RUNNING A TRAIL AS A PHOTOGRAPHER BRINGS GREAT REWARDS:

I AM GOING TO HIGHLIGHT A SPECIFIC TRAIL RUNNER FOR 2 REASONS: 1- BECAUSE HE HAS PICKED SOME OF THE MOST RUGGED MOUNTAINS IN THE WORLD TO DO HIS TRAIL RUNNING AND 2- HE HAS A GREAT EYE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AND IS AN AWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER. SO, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE THINGS IT TAKES TO BE A “TRAIL RUNNING PHOTOGRAPHER”:

TIM COTTRELL HAS CHOSEN SOME OF THE WORLDS TOUGHEST MOUNTAINS IN THE WORLD TO TAKE ON MOUNTAIN RUNNING: THE MIGHTY WASATCH MOUNTAIN RANGE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN, IN UTAH. WE HAVE OFTEN TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU CAN EASILY SEE WHY THESE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLED THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF ROCKS THAT ARE ALL OVER THE MOUNTAINS, AND THEY ALL SEEM TO BE ON THE TRAILS YOU HIKE IN OR, IN THIS CASE, RUN ON. THIS BRINGS UP SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE WILL TALK ABOUT IN PREPARATION FOR BEING A TRAIL RUNNER.
PHOTO BY TIM COTTRELL
REALIZING THAT THERE ARE MANY DANGEROUS ROCKS THAT YOU MAY ENCOUNTER IN RUNNING ON A TRAIL, IT IS HIGHLY ADVISED, IF YOU ARE IN RANGE OF CELL PHONE RANGE IS TO BRING A CELL PHONE IN CASE YOU SPRAIN OR BREAK, OR HAVE SOME KIND OF ACCIDENT ON THE TRAIL WHILE RUNNING. OF COURSE YOU HOPE YOU NEVER HOPE FOR THIS, BUT, THIS IS A DANGEROUS SPORT NOW AND YOU ARE TAKING ON SOMETHING EVEN THE VERY BEST RUNNERS MAY ENCOUNTER AT TIMES. ANOTHER PROBLEM YOU MAY HAVE IS RATTLESNAKES IF YOU ARE IN THE ROCKY AREAS A LOT. TIMING IS EVERYTHING IF A RUNNER IS BIT BY A RATTLESNAKE.
SO, IF YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE, AND A RUNNER IS TRYING TO KEEP THE WEIGHT DOWN TO A MINIMUM, IT JUST USUALLY GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT MOST GOOD RUNNERS WILL USE THEIR CELL PHONE AS THE CHOICE OF CAMERA EQUIPMENT AS WELL. IF NOT THEIR CELL PHONE, THE NEXT BEST CHOICE OF COURSE, THAT I HAVE FOUND FROM ALMOST ALL TRAIL RUNNERS IS A SMALL, BUT RUGGED WEATHERPROOF, ALL-IN-ONE CAMERA, SUCH AS A NIKON RUGGEDIZED CAMERA, OR PENTAX, WHO STARTED THE RUGGEDIZED CAMERA IDEA. CANON, ALSO HAS ONE AS DO OTHER MANUFACTURES. PICK THE ONE THAT YOU ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH. BUT, MY FEELINGS ARE, IF YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE, THAT HAS A PRETTY GOOD PIXEL RATING, WHY HAVE A SECOND CAMERA AS WELL. SURE, I UNDERSTAND THAT A 16 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA ON A CELL PHONE IS NOT THE SAME AS A PENTAX 16MEGAPIXEL CAMERA, BUT, THESE CELL PHONE CAMERAS DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB NOW DAYS. ALL THE PHOTOS THAT ARE DISPLAYED ON THIS BLOG TODAY WERE SHOT WITH A CELL PHONE.
PHOTO BY TIM COTTRELL
ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS YOU HAVE GOING FOR YOU AS A TRAIL RUNNER IS THAT, ACCORDING TO THE COMPOSITION RULES OF PHOTOGRAPHY, YOU NATURALLY HAVE THE “LEADING LINES” PART OF COMPOSITION GOING FOR YOU ALMOST ALWAYS: THE TRAIL !!! IT IS AMAZING THAT THE TRAIL ITSELF IS A NATURAL POINT OF LEADING LINES IN PRODUCING SOME OF THE BEST COMPOSITION PHOTOS YOU CAN COME UP WITH. THOSE LINES JUST NATURALLY LEAD UP TO SOME OF THE BEST SCENERY YOU WILL RUN THROUGH. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT WHY A TRAIL RUNNER TAKES ON RUNNING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS? I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS IS THE BREATHTAKING SCENERY THEY JUST HAPPEN TO COME ACROSS:
PHOTO BY TIM COTTRELL
