If you were to hear someone ask,
"Would you like to learn how to fly? " you would probably assume they meant a plane, right? I know I would. But with speed skaters I have learned, never ASS-U-ME anything!
This is the 3rd and final story of Josh Wood's adventure while completing a recent photo shoot with photographer Steve Harriman from Rancho Cordova, CA. We met Steve through speed skating (Wow--nothing new here). No Steve does not skate, in fact he works for the City of Rancho Cordova doing something TOTALLY different than photography and it doesn't include roller blades either. But because of his obvious skills with a camera and his eye to see things a little different than maybe some of us, and on top of that have the skills to bring them to life for all to see, became apparent to me the first time I came across his photos.
As most of you know, we just finished our Inline March Madness Invitational (March 6-9, 2008), which included a full Marathon at the end of the 3-day indoor competition held at SUNRISE ROLLERLAND in Citrus Heights, CA. The outdoor portion would be our first attempt at bringing a marathon event to the Sacramento County area. In doing so, after literally hundreds of phone calls, the City of Rancho Cordova opened their doors to a sport they had never seen before.
As we worked with John at City Hall many emails went back and forth through City Planning, to the Department of Transportation, Police and Fire Departments and obviously Steve's
department. When the event finally came to town, Steve who seems to be the unofficial resident city photographer, decided to show up for a few minutes to see what "inline speed skating" was all about. He was intrigued and took several hundred photos and loved our sport (how can you not love this sport?!). The next week he wanted to share his experience with a few of his co-workers and sent a link to his photos. Well the guy John who I was originally working with passed the link on to me, and shall I say.... the rest is history! Since that time Steve and I have spent hours sending emails back and forth as well as our thoughts on photography (mine being that I WISH I could photograph the way he does and him telling me some of the stories behind his favorite shots). That brought us to the photo shoot with Josh and the craziness at the end of it all. It was indisputable that these two guys had a "need for speed from wheels as well as a camera's shutter mechanism" and they wanted to bring the two together.
What could they do if Josh jumped? How would he get over the top of Steve? What angle would Steve need to use? How fast would Josh really move and could Steve capture the intensity and the fun of it all?
I don't know..... what do you think?
To see story one and two on this crazy morning, click here:
www.inlinemarchmadness.blogspot.comAs you watch this, listen to the birds chirping in the background as Josh rounds the corner and prepares for "flight"!! ENJOY....
I am going home with so much new information, both for training purposes and from USADA (United States Anti-Doping Association). This young man on the left, Taylor Hooton, died as a result of steroid use. Taylor had just turned 17 years old and was preparing to start his Senior year in High School, when his life was tragically cut short due to steroid use. This and many other stories were brought to light during the USADA presentation.
