Heavy Bags

be care backcountry friends!

2012-02-20T20:52:00.002-05:00

psyched this girl lives to see another day...but honestly, why not call it when avalanche danger looks grim. Happen ending, for sure, but no buenos all around.

LT11 Men of Routesetting Calender

2012-02-13T21:45:00.001-05:00

Here's a screen grab of my shot of Josh Larson in the Louder Than Eleven 2012 Men of Routesetting Calender. Download your copy here for $3. All proceeds go to the Access Fund.

Maybe next year we can have a Women of Routesetting Calender?

Men of Routesetting Calender

2012-02-13T11:28:00.004-05:00

Real quick: Peep the final product of "The Josh Larson Project" here:

http://lt11.com/2012/02/13/2012-men-of-route-setting-calendar/

100% OF THE PROCEEDS GO TO ACCESS FUND!!!

This was a really fun project that internet/climbing media dynamo Jon Glassberg wrangled me into. Here's what he had to say.

 The Access Fund helps make sure you DON'T see signs like this en route to the crag. 

"Hi everyone!  We finished up the calendar last night. Check it out and help us raise money for the access fund!  last year we made over $500 and we are hoping to do the same this year!  Help us spread the word and sell as many of these as we can!  I mean, $3 is not much right!  all you have to do is download it and if you want to print it out just take the file to the printers and for under $10 you have a Men of Route Setting hanging on your wall!"

The Josh Larson Project

2012-02-11T11:32:00.002-05:00

Josh Larson serves up the best routes...don't ask. More to come.

Dark Horse Championships Gallery Live

2012-02-05T16:21:00.002-05:00

Not exactly a "try hard" face, but at least Daniel Woods looked like he was a bit challenged by the Dark Horse problems en route to his second win in Boston.

Full image gallery here.

2012-02-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

The scene at the pro finals of the Dark Horse Series Bouldering Finals. February 4, 2012.

The Last Dark Horse

2012-02-04T22:12:00.001-05:00

Nayda Vorotnikov competing in this season's last Dark Horse Bouldering series. February 4, 2012.

Alex Johnson rocking some killer argyle socks at the Dark Horse Bouldering Series. February 4, 2012.

Why I climb.

2012-02-01T00:48:00.000-05:00

Cannon Cliff from Boise Rock. Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire. Morning of January 30, 2012. Panoramic composite of 13 images.

Climbing terrain like Cannon is inspiring to me because nature provides a chaotic array of features that beg for interpretation. Like a writer who strings letters together into something cohesive and beautiful, I think a section of cliff is like an alphabet waiting to be arranged into words, sentences, paragraphs. I suppose this analogy could be carried all sorts of ways, but I think I will leave it here for now.

Pat.

Old Breed..AAC Dinner

2012-01-30T02:30:00.000-05:00

The Old Breed from Cowboy Bear Ninja on Vimeo.

Watch the premier of this film with a bunch of climbing legends (including Freddie Wilkinson and his Dog Tagger, see below) at the AAC Dinner in Boston. Details here:

2012-01-27T02:00:00.000-05:00

Corsica Circa Jan 2011.

2012-01-26T11:36:00.002-05:00

Diagonal, Yale, and Damnation. Huntington Ravine. Mt Washington, NH.

2012-01-24T22:21:00.001-05:00

A climber's view from the base of Huntington Ravine. Mount Washington, New Hampshire.

2012-01-23T09:19:00.001-05:00

2012-01-20T07:18:00.000-05:00

2012-01-18T09:21:00.002-05:00

Owen in the Franconia Range. New Hampshire.

Jed Dog

2012-01-17T02:00:00.000-05:00

Lincoln eats sticks bigger than you and Jeb climbs harder than you. Good dogs to know.

Self Portrait I-93N

2012-01-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

Climbing Tackle

2012-01-11T02:30:00.000-05:00

Look close at these beer cans and you'll see the corners are polished and some of the labeling has rubbed off from rolling around on pitons and carabiners since, likely, the summer of 2009. What I'm trying to say is that I can be very bad about cleaning out my car. Here's to a little bit of pre-spring cleaning.

