How to take epic photos of your climbing friends!
Insights by Sam Pratt, written by Jessica Birchall
Taking cool climbing photos of your friends on the wall or at your favourite crag isn’t too much of a stretch away. With phone camera quality and easy to use editing apps, as well as some pro tips from one of the best in the business, you could be close to taking those epic shots of your friends for their Instagram.
Whether you’re an aspiring photographer, or just want to capture those fun times with your friends, putting yourself behind the lens is an amazing creative outlet and could be your new favourite pastime.
Sam Pratt is a professional photographer from the north of England, known for his creative take on climbing photography, and his ability to capture emotion and tell a story through his images. Starting out taking photos of friends at the crag in return for free lifts, he now travels the globe with some very well known climbers and has covered the world cup circuit for the past few years. Sam takes inspiration from fashion and skate culture, and works with some high-profile clients and big name brands. He has a unique style and it’s fair to say he doesn’t shy away from injecting his own flair into the work he produces and continues to inspire others to carve their own path.
Sam shares with us his top 5 tips on how you can improve your photographs whilst out climbing with friends.
1. Be experimental - now’s your time
The beauty of photographing your friends is of course that they’re your friends! This is a great opportunity to be experimental, make mistakes and be bossy. If you want them to do something again, make sure you ask. I’ve had sleepless nights after days out photographing thinking to myself ‘if only I’d asked them to climb that just ‘one more time’. For me, my best images come when the stakes are low and I’m simply having fun with friends at the crag.
2. It’s not just the send go, tell a story
Days out climbing with friends are more than just one photo of someone getting to the top of a boulder or route. I like to put together a series of photos from the entire day to really capture the feel of the day, and create something that is really nice to look back on in the future. If you don’t have access to photoshop, or other editing software, there are lots of great phone apps to create amazing carousels.
3. Look for a natural frame and vary your angles
Whether it’s a gap between some rocks or a break in some nearby foliage, think about positioning your subject inside a natural frame. This will help you create some separation between your subject and the foreground. Once you’ve got a solid shot from a reliable angle, move on. Most outdoor climbs, especially iconic lines, have a ‘classic’ angle that they’re photographed from, and whilst there is usually a reason for this, don’t get sucked in! Instead see if you can find a unique perspective and paint something recognisable in a new light.
4. Get above your climber - your friends won’t mind you capturing their try hard face.
Most people don’t want a random photographer collecting a gallery of images of their try-hard faces; friends, however, will hopefully feel comfortable enough to let you. Photographing climbing from above is a great way of sharing a perspective of the climber’s experience you rarely get to see as a spectator, which is pretty cool!
5. Play around with your shutter speed.
Most cameras and even most mobile phones now have some sort of setting where you can slow your shutter speed down. Motion blur is a great way to create some distortion in your images, and a fantastic opportunity to be experimental. An extra tip is to not only have your subjects move around in front of the lens, but also for you to play around with moving the lens around your subjects!
Sam sells his art in print form and photo books, as well as organising in person photography workshops and events, If you want some inspiration or to keep an eye on his latest offering, check out more on Sam’s Instagram and website.
