Dan O'Sullivan Photography

Mountain bike Nationals kick-off with "24hours of Colorado Springs"

2011-10-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Colorado Springs hosted the first race of mountain biking nationals with the "24 hours of Colorado Springs". Racers cruised through Palmer Park on a 13mile loop, beginning at noon on Saturday and continuing straight through 'till noon on Sunday. (Names will be added after I receive the list of plate numbers, or individuals are identified in comments.)

Silent Splendor, Worth every bruise, cut, and scrape

2011-09-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

To get there I was crawling face-down in mud for almost as long as I spent shooting. The trip was going to be memorable long before we arrived in the large cavern with intricately ornate gypsum crystals. This is Silent Splendor. This is where drawing upon my last cave photo experience I managed to thin down my gear to only 35 lbs (before coating it with a half ton of mud for the trip out

Not my first bike race, ProCycling Palmer Park 50

2011-09-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

Shad Shreiner Bruce Miller Lindsey Watson Russell Finsterwald Russel Finsterwald (left), Shad Shreiner (center), & Rob Sousa (right) Jonathan Rowell As a precursor to the upcoming 24hour race in Palmer Park, the ProCycling Palmer Park 50 (with 25mile option) was a great way to spend a beautiful fall morning. Mind you not your average fall morning, with temps easily in the mid

Convergence of weather and light

2011-09-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Glen Eyrie Castle Foggy bridge on the Queens Canyon trail Stormy sunset over the Garden of the Gods Sunset bursting through the rain storm over the Garden of the Gods Rainbow over the Garden of the Gods Gateway Colorado Springs is certainly not known for it's wet weather, but we are known for our natural beauty. So it is here I believe that beauty was uniquely highlighted when

Balloon Classic photographer sale:Dime a dozen

2011-09-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

e.g. Generic (at the Balloon Classic in Colorado Springs a dime is still overpriced) But hey, with a beautiful morning a good friend and casual attitude towards shooting, this is just for fun. Relatively I took very few images only shooting for those not as likely to be picked off by the myriad other photographers milling about the launch field seemingly snapping petabites of

USA Pro Cycling Challenge, prologue in COS

2011-08-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Carlos Alzate Escobar Andrew Randell Valeryi Kobzarenko Elia Viviani Carlos Piamonte Levi Leipheimer If you follow this blog you will have noticed a trend. A two wheeled, human powered trend. Living in Colorado Springs we are certainly not unfamiliar with quality cycling by impressive athletes, however prior to Monday I have never photographed cyclists

Rocky Sunrise...

2011-08-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

My level of activity does not necessarily correlate to my blog posts. It has been quite a length of time since my last entry so it would appear that I am kicking back, just chilling, far away from my camera. This could not be further from the truth. In fact I have been swamped with a number of projects ranging from from conservation related photography to help prevent the continued vandalism

Occasionally I'll shoot a bike race

2011-06-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Patrick Valentine riding the first technical section I love Ute Valley park, the technical, the speed, and its location being a three minute ride from my house. This past Saturday was a great day to shoot, and to experiment at the Hotter than Habanero mountain bike race. Shooting was standard fare with my usual kit, until afternoon while working on a setup one speedlight plummeted

Bear Creek- Short, fast, and dusty

2011-06-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

Grant Clayton, 6th in Cat 1 men 40-49 Ron McCall cranking past the sun Another Wednesday Sand Creek race, and another shot at shutter play. I've been here before, but there is always something new. To me this isn't an afternoon to shoot more of the same biking shots, this is a challenge, shoot without it looking generic, or (for better or worse) looking like what I

Sand Creek MTB race, Revisited

2011-06-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Mitchel Goates picks up speed along the flats, finishing 2nd (Cat1/2 15-18yo) Unknown rider # Unknown rider # Colleen Cameron passing under the broken tree Doug Johnson chases JJ Clark on the final lap. (Doug 2nd, JJ 1st in Pro/Cat1 men19-29) JJ Clark following unknown rider # It is again that time of year, two wheeled friends are metaphorically dusted off with a fresh