Grand Gendarme

2012-01-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

The Grand Gendarme. Pitch 14? of Northeast Ridge of Mt. Stuart. Cascade Range, Washington.

AUSTIN SIADAK: The Dirtbagrapher

2012-01-07T02:00:00.000-05:00

When I hang out with Austin Siadak I sometimes wonder if this is what Walter Sobchak would be like if he moved into a minivan and rock climbed instead of going to Vietnam. Eitherway, 'Dak did move into a van and began documenting the climbing life. I caught up with him sometime after he pitched his Nikon D700 off a cliff (the sensor was fine, but the mic got worked) and asked him some questions about the nascent life of a Professional Dirtbagrapher.

Austin Siadak "sleeping it off" en route to a day of sport climbing.

How do you take your coffee? Dark as night and twice before I can get anything done for the day.

If you could put $5,000 into your vehicle, where would it go? My current vehicle/home is a rickety, dent, and scratched minivan with 203,000 miles. I bought it for $500, so I suppose I could have a fleet of ten minivans.

[READ MORE BELOW THE BREAK]

Homebase in 7 years is going to be where? Oh man, I have NO idea. And I love that. Hopefully something in Seattle, San Francisco, Boulder, Salt Lake, Jackson. Anywhere close to stellar climbing and hiking, good friends, and a major airport.

Does your degree keep you warm? I studied International Relations at Tufts University, and at one point was dead set on working for the State Department. For this stuff, I use the analytical and reasoning skills that I developed. Most of what I know about video is from sitting down with a pen and paper and watching videos ten or fifteen times in a row, jotting down what works and what doesn't.

So you're self taught. What are some of the challenges that you could have never expected from dSLR video? Shooting in low-light. You can't just drop your shutter speed in the same way you can when shooting stills. I found it difficult to get quality footage of a campfire, unless the fire is really bright. It can be frustrating because you see something so well with your eyes yet have immense trouble showing it through the lens.

Why do people care enough to watch climbing? I think inspiration has a lot to do with it. Perhaps more than anything else. Climbers who embrace the lifestyle want to be inspired and see inspiring stories. Videos give us the drive to go out and accomplish more in our own lives than we thought possible.

Do climbers document themselves more than others? Climbers proliferate a huge quantity of media. This probably has a lot to do with bouldering and sport climbing where there are essentially a lot of people standing around with nothing better to do than take videos and photos. But that's just the quantity side. Quality is another matter. Guys like Corey Rich, Keith Ladzinski, Jimmy Chin are capturing awesome, inspiring images. But most climbing videos are the same 2-5 minute "man-climbs-hard-route" type of thing. It's getting old.

Chuck, fuck, and marry: Condoleezza Rice, Hilary Clinton, Madeline Albright? Chuck Condi, fuck Clinton, and marry Albright. Little known fact: Rice studied under Albright's father at the University of Denver. Did I mention I used to be an International Relations nerd?

.:HBs:. Thanks for reading

Best climbing video ever?

2012-01-06T02:00:00.000-05:00

Best climbing video ever?

2012-01-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

This only happens in the winter. Happy Thursday! Pat.

2012-01-04T02:00:00.000-05:00

New Year's Eve Ice Climbing. "Lincoln's Throat," Franconia Notch, New Hampshire.

AMC Cover Feature (online)

2012-01-03T03:00:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the online version of the cover story I photographed in the current Jan/Feb 2012 issue of AMC Outdoors. Also, check out the video below that uses an number of additional images I provided for the story:

btw, AMC OUTDOORS is the bomb; they pay well, on time, and more importantly they are just damn fun to work with.

Cheers,
Pat.

