Random thoughts

SmashBox

A couple of weeks ago, I met this French photographer at Rockreation while I was putzing around the gym, bouldering and traversing. It turned out that he was a photographer at SmashBox Studios, and that he was currently working on a project that he said I might be able to help him with. It was a sport portfolio that he was building, and he wanted to include climbing as one of the featured sports.

So on Saturday, Marc and I had to forego much-needed beauty sleep to get to the studio by 9am. I had expected at least a partial climbing-wall setup but all there was was a high bar. They brought in a white cube for me to stand up on before doing the pose.

There were supposedly four poses to be done, but we only ended up doing three. Man, it was brutal, I've never felt this sore after climbing before. I had to hold a position a gazillion times, my left toe on the edge of the white cube, my right leg lifted up high in the back in a yoga-esque pose, my entire weight hanging on my right arm while I clutched desperately onto the high bar. My left hand was posed to be getting chalk from my chalkbag. It took over two hours to shoot that pose.

Then we moved onto the rappel shot, and while they were fixing the lights, the girl asked me if I wanted the ladder back to sit on while I waited. I was just on a harness hanging from the high bar, and I declined, saying it was perfectly fine to hang while the lights were taken care of. About thirty minutes later, I was getting teary-eyed and regretting my decision. Finally I had no choice but to ask for the ladder. That second shot took about an hour.

The last shot was a portrait, which I'm not particularly fond of. It was me with some climbing rope slung over my left shoulder, supposedly looking up at the route I just finished. Damn, if I finished a route that left me feeling the way I am now, I'd be damn proud too.

It was a great experience all in all though. Gone from my mind is the myth that studios are all fun and glamour. It's hard work, even for the one in the pictures. And I can now understand why tempers may run short sometimes. The experience was made pleasant enough though by the people I was working with, so it made everything worthwhile.

posted by Cathy at 10:50 PM