two Ski Films to Get Excited About

It's officially time to get excited about the premieres of two ski movies next month.  First, the all women ski film, PRETTY FACES, is making its Utah premiere in SLC on October 8th.  Our family happily contributed to the Kickstarter campaign and are now thrilled to see the movie come to fruition.  I've done some video work with SheJumps, so it's great to see this offshoot of that organization put together a big time ski film to promote women getting out on the snow and charging. 

The second film is Warren Miller's NO TURNING BACK.  This film has its world premiere in SLC on October 18th (and will also be playing closer to my home in Ogden on October 22&23).  My short film, THE WORLD OPENS UP, which won Warren Miller Hometown Hill competition for the Intermountain region, will be playing on the big screen before the film.  This is exciting for us to present this short film of skiing here in our local mountains for everyone to see and get excited about the upcoming winter.  Let it snow!

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Above Ogden

It seems like I've been surgically attached to my chair and desk the last two weeks as I finished up a ton of video projects, so I decided to get out and camp in the nearby mountains for the night to a) shoot some test video with a new Phantom copter, b) shoot some video footage for a project, c) take some photos with a new lens, d) test out a new sleeping pad, and e) just get out and sleep high on the mountains for a night.  The views of Ogden on the west and the Eden Valley on the east were amazing, most of the tests worked well (I'll ignore the crashing of the Phantom copter for now), and Lucy and I had the ridge all to ourselves.