AMC Cover Feature (print)

2012-01-02T20:33:00.000-05:00

A happy New Year's surprise came in the mail today. I shot this story for AMC Outdoors last year when I should have been studying for an organic chemistry exam. The exam went terrible, but it was a fun day photographing author and former Outdoors editor Matt Heid compete in the Ski-to-the-Clouds, a gnarly xc ski race up Mt. Washington. Amazing. I shot the event to death, and I still worried we wouldn't have enough images because of the drab weather. Here's the magazine's printed treatment.

Check back tomorrow for AMC's online treatment....

Masshole Climber #4.

2012-01-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

Masshole #3. Trad is Rad

2012-01-01T02:30:00.000-05:00

"I eat Lost Arrows like you for breakfast."

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T02:00:00.000-05:00

Champagne. Whoever started this tradition, Thank you.

Veuve

2011-12-30T02:00:00.000-05:00

book

2011-12-29T02:00:00.000-05:00

Monadock Panoramic

2011-12-28T02:00:00.000-05:00

From just below the summit of Mt. Monadnock, Jaffrey, NH.

Canon s95. 17 images stitched together using Photomerge in PS. ISO 400, 1/250, f/8.

"double exposure" technique

2011-12-27T02:30:00.001-05:00

Haggard. Driving home.

Sort of a double exposure. Not a ground-breaking image, but this is a fun technique of using the cheap-o on camera flash for "one" exposure and then using the remaining seconds of a long exposure for the "double" exposure effect. Looking forward to playing with this technique with more compelling subjects.

Canon s95 on gorillapod. ISO 80, f/8.0, 15" with flash.

Masshole Portrait #2. Patagucci

2011-12-26T02:00:00.000-05:00

Jeb as Mr. Patagucci 4S.

Still sorta vibing on the Asshole climbers website... I'm just psyched when people are creative and collaborative, I mean why not right? For those of you who may not be familiar with the Boston climbing scene, The Newbury Street Surfer climber is a classic one especially when the flossy dudes climb harder than you (hopefully a rarity) and have hotter girls (rarely a rarity).

2011-12-24T02:00:00.000-05:00

Joy Dammit!

Zakim Bridge II

2011-12-23T02:30:00.000-05:00

The Zakim Bridge is one of my favorite structures in Boston. I read somewhere that the designers wanted the cable support network to look like ship sails on the harbor. Maybe it does look like that from a distance. To me there are like doors into and out of Boston and there is always a new way to look this bridge. (see my previous image of the Zakim bridge here.)

Masshole Climbers Portraits. P1

2011-12-22T02:30:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine started a satirical website devoted to the gutter of rock climbing. I love this. For whatever reason, the negative energy about this website galvanized a number of stalwarts in the Boston indoor climbing scene. I sat a few of them down to take their pictures after the gym closed and we stayed into the morning, really getting snarky and fun with it. Here's one shot. More to come. -Pat.

BTW-Here's the work we did on the banner:
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Check em out at www.assholeclimbers.com.

Afterwork

2011-12-21T02:30:00.000-05:00

Bottom of the Belmont St. Hill after a day of work. Worcester, MA.

s95 ISO 80, f/8, 15" (~7" on gorrilagrip tripod, ~7sec rotating on 1 leg of tripod).

2011-12-20T02:00:00.000-05:00

Wall of Early Morning Light. (amphitheatre). Farley, MA.

One and Done. Dec 18, 2011. Wicked cold morning and day at Farley, but at least the sun was in full force. Seth and I tried warming up on a 5.9 in sneakers and rubber-dipped cotton gloves. Every step of the way, I wanted (or did) say "I'm falling." Not "okay Bro, watch me here." Not, "I'm about to fall." Nope. Just. "I am actually falling." I didn't fall, however, because I grabbed draws like French freeing was going out of style. Not that climbing in gardening gloves, puffy coats and pants tucked into wooly sucks in SBs was ever good style for an ascent. ("he looks like a bad REI commercial" I overheard whlyile climbing) The day went fine however. Notably Seth sent Diabolic (5.12d) first go of the day and then mentally checked out. One and done!

Window or Mirror?

2011-12-19T02:30:00.000-05:00

2011.