City Spots

2011-05-26T00:26:00.000-07:00

Recently I've embarked on a personal project to find new locations around the city which prove uniquely photogenic. As individual artistic images, or as samples for locations which could suit a variety of client needs, I've been satisfied with the results so far. This is under an interstate overpass on the north end of the city. Currently I am looking forward to the opportunity to

Eagle Creek

2011-05-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

A popular location for photographers (photographing waterfall out frame) A sliver of light falls on the forest floor and short section of trail Lichen and moss completely engulf tree trunks just off trail Forest floor fern Md-face trail with anchored cable hand-line Small redwood trees line the trails egde Light plays on the lichen covered forest Zoom-blur on the

Garden of the Gods sunrise

2011-05-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

Headlamp, jacket, laptop, camera bag and monopod. A simple kit, but adequate enough to head out the door before dawn with a garden sunrise shoot beginning my Monday itinerary. No specific client, nor requisite subject, but a simple throwback to many years past when I would similarly shoot my fully manual film Nikon just for fun. Along with significantly better gear, my skill is likewise

Mountain States Cup: Cheyenne Mountain Explosion XC

2011-04-11T01:49:00.000-07:00

Jill Behlen rides a clean line through one of the courses rock gardens Josh Whitney seen through scrub-oak An unknown CAT 1 rider rounding a turn near the XC finish This is why you clear the trail when riders approach Doug Johnson, Bandwagon Racing, just past the most technical section Sage Wilderman passing over the day's only casualty Jason Siegle crossing the

Mountain States Cup: Cheyenne Mountain Explosion

2011-04-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Chris Delauro, Team Colorado Singletrack: CAT 2/3 Doug Johnson, Bandwagon Racing: PRO Jon Brickner, Winter Park Winery: CAT 1 Unknown: w/o visible number Christine Irelan: CAT 1 Colin Cares, Kenda/Felt: PRO Day 1: Time Trial Hosted in Cheyenne Mountain State Park, todays race was an interesting shoot especially when considering that when running solo, (and not having a

CC Tigers vs. Oglethorpe: Final score 28-0

2011-04-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

Members of both teams waiting for play Bart Cerf breaks away, sprinting towards the Oglethorpe goal Steve Rijo makes an aggressive turn prior to scoring An energetic shot on goal by Buck McKenna George Cornelson and Kurt Chessman perform a particularly effective block CC Tiger sideline More new things. I've shot many bike races, various forms of climbing, paragliding,

City Rock: Outside again

2011-04-06T00:22:00.000-07:00

A particularly pleasant warm spring day in Cheyenne Canyon, today City Rock climbing gym had 5 young adventurers climbing on a section of granite spire. Enthusiasm was thick, with both spirits and accomplishments high. After winter, granite spring climbs are often peppered with debris from the natural degradation of the rock, so today I kept my work to only those areas accessible w/o

While I'm at it.....

2011-03-26T00:36:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been working on a personal project to develop examples of product photography. Similar to my first go at an engagement shoot, this is my first intentional set up to photograph a single object which could be used in an advertisement for itself. Ultimately I hope these and similar images may serve as my own advertisement. The set-up was a black fabric background with a

City Rock: Outside edition

2011-03-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

Cloudy, yes. Quick, yes. Dirty, absolutely. Strangely enough today was grittier than both my shooting excursions to Sand Dunes National Park, and Cave of the Swirling Mist. However this was my first opportunity to fulfill City Rocks need for promotional outdoor climbing images and I am not about to be put off by blowing sand and dust. I did bring my flashes and other lighting gear,

Try new things...