SOME PREPARATION TO DO BEFORE YOU GO ON YOUR RUN: MAKE SURE YOUR BATTERIES ARE GOOD IN YOUR CAMERA, OR FULLY CHARGED AS IT WOULD BE THE CASE FOR A CELL PHONE CAMERA. ALSO, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH MEMORY IF YOU ARE BRINGING A SEPARATE CAMERA, OR WITH A CELL PHONE, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH MEMORY? OH YEAH, YOUR CELL PHONE CAN ONLY HOLD SO MANY PHOTOS. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PHOTOS YOU CAN PUT ON YOUR CAMERA? SOME OF THE CELL PHONES TODAY WILL TAKE EXPANSION CARDS. CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN DO THAT, OR DOWNLOAD YOUR PHOTOS TO A SAFE PLACE ON YOUR COMPUTER, AND CLEAR ROOM FOR MORE PHOTOS.
PHOTO BY TIM COTTRELL
KEEP AN EYE ON ALL THE SCENERY AROUND YOU. AS A TRAIL RUNNER, YOU ARE OFTEN WAY UP HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS. WHAT MAKES THE COLOR AND SCENERY REALLY INTERESTING IS THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE SKY, THE CLOUDS IN THE SKY, AND THE SCENERY BELOW YOU. SOMETIMES, PEOPLE ARE AMAZED AT THE SCENERY OF THE VALLEY BELOW. AS IN THE PHOTO ABOVE, WHAT IS MORE BREATHTAKING THAN WHEN YOU COME HOME AND SHOW THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS THIS GORGEOUS PHOTO OF THE CITY YOU LIVE IN WHEN IT LOOKS SO BEAUTIFUL FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS? IT IS SOMETHING THAT MAY BE HUNG UP ON THE WALL BY MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE CITY FOR SURE.
PHOTO BY TIM COTTRELL
KEEP YOUR CAMERA CLOSE TO YOU, YET ACCESSIBLE. YOU HAVE 2 REASONS FOR DOING THIS: A- YOU WILL COME UPON SOME WILDLIFE ONCE IN A WHILE AND B- THIS SCENERY MAY COME AT A TIME WHEN YOU, AS A RUNNER, MAY NOT WANT TO REALLY STOP. RUNNERS GET INTO A GROOVE, AND THEY JUST DON’T WANT TO STOP SOMETIMES, BUT, IF YOU HAVE YOUR CAMERA AVAILABLE TO SHOOT QUICKLY, THEN MAYBE YOU WOULDN’T MIND DOING IT, IF YOU CAN DO IT QUICKLY AND GET ON WITH YOUR RUNNING.
PHOTO BY TIM COTTRELL
WATCH FOR THE LIGHT AS YOU RUN. SOMETIMES THAT IS SOMETHING YOU WILL MISS AS YOU RUN. WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING, THE LIGHT MAY LOOK EVEN BETTER AS IT IS FACING YOU. OR WATCH FOR THE LIGHT RAYS COMING THROUGH THE CLOUDS, AS IN THE PHOTO ABOVE. IT JUST MAKES THINGS SO AMAZING. LOOK AT THE COLORS AND THE DRAMATIC EFFECTS DONE BY SEEING THE LIGHT AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME. YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO TRAIN YOUR EYE TO SEE THINGS LIKE THIS. SOMETIMES YOUR EYE MAY NOT SEE IT AS NICE AS THE CAMERA WILL SEE IT. DON’T MISS THESE KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES.
PHOTO BY TIM COTTRELL
LEARN TO CHANGE YOUR ANGLE SOMETIMES AS YOU ARE TAKING PICTURES. SO MANY TIMES AS A TRAIL RUNNER YOU FOCUS ON WHAT IS ON THE TRAIL THAT YOU MISS THE BEAUTIFUL STREAM OFF TO THE SIDE, OR THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN PEAK THAT MAY JUST ADD SOME BEAUTIFUL DIMENSTION TO YOUR PHOTO. I REALIZE THAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE TRAIL, OR YOU COULD HIT ONE OF THOSE BIG ROCKS THAT WILL GRAB YOUR FOOT, BUT, TAKE A QUICK MOMENT AND LOOK AROUND WHEN YOU CAN.
PHOTO BY TIM COTTRELL

I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED LEARNING WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A REAL TRAIL PHOTOGRAPHER. DON’T FORGET TO GET THE PHOTO OF THE MOUNTAIN AT THE TOP (LIKE THE PHOTO ABOVE). NO ONE WILL BELIEVE THAT YOU MADE IT TO THE TOP IF YOU DON’T TAKE THAT PHOTO.

I HAVE HIGHLITED SOME AMAZING PHOTOS BY TRAIL RUNNER, AND PHOTOGRAPHER TIM COTTRELL. HE ENTERED SOME OF HIS PHOTOS AMONG HIS COLLEAGUES AND TOOK SECOND PLACE IN THE PHOTO CONTEST AMONG 210 ENTRIES.