2003 or 2004

2011-12-18T02:00:00.000-05:00

Prayer flag at sundown.

2011-12-17T02:00:00.001-05:00

Transerfing from Nik Skavinsky on Vimeo.

saw on rockandice.com. Russia. A formidable nation.

2011-12-16T03:30:00.000-05:00

Tracking.

2011-12-15T02:00:00.001-05:00

South. I am pretty sure I was driving due West on Route 2 when I took this picture, but Geese fly south for the winter, right? I am probably missing something, but nonetheless it got me thinking. Today my buddy Seth and I climbed in Western Mass. We both were working a on route at our limit, a real barn-buster. I have no plans of leaving Massachusetts anytime soon. Seth, however, is leaving for Colorado (or just West) in perhaps as many days as there are geese in the picture above. He might stay in Colorful Colorado; he might return to New England soon. Regardless, as the sun almost finished it's anemic winter arc, Seth tied in for one last burn on the project. "I dunno if I will ever come back to climb this" he said, implying that he wouldn't make it to the top this time. Do geese think about what they might leave behind each winter?

2011-12-14T03:30:00.000-05:00

Audio/Visual is on the third floor. Straight up Books on the second. Maps and magazines (out of view) are the ground.

2011-12-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

2011-12-12T17:21:00.002-05:00

Click here for some great! climbing photography tips.

2011-12-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

Andy sent!

2011-12-10T21:06:00.001-05:00

A dusty mirror on a wooden porch. Erving, MA.

2011-12-09T21:54:00.001-05:00

From NYT. I've said it once, and I will try to say it again; but I find the artistic representation to be one of the most fascinating and challenging "problems" to life. More to come. Pat.

2011-12-05T10:23:00.001-05:00

Dark Horse Bouldering Series. Dec. 3, 2011. Sebastien Lazure of Quebec on Mens #1. More images.

2011-12-04T00:07:00.000-05:00

2011-12-03T04:50:00.000-05:00

Mare's tails over Newton town hall and library. Newton, MA.

2011-12-02T17:17:00.001-05:00

2011-12-01T04:30:00.000-05:00

North Conway friends.

2011-11-30T07:37:00.000-05:00

2011-11-29T04:24:00.000-05:00

2011-11-28T04:00:00.000-05:00

2011-11-27T21:11:00.001-05:00

2011-11-26T09:05:00.001-05:00

2011-11-25T04:41:00.001-05:00

2011-11-24T09:03:00.001-05:00

For family, friends, and health. Thank-you-ma'am.

AAC Lovin'

2011-11-23T22:33:00.001-05:00

Psyched to help the American Alpine Club with a promotional project.

Please see my additional Published Work and Climbing Competition Portfolio.

2011-11-23T12:11:00.001-05:00

2011-11-22T09:50:00.001-05:00

C'mon SON!

2011-11-20T05:46:00.001-05:00

In college I turned in enough English papers that I seriously considered I had dyslexia. (I think photography is amazing because you can't make typos). But here's an email blast from Alpinist, the gold standard of climbing media, presenting a Russian doll of corrections. They have a large story about a 7-year correction, then contained in a link to ANOTHER story about typos (misplaced keystroke on the cover of 37) they present the need for some better copy-editing. C'mon SON!

2011-11-17T18:51:00.001-05:00

Dark Horse Round 3 Gallery Live

2011-11-08T12:03:00.003-05:00

Melissa Godowski doing a good job.

Just wanted to say a lot of people hustle to put on a great show! Anthony Nicolaides is a techno-hawse, Boofer, VZ, Bryan Rafferty, Dave Wetmore, Josh Larson, Jon Glassberg, Pat Enright, and all the rest of the metrorock crew. Y'all hustle!

Download More images here. Download and circulate to taste...

View full gallery below the break.

Dark Horse Round 3

2011-11-06T23:35:00.000-05:00

More images to come soon...Dark Horse Bouldering. -Pat.

