Photographer Christian Pondella is without doubt one of the prime motion and journey sports activities photographers on this planet. His work has graced the covers and pages of illustrious media shops reminiscent of Sports Illustrated, Outside, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic, together with dozens of different snowboarding, snowboard, mountain bike, climbing, and images publications. An completed bike owner, skier, and climber in his personal proper, Pondella can put himself proper the place he must be for the shot, giving him a singular and intimate perspective to get up-close and private together with his topics. When he’s not sleeping in airports or hanging from 3,000-foot granite partitions, Pondella spends his time at residence in Mammoth Lakes, California. We caught up with the one employees photographer to shoot each single Rampage since 2001 to find out about how he received began and reminisce about a few of his favourite moments at Red Bull Rampage.A second of solace between Rheeder and the mountain.© Christian PondellaHow did you get began taking pictures for Red Bull?My first job for Red Bull was in the summertime of 2000 in Aspen, Colorado. It was an occasion known as Wings Over Aspen and it was a paragliding and hang-gliding competitors. The occasion went on for per week and by 11am on daily basis it might get too windy for the rivals to fly, so we might go {golfing} each afternoon. By the top of the week I used to be like, “that is the best job and shopper ever!” Fortunately, 21 years later, I nonetheless say the identical factor about Red Bull. However, most jobs as of late don’t finish at 11am!So, you’ve shot each single Red Bull Rampage since 2001. Tell us, what was the occasion like again then?I keep in mind the primary Rampage very properly. It’s fairly nostalgic after I give it some thought now. Guess you would say it was simply so uncooked in comparison with as we speak. There might need been six filmers, all taking pictures on 16mm Arriflex cameras, and perhaps six nonetheless photographers. At the bottom space we had an easy-up tent and somewhat trailer, fairly the disparity to as we speak’s Rampage. And there was so little manicuring achieved to the course. Some of the traces and cliff drops would get ridden for the primary time on occasion day with none prepping of the traces.What’s considered one of your most memorable Rampage moments?That’s a tough one to pinpoint, there have been so many memorable moments. Kelly McGarry’s enormous hole jumps, Cam Zink’s huge backflip on the Oakley Icon Sender, and Brandon Semenuk’s loopy technical canyon hole drop to virtually no tranny on the touchdown are definitely some highlights and had been fairly mind-blowing to witness firsthand.This is likely to be probably the most technical and craziest air I’ve witnessed.© Christian PondellaWhat’s a loopy story or expertise that’s occurred to you on the occasion over time?Fortunately, nothing too loopy has occurred over time apart from having a front-row seat to probably the most insane mountain biking of all time. I do keep in mind as soon as again in 2002 or 2003 having a rider land on my foot after a reasonably large air. I used to be tucked away in some bushes, and he drifted off from his touchdown and his rear tire got here down on my foot. It didn’t harm or something, however I keep in mind considering that might have been means worse. Also, again in 2004, the drummer from Jane’s Addiction performed on the after-party on Halloween evening. That was an incredible after-party!The spirit of Rampage – the bike valet as seen from above.© Christian PondellaWhat are the variations in taking pictures Rampage again in 2001 versus taking pictures Rampage now?At the primary few Rampages, digital images was in its infancy and the standard wasn’t fairly there but. Red Bull needed to have photographs distributed the day of the occasion for net content material, but additionally needed the standard of movie for magazines, so I needed to shoot each movie and digital. In order to get the shot on each cameras, I mounted a bracket connecting them and would shoot each movie and digital cameras aspect by aspect. The digital cameras again then had been lower than 3MB per file and round 4 frames per second. Now my digicam is 50MB and might shoot as much as 30 frames per second.What are a few of the largest challenges of taking pictures an occasion like this?I believe the most important problem is similar yearly. It’s entering into place to get the shot on the important thing options. It’s fairly paramount to spend the follow days on the market to see the place everyone seems to be driving after which provide you with a sport plan for the finals. Then run round like a madman on occasion day!What ideas do you may have for somebody trying to get into motion/journey sports activities images?It definitely helps to be a practitioner of the game(s) you need to shoot. For occasion, I shoot quite a lot of snowboarding, however I like to ski for enjoyable. So whereas snowboarding I’m all the time trying round and visualizing when and the place the nice photograph alternatives are. Then these similar rules of motion images cross over to all sports activities. Capturing the height motion, incorporating mild, shadows, and a few depth to a picture.My single favourite motion picture from all of the years at Rampage.© Christian PondellaWhat are a pair photograph suggestions when taking pictures this model of freeride mountain biking?Over the years I believe my model and method has modified loads. In the early days I shot extra broad angle, and now I are inclined to gravitate in direction of utilizing longer telephoto lenses so as to attempt to and compress the foreground and background. Incorporate depth in a picture via an extended lens if doable. And finally, you will use your total arsenal of lenses and strategies and should be prepared to blow a shot whereas additionally making an attempt to do one thing distinctive and totally different.What is your favourite picture ever shot at Red Bull Rampage?One of my most memorable moments was in 2014 after the qualifiers had been over. The guys began sessioning this bounce for over an hour that had the proper backdrop because the solar was setting on the excessive peaks of Zion. There had been so many photographers operating round taking pictures this hit as the fellows had been sending it each jiffy. It was one of many uncommon moments as a photographer that you would get actually inventive and check out all totally different sorts of issues. Andreu Lacondeguy was sending these enormous off axis backflips and the picture I received of Andreu is likely to be my all-time favourite Rampage picture.Kelly McGarry sends a HUGE backflip over the canyon hole.© Christian PondellaThe place do you suppose the occasion and images will go within the subsequent 20 years?I look again on the images I took twenty years in the past and evaluate them to the images I take now and its loopy how significantly better they’re now. I additionally look again on the driving in these photographs from 20 years in the past to now and it’s loopy how significantly better the driving is simply too. The parallels are just about the identical, digicam know-how has drastically progressed in that point in addition to the bikes and riders. The enchancment of know-how for each cameras and bikes and the twenty years of expertise to go together with it has allowed images and driving to succeed in the extent it’s at now.How will it go in one other 20 years? It’s arduous to think about digicam know-how, images, bike know-how and driving will progress as a lot because it has previously 20 years, however I stay up for seeing what the reply to this query is in one other 20 years!
Red Bull Rampage Photography