2011-03-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

Similar to weddings and senior photos, engagement photography is not my typical fare, and up until today I had no previous experience with such. However as it is with many crafts, I thrive on learning new things and today was my first serious attempt at posing people, as well as intentionally lighting posed people. Considering this is my first attempt, and limited to an hour commitment

A Lenten photographic reflection

2011-03-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

San Luis is the oldest town in Colorado. It is here where you will find Hubert Maesta's (nearly) life sizes bronze sculptures of the Stations of the Cross spread out along a footpath. Beginning in town the path meanders up the side of a mesa, and is more formally known as "la Mesa de la Piedad y de la Misericordia" (Hill of Piety and Mercy). On top of the mesa there is a church

Still progressing, again... and a look back at my early imagery.

2011-02-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

The Jan/Feb issue of Peak Region Cyclist features an article on the indoor trainer races hosted by Carmichael Training Systems. My photos are used both in the article and on the cover. Over the past couple of weeks work has been relatively quiet without much shooting. Although I could easily have gone out on my own this has been welcome as a break over the holidays and allowed me time to catch

Shooting dirty...

2010-12-19T00:14:00.000-08:00

( soda straws ) ( cave worm ) ( miniature horse bone ~10,000years old ) Just another day at the office...or a day at yet another office? Caves are not a friendly place to shoot. They are humid, they are dusty, they are dirty, and they are dark,,, really dark. Though with enough lights, a relatively sealed camera, assorted accessories and enough hardened/padded dust-proof cases to drag it

Dan O'Sullivan Photography... and graphic design!

2010-12-14T23:40:00.000-08:00

Above is the first advertisement for my photography business which will appear in the next issue of Peak Region Cyclist. It is bike-centric (as expected for a bike mag) but I feel it conveys quite well my own style and is applicable to anything I have shot or have yet to shoot. This advertisement is the newest addition to my graphic design portfolio, which though informal, now includes my photo

You may ask "why?" I ask "Why not?"

2010-12-14T15:27:00.000-08:00

There can be more to mountainbiking than just riding trails... and being adverse to simply replicating what everyone else has already done, I felt like dabbling in novelty when shooting a new photo of myself. Any adventure photographer worth his or her ascenders has a photo of themselves with their camera looking, for lack of a better term, "adventurous" in the middle of a rock face or

Bike races don't need to be outside...

2010-12-04T00:47:00.000-08:00

So as it turns out, I again find myself shooting the indoor version of an outdoor pursuit. The above photos were taken this evening for Peak Region Cyclist magazine and are from an indoor bike race at Carmichael Training Systems... Yes a stationary bike race. For as unorthodox as it may seem, this was rather fun to do as a quick shoot and there is certainly something to be said for a

I promise, there will be a majority of outdoor shots...soon

2010-12-02T23:28:00.000-08:00

Yup, new gym shots. I expect these will be the last for a while, and I am very much looking forward to getting out more, in the most literal interpretation of the phrase. There is not too much to say, just hoping that I took what is generally a challenging vertical environment and did justice in capturing an active sport in this expansive inside space entirely devoid of natural, or other

Link to article from Rock and Ice

2010-11-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a good write up from "Rock and Ice" describing the Ice Night I shot last weekend. (And with a photo I do like for some reason) http://www.rockandice.com/news/1241--indoor-ice-comps-next-big-thing

Saturday night ProCompetition Ice Night @ City Rock . (a.k.a. Occurrence B.)

2010-11-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

Gordon McArthur Gordon McArthur Matt McKinley Marc Beverly These are the best images from Saturday nights professional ice climbing competition at City Rock climbing gym. Names will be updated as soon as possible. If you wish to purchase a specific image as a print please email me describing which image you are interested in, and if you are interested in a specific participant please

Fridays community night ice climbing competition @ CityRock

2010-11-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

These are the best images from Friday nights Ice climbing competition at City Rock climbing gym. Names will be updated as soon as possible. If you wish to purchase a specific image as a print please email me describing which image you are interested in, and if you are interested in a specific participant please send me an email describing the clothing and I will reply if I do or don't have