Full Gallery after the break:

Quotidian

2011-10-15T10:15:00.001-04:00

Hire A Comp Photographer

2011-10-07T15:03:00.002-04:00

It is perfect weather for climbing outside (RIGHT NOW!), but a few photo projects and the fact that I recently put a quilt on my bed has reminded me that the indoor climbing competition season is coming up. I would rather photograph than compete in these things.

Brian Kim
If you are looking to hire a photographer for your indoor rock climbing competition, please look at my portfolio, available here.
-Pat.

Bute Past, Future

2011-09-29T12:07:00.000-04:00

IN 2003 I was still in high-school, digital cameras still sucked, and I still drove the Subaru Legacy Wagon I bought for $1 (+tax on the bluebook value). I loved that car as much as any 16 year old could.

One of my first Cameras... The Canon SureShotA1. Film.

I had just gotten my license, but by some quirk in the Massachusetts laws, I technically did NOT have my license. The Western, MA cop who pulled me over doing 80+ in a 55 wasn't too amused to explain that you can't drive other people until you've reached the age of 16 years and 6 months old.

SureShot is good for underwater photography. According to "Fish Mode" it's great from 1-3.3 feet underwater.

Because I was driving other people and I had not reached that age, the Man reasoned, I did not have my license. That day my beloved Subaru was towed and impounded and we (me and the two friends) had to call over (via pay-phone) an older brother to come pick us up. That fishing trip to the Deerfield River came to an end.

My "improvements" to the camera.

With a court date still pending for the egregious speeding "without a license," I did an Nols course in British Columbia. It was a pretty cool opportunity (Thanks Mom and Dad!), but I had a little trouble playing by the rules as 16 year olds are known to do.

Me (orange jacket, no hat) beneath Mt. Bute.

Almost a decade later, I have stumbled up these old photos, taken by former Nols instructor Brian Palimenter (sp?). There were hundreds and hundreds of photos, but the ones that interested me the most are of virgin granite Big Walls... for all of you chasing huge, hard first ascents, you might find a future in these images of the past. Cheers, Pat.

Mt. Bute alpenglow

Somewhere en route to Bute Inlet.

I think there is HUGE potential here for long bigwall routes. I visited the area well before any type of climbing was on my radar, but now I can see from the photos this place is rad... the jacked-up baby of Yosemite and Squamish... On the approach to the Bute Glacier (start at a place called HOMATHKO CAMP, at the top of Bute Inlet) you'll see a huge big wall to the left (West) this is pictured in the photos above. Just below Mt Bute proper, there are huge walls beneath the summit.. big time potential. Go get some.

the locations of these photos are roughly here:

From Bute Nostalgia

More images:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115405099615065897402/ButeNostalgia#

Sunflowers, Victor & Erin

2011-08-29T14:30:00.001-04:00

Congrats Vic and Erin! Still sifting through the images, but here's a few teasers. -Pat.

More teaser images:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115405099615065897402/SunflowersVictorErin?gsessionid=GB5DYs-pdTTWalo71R7UVg#

PUBLISHED: MOMMA BAGLEY'S FRIDGE.

2011-08-22T11:38:00.001-04:00

SUBURBIA, MASSACHUSETTS. Today was a big day for amateur photographer Patrick Bagley. The 25-year-old "student" said in a recent press release that he was "proud and honored" to be published on his Mother's home refrigerator. "Making it on the Maytag is something I haven't done for at least 17 years," said Bagley.

Unlike doodles from high school (which were disqualified from entry of refrig-publication because "he should have been studying," said Momma Bagley), this scanned-and-reprinted page of Urban Climber Magazine went up on the refrigerator with merely a cursory thought towards Skram Media's copyright laws. "It's worth it," said Momma Bagley, "so sue me."

And in an effort to NOT be sued, Mr. Bagley asked any interested party to please view the full text of the article at Urban Climber's website and please take heed of all advertisements contained there-within:
http://www.urbanclimbermag.com/climber_interviews/pat_bagley/

-Blog Post by Mike Ock.

