This week it started in  bit different way. I was shooting for the Polish solo offshore sailor Gutek from Operon Racing. We left the harbor as usual for La Rochelle early in the morning around 7.00 am and wonder no sandwich’s around.

Soon later the water was boiling and I got a grey small bag with some dry stuff inside. A bit of water and a wonder happend. I had a very tasty warm breakfast. For lunch we even got goulash.

Have to admit the lyophilized food tast’s way better as I bleived. The next day I was in the chopper for a 2 h helishooting. Guess what we had for lunch at the airport? Sandwich!!!

Thank you Gutek for this warm meal on board, it’s highly appreciated.

Good luck for you solo around the world.

Juerg

Nun ist es wieder soweit, morgen reise ich ab nach Zermatt an die Patrouille des Glacier. Eine Übernachtung im Tal und dann rauf auf die Tete Blanche um dort gute Bilder zu machen bei Nacht. Und genau das ist die Frage, wie kommen wir rauf auf die Tete Blanche? Mit der Asche in der Luft die man nicht sieht dürfen die Helis nicht fliegen.

Letztes mal durfte ich bis Col de Bertol fliegen und danach zu Fuss auf die Tete Blanche. Es war ein super Gefühl in Arolla in del Heli zu Steigen und rauf bis auf den Col de Bertole, ich  genoss die paar Minuten im Heli die Hänge rauf zu fliegen. Der rest von da weiter war schon ein ziemlicher Effort mit ein fast 10 Kg Rucksack. Die letzten hundert Höhenmeter waren ein Kampf. Ich zählte die Schritte bis wir endlich oben waren.

Nun sieht es anders aus…dieses Jahr laufen wir wahrscheinlich von Zermatt aus. Die Asche ist da und wird auch noch ein paar Tage bleiben.

Dafür gibt es dann auf der Tete Blanche eine überraschung. Wir habe von dort danz Swisscom Zugriff aufs Netz und somit können wir Bilder “Just in time” ins Tal senden.  Also freuen wir uns doch.

So nun mache ich langsam Schluss für heute damit Morgen die Energien nicht fehlt.

Jürg

PS: Bilder von 2008

First day in Valencia, it doesn’t seem that in less than 3 days there will be the 33rd Americas cup. Plenty of activity going on, tv trucks cables, noise etc. The harbor is busy but no AC boat’s. BMWO is in the commercial harbor and Alinghi 5 is under the tent.

On the top of the Varadero building you can find 2 SNG flags and a big sign “Mediacenter” at the entrance. Even here lot’s of preparation activities going on. Nearby the Alinghi base, impressive building, shop is open, music plays.

We are used to those prevent activities, for a typical regatta that what’s normally happen but for the cup it’s a bit a strange feeling.
Another thing: The weather forecast for February 8th announce 5 knots of wind in the morning, will this be the Alinghi day or does the wing from BMWO will impress us all?

I’m looking forward to see what’s happening in the next days.

Jürg

One morning the customer I was shooting for in Rio told me, you have to go up there and shoot the “Christo Redentor”. After the racing days we had only cloudy days and only 2 of them left before flying home. In a good moment with the clouds disappearing I grabbed a taxi and off we go. 100 Reais up and down and 25 Reais to get in..and guess what happend up on the Corcovado?  The clouds where back.
Sometimes you need to invent something, the original picture was very dull no contrast and lot of grey light.
Click on the image to see more pictures of Rio inclusive some of the famous Copacabana.
Juerg

Since a while Daniel Forster and me we started to work together on projects, this give us the chance to cover more complex shootings easier such as for example the 33rd Americas cup.

The distances are so big it’s impossible to shoot at the start and then being on time also at the weather mark. So during the 33rd America’s cup we will share the positions on the race course with the goal to give a better coverage to our customers.

The size and speed of the boats is also a bit of a challenge. For those who shoot in their free time try to go on the street and take a picture of a car moving towards you with 50 – 60 km/h maybe even more, you have to be quite fast with framing and the focus to get a sharp picture. Another point are the distances that’s why we will be using the big long lenses. For the cup Nikon Switzerland give me the chance to use their 500mm lens with VRII function. I really curious too see the difference. by the way the lenses it selves is 3.5 Kg plus 1.2 Kg the camera this means holding up almost 5 Kg.

Sometimes I think back at the Olympic Games where we got  Chinese agency photographers used to work in the football stadiums with tripods, coming on board with tripods and monopods. Very quickly they realized that this is of no use as the boats are moving too much. Some even got seasick but that’s another story.

Please come and visit our new website www.go4image.com especially for the 33rd Americas cup we made a gallery with Daniels images of the last 10 America’s cup going back more than 30 years to Newport 1977 until the images we will start to publish next week.

Jürg

Last week I had the chance to spend 2 days with Karin Jaggi 27 times windsurf world champion in Turkey Alacati on the PWA Tour. I didn’t know what to expect although I had some clear ideas about the images I want to bring home.

How will it be? With so many titles is she still cool? Yes she is cool very cooperative. You would say she could be simply the neighbor.

During the shootings you could really see how professional she became in all this years. Especially whily using the underwater camera. Karin keept gybing around me whiteout getting tired at all, at this was aftre a day racing .
Windsurf itself is so photogenic that I’m wondering why we don’t see more of those images.  Maybe I’m getting a bit tiered of shooting sailing and windsurf gave me this feeling of something new to discover with the camera.
Have a look at the images:

Shooting with Karin
Racing images from the PWA Tour

Thank you Karin, it was great.

Juerg

Yesterday on flight back from the Audi Medup in Cagliari I found this picture. It’s a sunset on the Hirzel one of my favorite shooting place. Right after the shooting the picture didn’t made it in to the selection of the day, would have almost deleted it, sometimes you really need to look twice before you see the real beauty.

It’s quite some time ago since I have been in Thun, it’s a interesting feeling walking around here in this town. Thun is my birth town and in some way it’s a home.
With all the travel we do, did you never asked yourseles where is home?
Good night
Juerg

6am on the Hirzel