Whole Foods Just Opened Up Around the Corner

Okay, Whole Foods just opened a new location just around the corner from my house. They have all kinds of great things as you go from the entrance with the juice bar, and on to the deli, but the thing that stopped me in my tracks were the 2 beer aisles. Yep, not one, 2. I literally jaw dropped and stood there like a deer in headlights. Normally my offerings at the local Ralphs is limited to the big domestic brands, and even the semi-micro brewery offerings which usually include a Hefeweizen, a typical Pale Ale, an import selection like Heineken, and the Mexican imports like Pacifico or Corona, and how about throwing in a Stone IPA. I might get lucky and find an expensive Delirium Tremens 1/2 liter, or a Saporo, but that's about it.

I usually have to go to BevMo or somewhere out of the way for anything more. Until now. I have options and more options. I like Belgian Ales, and at Whole Foods, they have all sorts to choose from. Imports, and even domestic Belgians adorn the shelves just waiting for me to roll the dice. After picking this one, for no other reason than its cool packaging and completely random origin of Chicago, I paid the man and went home. It's not cheap, but I've only scratched the surface. Oh hell yeah. BTW, it was pretty good, but I've had better. I'll give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Post Ride Refreshments

Is there really anything better than a nice cold one after you've destroyed yourself with a good group of friends? There are times when you stay in a specific effort zone, then other times when you have the earbuds on and the miles tick away. Or how about the times when you count calories, go easy on the carbs, crosstrain, eat things resembling cardboard and go to sleep a bit hungry. Yeah, we sacrifice. But, when it's hot out, and you've just cranked out a few thousand calories of pain, there's nothing quite like a nice cold brown bottle to remind yourself that life is good.

New Fox Ad

Fox Racing decided to run one of their month's ads with a photo I did of Giant pro Andrew Neethling. The shot was the same day I did the images for the Fox mountain bike catalog. This particular action shot was done by setting up a couple of small strobes under the trees at the bottom of “Telonics” in Laguna Beach.

"Needles" is a really fast pro from South Africa and is hitting his stride on the World Cup circuit. He and Duncan Riffle were just railing this berm and getting their bikes nice and flat. The light was a bit tricky since it was scattered and broken up by the leaves and branches, so I needed to get a bit creative. I opted to use a straight lens in order to avoid the distortion created by using something a bit wider.

I always love shooting talented athletes and these guys really made it look easy. They hiked the same turn a few times until we got the shot I was looking for.

Giant Pros

I recently had the opportunity to work at Fox Racing on their 2012 Mountain Bike Catalog. During the process, we found that we were still missing a few key action shots that could show off their new pads/armor, along with some apparel. Fox has a sponsorship agreement with Giant bikes and it worked out that 2 of their top factory downhill team riders were available to shoot. With my background in photography, I put in an accepted bid and geared up for the shoot. Shooting mountain biking is no easy task and getting my gear to spots on the trails is always a challenge. As you can imagine, carrying around a full load of DSLR equipment, along with water and other essential items can really weigh you down. I feel like a pack mule chasing elite athletes with crazy VO2 max.

The riders were Duncan Riffle from Santa Barbara and Andrew "Needles" Needling from South Africa. After a few handshakes, I started to hike down one of the trails to scope out some areas along with the Team Manager of Fox and the main Senior Graphic Designer on the project. We chose to shoot in Laguna Beach for convenience with time and scenery. Since it was more about product, the background wasn't as important, although it couldn't hurt.

After setting up some shots with my camera along with some strobes I had set up, I started clicking away. These guys are young and fit with skills to back it up. It's amazing to see their comfort level and bike handling that just plain humbled me. These guys ride fast and look at things much different than the rest of us. They are also acutely aware of their gear and bike set up. They just carry so much speed and have such a smooth flow to their riding that is on a completely different level. I was also stoked to see their professionalism shine through and they never complained or had any attitude. It really was a joy to work with them. It's been a while since I've shot with downhill pros, and I can say I miss it. Oh, and these shots were just some of the ones we didn't use and are pretty raw without the retouching that is usually done with photos destined for use in advertising and marketing. An awesome shoot and some new friends made.

XC Racing

XC mountain bike racing is brutal. You crush yourself at the gun and never look back. Unlike road where you can draft, rest on long descents, etc., mountain bike racing is a different kind of hell and redlines your heart almost the whole time without much strategy or planning. This shot was taken at the Over the Hump Series at Irvine Lake a couple of summers ago. I race sportsman and do okay and fortunately I'm improving. Every once in a while, you get a good dose of humble pie. You'll be going flat out, heart about to jump out of your chest with a mouth full of dirty gym socks when you get passed like you're standing still by someone 15 years your elder. It happens all the time.

I like to race (well it's a different kind of enjoyment), and it's good for the challenge of testing my limits that tell you more about yourself than any class in college. It's one hour (+/- a few minutes) of serious, no bullshit, screaming body agony. No one to blame but yourself, and everyone sees right through your excuses. Man up.

Road Rash

Crashing on the road sucks. You wear nothing more than lycra, which is about as much as walking out to grab the newspaper in your underwear. Non-cyclists look puzzled when I explain that our outfits aren't some high tech protective gear. Sure they are modern, breath well and have great comfort, but offer no protection whatsoever when it comes to falls on asphalt. SPF 50 is about all they are good for. This particular crash really took off some skin. I was going a zillion downhill and tried to make a 90 degree right turn. I've ridden that stretch a ton before and know it really well, but this time I was a bit overconfident.

I wish I had a better story of heroism or some great clash during a race, but the reality was that I was in the corner by myself with just one other rider following and laid it out going too fast. I was deep in the drops, knee out, whole bit, when the tires just slowly let loose. I was pretty leaned, so I didn't really fall or tumble, but slid - far! When things like this happen, I  go in to slow mo. Time expands and everything is hyper acute. At least I had the sense to know that I was sliding way too long on my hip and tried to get to my feet. Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing gloves and the process of pushing up to my feet took my lower palm off too.

When I did come to a rest, I quickly grabbed my bike and walked over to the curb to get out of the way of possible cars and to check my body. The adrenaline was flowing and I was worried that more serious issues hadn't been felt yet. Things were in order and my bike had only suffered a scrape on the outside of the rear derailler and the tops of the brake hoods; pretty much cosmetic. Time for recovery.

As I was helped in the shower with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a good towel and a lot of scrubbing, I also got a new introduction to Tegaderm. If you've never heard of this stuff before, take a special note. Apparently this stuff was developed for burn victims, and works wonders on road rash. It's like a big sticker, but what it really is, is an artificial skin. It's sort of transparent and breaths, allowing the wound to heal without scabbing up and getting all gnarly. It speeds up the recovery and makes things much easier along the way. I highly recommend it.

Beer Signs

I was in San Luis Obispo photographing a car show when I came across this booth selling metal signs. I think they were trying to sell to the garage geeks at the show, but it definitely caught my attention. I should have bought one.I'm not sure what the hell I would have done with it, since there is no way in hell my girl would let me put it up, but if I had a man cave, that's where it would go. ...then reality hits.