More images from Hueco available here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115405099615065897402/MemoriesOfHuecoAndBishop

Climbing Magazine Tech Tip

2011-08-04T21:30:00.000-04:00

Writing, Photography, Climbing..... It's all fun, right?

Check out the latest issue of Climbing Magazine to see a fun little Tech Tip I wrote about sport climbing. Wicked!

Jaws II (screenshot)

2011-08-02T11:01:00.001-04:00

Mike Foley entering the crux moves of Jaws II, a 5.15a at Rumney, New Hampshire.

...Just a screenshot...stay tuned for more.

Mike Foley. Jaws II.

2011-07-28T22:48:00.002-04:00

That's a wrap.

Just finished a super quick ninja sesh with Mike Foley on Jaws II, a 5.15a at Rumney, NH. He has the third ascent. Baller.

UPDATE:
http://bagleyheavybags.blogspot.com/2011/08/jaws-ii-screenshot.html

Mt Stuart Select

2011-07-22T23:02:00.004-04:00

Sitting here stewing in a heatwave reliving one of the best climbing trips ever; climbing Mt. Stuart with Alaina.

A slight detour during the long approach to the climb.

Our climbing route followed the sky-line directly behind these goats.

READ MORE

The morning after our first bivi.

Typical Mt. Stuart ruggling.

Taken while climbing the route.

Alaina hiking one of the crux pitches.

Night

First light. Sailors take warning.

Rough morning

Long hike out with Mt. Stuart in the background.

Best party ever.

Many more images:
https://picasaweb.google.com/patrick.bagley.10/MtStuart?pli=1&gsessionid=jDjnOgBDNKzQ8RI9zpagUA#

Cover of Climberism

2011-07-21T13:14:00.001-04:00

Back in the day I used to sit around International Mountain Equipment in North Conway pouring over old magazines. In the heaps of old mags there was a New England-based magazine that was really cool. Reading it felt like stumbling upon an artifact. That magazine has since gone the way of lycra, but I am super psyched to see David Crothers carrying the New England torch with his new joint Climberism.

Check them out www.climberism.com

Mount Stuart

2011-07-19T20:47:00.002-04:00

This isn't Mt. Stuart, but it was taken during the (mis)approach of The North Ridge (IV 5.9)...
More to come!

UPDATE: MORE!
http://bagleyheavybags.blogspot.com/2011/07/mt-stuart-select.html

https://picasaweb.google.com/patrick.bagley.10/MtStuart

Quickie Assignment: ROCK + ICE

2011-07-16T03:25:00.003-04:00

When it rains it pours, just got a quick email from AB asking if I could hook up some shots of fixed draws at Rumney. Are you kidding me?! Sure I can... Let's do this!

This wicked cropped screen shot will have to do until the story rolls of the presses. Cheers and Thanks, especially to Cool Keith for campus clipping like Sharma. -Pat.

On Assignment: AMC OUTDOORS

2011-07-12T19:18:00.000-04:00

Cranking through images for the Appalachian Mountain Club's story about Bay Circuit here in Massachusetts. Should be a great story...

...back to Lightroom. Cheers all. Pat.

Vaurnets and Petrol in Kentucky

2011-07-03T21:16:00.000-04:00

Just had a quick adventure from Boston to Kentucky...

At the Gas Station

Passing a petroleum refinery near the Kentucky/West Virginia border.

Here are some more snapshots:
https://picasaweb.google.com/patrick.bagley.10/QuickPassThroughKentucky?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ78g6fR-M7nxAE&pli=1&gsessionid=gIbe_WALEBwGu3EBzPhCnQ#

Morning Cup

2011-04-18T23:35:00.000-04:00

A cup of Sunday 10AM coffee

Climbing's OG

2011-04-03T23:28:00.001-04:00

An amazing story, rad landscapes, and some cheeseball (albeit informative) interviews.

Can't wait for this rig to premier.

Morning in Harvard Sq.