Bouldering @ City Rock

2010-11-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I made my first trip with my camera to City Rock climbing gym to scout out lighting, angles, and technical rope options for visits this Thu, Fri, and Sat. Before leaving, there were a couple people bouldering who were kind enough to let me photograph them working on a few problems. Because it was the end of their session I didn't have long to shoot. Anyhow the above images were

Bike racks and a little bit of Moab

2010-11-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

A very limited selection of Moab bike related photos

Beyond twilight with a speedlight. (& w/o photoshop HDR)

2010-10-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

In Colorado,the fall evenings arrive swift and cool bringing with them a beautiful opportunity for experimenting with night photography. Unfortunately it also brought out a couple of creepy people whom my friendly assistant found to be unsettling, and around whom I did not feel as comfortable as I could being that it was dark, we were alone, and there was a couple grand in camera gear for which

Scouting shots

2010-08-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

It’s quite inconsiderate to light an unsuspecting rider, though a suspecting rider is an entirely different story. Most importantly, a suspecting rider is not likely to be curious about a strange piece of equipment which appears out of the corner of their eye, drawing their gaze at the precise moment the speedlight releases its first flash. Nor are they startled to find the photographer

Available light in the mountains

2010-07-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been learning the technical operation of new lighting equipment, but what has become most apparent is the necessity to "see the light". Typically available light has been my standard, however this was always selected by instinct because it just looked good despite lacking a definitive reason as to why it was appealing. However when utilizing my new speedlights, I want to see

Weakness

2010-06-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hardly a waking hour passed without my Domke bag implanting itself further into my shoulder. Yet this was my first vacation since many a fortnight passed, and thus more often I occupied this time conversing with my long time friend and recently introduced acquaintances and far less time with my Nikon outside its canvas residence. Here my greatest weakness is exposed. My recent excursion to

Shooting through an airplane window...and filth.

2010-05-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

Typically my camera glass is always clean, however the optically distorted pressurized glass found on the twin engine turbo-prop leaves much to be desired. Had I applied cleaner and cloth to both the outside and inside I shall not have gained much due to the space between layers in which resided the aged filth requiring a copious amount of photoshop. Overall, given what I had to work with,

Coming soon, and more often...

2010-05-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

Sadly this is the second post on the photo blog without accompanying photos. However the good news: I will be returning to regular updates, and some newly acquired equipment will allow for shots I have only seen in my head, yet was unable to capture on film.(ehemmm, digital chip) Also to come in the near future: A return to the photo narration as it was in the beginning of this blog when the (

And now for something completely different.. . . .

2010-04-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

The past couple months have been beyond crazy. Due to many issues I took an early leave from the volunteer program which I had been a part of for what ultimately ended five months shy of the year. Upon my return to CO I found supplemental employment in the form of a mapping company. As a result of this shift I have flown and driven thousands of miles while staying in seven cities spanning three

Random shutter play

2009-12-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

A beautiful but brisk evening this past weekend proved for some interesting shots with longer shutter times. In all likelihood had it been warmer the blurring light would be a bit smoother, but being that it was hand held experimentation just for fun, I am content.

Still shooting...

2009-12-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

Lately I have found myself without much time to shoot, let alone time to write about it. This past weekend was a different story. Here I have posted images from the Art Institute, the over-shot “Giant Bean”, the German Christmas market, and the similarly over-shot Chicago theatre. However for as generic as the subjects may be, I have attempted to utilize a culmination of timing, lighting, and in

Police Line DO NOT CROSS, , . really?

2009-10-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

I knew that there was to be a lot of police prepared to arrest what was ultimately a group of nearly 200 demonstrators. My primary concern, GET THE SHOT, and then there was DON’T GET ARRESTED/ aka, “don’t get camera gear confiscated” coming in a very close second, especially before I have a chance to get the shot. Walking amongst the demonstrators I was able to shoot without conflict so long as I

“Mom only said not to play with matches. These were lit with a blowtorch.”

2009-10-04T14:02:00.001-07:00