The biggest problem I have had in trying to put this post together is sifting through the huge number of photographs I have taken for White Spider and making some sort of coherent sense of them. The work I have shot has covered briefs as simple as ‘photograph competition’ through to a detailed list that covers the activities of the centre.
This work came about as a result of photographing the climbing competition at Boulder Brighton, after which lead White Spider route setter Evie Cotrulia referred me for the job.
Centre photographs
Something you rarely see on many climbing centre websites (or their socials) are photographs of the centre itself. The main reason given to me for this is that the centres marketing team did not want to show the centre empty, as it might imply something is wrong with it. That is a fair point. But as someone who has been climbing for over 20 years, the first thing I want to see before visiting a centre is pictures of the walls so I can see what is on offer. Either way, to give the client as many options as possible, I took the images below using a tilt-shift lens to minimise the tombstoning effect seen when using a wide-angle lens.
BOULDERING COMPETITION PHOTOGRAPHS
The bouldering comps were fairly straightforward to photograph. The main things I try to look out for are problems that create good-looking body shapes, images that show depth in the area while keeping the main focus on the climber, and compositions that lend themselves well to marketing activities. The image below is an example of the latter, as it features a composition that leaves space for text on the left-hand side, showcases a nice form from the climber, and includes the centre’s logo.
The two main considerations when photographing bouldering here were the low light levels and the ceiling. White Spider is a mixed climbing centre, meaning it has both roped climbing and bouldering. The bouldering area is spread across multiple levels using a mezzanine. While this doesn’t create a major issue, it does cut down the number of ‘above the climber’ photographs that can be captured, thus limiting compositions to ground level.
I dealt with the low light levels by either using a fixed shutter speed and aperture and cranking the ISO, or by using flashguns. Increasing ISO levels makes for a grainier image, whereas flashguns can distract the person climbing. Balancing both methods meant I wasn’t continually using flash, but when I did use it, I could lower the ISO to capture a less noisy image.
ROPED COMPETITION PHOTOGRAPHS
The photographs in this section were captured during two events: a general open comp at the centre and a BMC Youth competition. White Spider has a couple of raised areas that allow for photographs from height, and for the BMC comp, I managed to find someone to hold a rope so I could take some photographs from the top of a wall adjacent to the competition wall.
GENERAL CENTRE PHOTOGRAPHS
The photographs in this section focus more on the requirements set out in a job spec from the centre. These types of shots are functional and make for good stock imagery, with their main use being for in-house and print advertising, websites, and social media content.
The specific subjects the centre wanted covered included:
Route setters at work.
The café area and associated shots of coffee.
Staff interacting with customers.
A specific focus on harness knots being tied and belayers holding the rope.
Female climbers on routes (for in-house advertising for ladies-only social nights).
Kids’ training sessions.
Use of the training area.
Anything else that caught my eye.
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