2011-04-01T12:02:00.002-04:00

Wow (stop motion vid)

2011-03-22T21:32:00.002-04:00

St Pattys Late

2011-03-22T07:37:00.002-04:00

Whoa, it's always fun to look through old memory cards. Anyone know whats going on here?

Cheers, Pat.

Two in the trees

2011-03-20T00:07:00.000-04:00

Today I decided that it was spring.

Everett Plane (photo)

2011-03-19T09:52:00.002-04:00

Everett, MA. 2011

Blasting Mt Washington

2011-03-16T10:07:00.000-04:00

A late winter storm on Mt. Washington. March 2011.

MetroRock Expansion

2011-03-15T00:51:00.003-04:00

For climbers, spring is more or less here. There is light at the end of the gym season. Why then, am I am so excited about developments at MetroRock Climbing Center? Well, the gym bought part of the massive warehouse that houses their current gym and they are adding a ton more space. Check it:

A 360-degree panoramic of the addition.

The other day I got a tour of the expansion from Metrorocker studs Matt Yosca and Josh Larson.

Matt and Josh with the blueprints

Yosca donned a helmet like he was born into the profession and showed us around. Here he is looking official:

Then Larson fired up the JLG life for some "aerial shots" of the massive new wall. I think it looks like the car-loading dock on a ferry, but something tells me the "fairy wall" at "metrorock" won't go over to well. For now, lets call it the "big wall."

Josh piloting the JLG

Matt looking small in front of MetroRock's Big Wall.

Nate Dog doing a few laps in front of the Big Wall.

The expansion also includes a wall for speed climbing. Just like a how a track is built to international standards so that a 200m dash is the same everywhere, these walls are designed to be exactly the same, from Everett to Ukraine and anywhere else where people climb really tall walls faster than I can uncork a fine merlot.

Matt reveling in the presence of MetroRock's IFSA speedwall.

All sorts of rope-course features and other walls are also being built. You'll have to stop into MetroRock or check here for details on exactly how many additional feet of vertical are being installed, but I can say this: viewing this project from an artistic/creative standpoint, I am very impressed.

New terrain that will provide great variety in climbing movement.

The design team of the wall did a really impressive job creating many walls with many angles to climb on. This will, without a doubt, be a great boon to route setters, who always crave a fresh canvas for making-up climbs. And, of course, this mean a way more fun experience for climbers.

The space is also huge! From the photography standpoint, the huge ceilings provide a great space to fire off flashes, as the light is predicable and easy to work with because it does not bounce all over the place. This made it a pleasure to work in this expansion. Regardless of how you approach the expansion, it has really really good vibes. People here are extremely excited about the new climbing space. Come on down and check it out.

Despite looking like B-grade bouncers, these guys are actually more than happy to show you around the expansion. Get down to MetroRock and check it out!

Cheers all,
Pat.

More images:
https://picasaweb.google.com/patrick.bagley.10/MetroRockNewWallConstruction#

SENSOR LOVIN'

2011-03-14T12:15:00.000-04:00

Imagine using the same dinner napkin for every meal... lobster dinner, fried chicken, taco night. A lot of junk would build up on the napkin, no?

A roll of film is like getting a new napkin at every sitting, you use it once (i.e. you get one exposure) then the move the next "napkin" or piece of film. Not so with digital. Instead of one frame of film, you're stuck with just one sensor, which accumulates all the dust that drifts into your camera when you change lens. Unless you clean that napkin, you'll have a lot of junk on it for a long time. So, when you images start looking like mine above, it's time to clean that sensor--or get fancy with the dust-spot removal. Nawmean?

Pat

Zakim Bridge Snapshot

2011-03-12T23:26:00.000-05:00

I'm psyched attempting to document familiar sights around Boston in, hopefully, a unique way. Here's one of the Leonard P Zakim Bridge.on I-93 in Boston.

Pat.
more to come!

