Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Not The Same Old Hat! – Climb Magazine Cover

We all know creating fresh and competing work is very important, but when shooting well photographed locations that can be a real challenge. You've really got to go the extra mile in exploring the angles, light conditions and finally your subject matter.

Huntsman's Leap in Pembroke must have been photographed thousands of times, so I knew that if I wanted to create something special it would require a radical approach. Together with Tom Livingstone and James Taylor I spent two days scoping what was possible. Eventually it was a matter of very complex rope rigging, the right light/climbing conditions and also tidal range to be spot on. For the shot featured on the latest Climb Magazine cover, I spanned one 100m rope

between four ground stakes and then attached another rope to a pulley/trolley system which enabled me to drop down into not only the middle of the gorge horizontally but also vertically. Hanging mid-air above the big swell and roaring sea definitely kept adrenalin levels high, it goes into my top 3 spicy moments in my career so far… up there with the 400m Longhope Route and the dark and tottering Ice Mines in Sweden.

I think the results were worth the hard work, but perhaps the best feedback came from Pembroke legend Neil Gresham who said 'it's a view we've all seen countless times, but never looking this good.'

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