Tech talk:
Contrast. Watch photo n00bs edit photos. 9 times out of 10, they will be like "oh contrast, jack that wayyy up." I know because I have certainly been there when I was more of newbie than I consider myself now. The upshot here is that whenever I reach for the "contrast" adjustments, I question 1) What will this do to the overall effect and emotion--do the darkest darks need to be darker, do the brightest brights need to be brighter? 2) how will contrast effect this colors 3) can I accomplish the contrast through simple adjustments such as highlights and darks in regular exposure controls? To me, contrast is the photo-editing equivalent of cilantro; it is always noticeable, it can be the key ingredient, often it's overdone, and occasionally it's horrifically putrid.

Wall Expansion

2011-03-11T15:18:00.001-05:00

Helping MetroRock Climbing Center get the word out about their huge expansion.

More to come!

UPDATE
Full gallery:
https://picasaweb.google.com/patrick.bagley.10/MetroRockNewWallConstruction?pli=1&gsessionid=cJYiHAidWab7_y3y4wq4Pg#

TECHWEENIE TALK
Two off-camera speedlites, one key light reflected off an umbrella about 12 feet high, another speedlite on the ground, which is hidden by the "blueprints" in Matt's hand.

City Photo

2011-03-10T00:55:00.002-05:00

I took this long-exposure snap shot at the top of a parking garage at 11:30PM, the end of a long day of studying.

Cambridge, MA. Canon s95, 15 seconds at f/8, iso 80.

I've been thinking about city life... non-coincidentally, I'm dying to go rock climbing. I suppose one just makes the other sweeter, no?

Cheers all,
Pat.

Gumby Shop Talk:
High f/stops (small aperture) make lights "starburst" like the above photo--there was no editing there. I don't know exactly why this happens, but next time you are driving or walking around at night, squint your eyes and you'll notice lights become starburst as well... is the affect through your eyes and a camera's lens analogous? Who knows, but look for this effect in magazines and ads and you'll see it everywhere.

Ski to the Clouds (photos)

2011-03-06T21:33:00.006-05:00

Here a few images I can share that I shot while on assignment for AMC Outdoors Magazine this past weekend. The event was the 2011 Ski to the Clouds nordic 10k, which climbs a up Mount Washington, the Northeast's tallest.

The mass start of the 70+ women and men that braved driving rain and slush-swamp conditions. Look close and you can see one person at the head of the pack is taking the dive.

They don't call the Ski to the Clouds nordic ski race "North America's toughest10k" for nothing. A University of Vermont nordic skier takes a spill while a skier from Bates College gets the ol' College Pass.

If showing up is 80% of life, I'd imagine stepping outside into the snowrain and skiing to the starting line is worth something comparable.

Cutest baby in the world?

Images and photos from the 2011 Ski to the Clouds nordic 10k race at Great Glen Trails, which climbs part way up Mount Washington. New Hampshire.

Cheers all, Pat.

A few more similar images:
https://picasaweb.google.com/patrick.bagley.10/NordicSkiing#

AMC Outdoors SKI2CLOUDS (photos)

2011-03-05T23:07:00.002-05:00

Day 2 of shooting an editorial assignment starts tomorrow. The story is for AMC Outdoors magazine and will be written by Matt Heid, a previous editor of Outdoors, who going to compete in the Ski to the Clouds race, a 10k nordic ski race that goes up Mount Washington.

Today Matt conquered about 1/100th of the hill he has to ski tomorrow.

Not going to lie, the weather looks pretty gnarly. Here's a shot of what's brewing in the MWV:

Cheers all, Pat.

more crapppy images

2011-03-05T00:39:00.000-05:00

goddam, promise this is the last round of these things:

toll-booth

ramen

tunnel

You're Just Not That Rad

2011-03-04T10:09:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you're just not that rad....

There is 30 seconds or so of sport's action gold.... The goods start around 58 seconds.

I am all about filming, shooting, etc, but there is something to be said for just going out there, having a good time, and just focusing on what matters... like not dying. Hopefully this guy was okay.... Cheers all and be safe out there.

Pat.

AMAZING MESSNER VIDEO

2011-02-28T22:37:00.002-05:00

vs.

Thoughts?

Dedicated to Janet Bergman.