Capturing steepness

[Mumster]

For the :camera: experts: How do you capture steepness in your pix? I’ve been trying to analyze the situation and can’t figure out what it the key is. Sometimes trails that curve show steepness more easily. A frame around the image also helps, but it doesn’t do so consistently. What tricks do you use to capture steepness?
If you provide useful tips, I can test the suggestions out during the “girls day out” at Cannon.

[skicdave]

Ha! Thought you were bribing Mumster... give some good tips and get to come along on FemmeCannon day... oh well.

Anyways. The steepness is best seen if you are up high and shooting horizontal. Shooting up a slope makes it look quite flat.

[Mumster]

skicdave:
Ha! Thought you were bribing Mumster... give some good tips and get to come along on FemmeCannon day... oh well.FemmeCannon day:

:skifemcool: :skifemcool: :skifemcool: :skifemcool: :skifemcool: :skifemcool: :skifemcool: :skifemcool: :skifemcool: :skifemcool:

[TheOctopus]

What Dave said -- if you're shooting perpendicular to the fall line it'll look steepest; you can be somewhat off from perpendicular and still capure the aspect well, but if you're dead-on looking up-hill, it's tough to capture what's going on. Ironic, I think, because looking at stuff dead-on makes it look really steep (even the Sherburne looks nuts from Wildcat!).

Not a skiing pic, but here's one of me that my buddy took that caught the steepness of Mt. Shasta well:

http://www.angio.net/~reagan/images/shasta-point.jpg

This is the east-side of Shasta -- near the Hotlum-Wintun glacier. Very high on my must-ski list, but not in late-August, when this was taken (imagine bullet-proof VW-sized sun cups -- ugh!).

[NH_tele]

I've never been able to really capture steepness in pictures well...except this one:

http://www.freeheelskier.com/photopost/data/500/76tucks.jpg

Pretty impressive!

[BladeGirl]

I've had the same problem. I want to capture steepness AND action (i.e a skier in motion). Any tips on that?

I spoke to Cannon over the weekend. While they do plan on opening the day after Thanksgiving, they have no idea how much terrain will be open then. Lets wait a bit and see before picking a date.

-BG

[ski&ride]

Count me in as well! Maybe Cannon will have that new Tram trail open by then?(I forget the name of it, but it's a nice steep pitch straight down)

As for capturing steepness, the only luck I've had is by taking a shot from a distance, looking directly across at the area. For example, looking at Tuckermans from Lions Head. You can realy see the pitch from that angle. In fact, it almost looks unskiable. -ski&ride

[NtrentT]

NH_Tele

is that pic of Tucks, It dosent look like it.

Just wondering,

But AWSOME PIC though

Thanks

[M@]

Getting trees or the horizen in a picture helps to establish the steepness.

But on the flip-side: How to make a bunny slope look steeper, to make your pictures more dramatic: That'd be a good trick too.

[Mumster]

NtrentT:
NH_Teleis that pic of Tucks, It dosent look like it.Just wondering, Thanks I was wondering that too - maybe the gulf?

BG - I agree we need to wait to see if there is snow. It's a terrific time for me because I'll already be in New England for the Holiday -
If there is no decent snow, or they aren't open, I'll look for whiter pastures. I HAVE SO FEW LONG WEEKENDS OFF THAT I'M GOING TO SKI SOMEWHERE THAT WEEKEND IF I HAVE TO FLY TO THE NORTH POLE TO FIND :snowflakes: .

Ski&ride:
We are happy to have you join us for the FemmeCannon trip!

[DMC]

That shot is looking down at the bowl from the Upper Snowfields..

[TheOctopus]

Same principles apply for capturing steepness in action shots:

http://www.angio.net/~reagan/images/tucks3-boarder.jpg

Anonymous rider just below the crux of The Chute, April 2000. Tricky lighting and it's over-exposed, but you get the idea.

[Mumster]

It sounds so easy - everyone is giving me the same message. I'm itching to try this strategy. If I can get out of :atwork: early this weekend, I'm going up to the Poconos to experiment with this.

BTW, if I find a way to make a bunny slope look steep, I'll let you know - how about turning the :camera: 45 degrees sideways? :D

[TheOctopus]

Mumster:
BTW, if I find a way to make a bunny slope look steep, I'll let you know - how about turning the :camera: 45 degrees sideways? :D That'll work, but careful of what's in the background. Sunday River had an add last year that showed a supposedly steep slope, but the trees were growing at a nice angle off of vertical, and the horizon was tipped precipitously at the same angle. Oops.

Interested in tips others might have here. One thing I like to do with low-angle stuff to make it interesting is either have the skier really get into it and rip it up -- more action! -- or try to catch something interesting in the background. Either makes up for the slope not being all that exciting. Like this:

http://www.angio.net/~reagan/images/sierra-danamturnc.jpg

Even with the photographer (me!) shooting perpendicular to the fall line, the slope is looking pretty mellow. But Matt's bomber technique and the High Sierra backdrop make things a bit more interesting that they'd otherwise be.

(Also, trying to take pictures of Matt -- who insists on wearing all white -- is always a challenge. You've pretty much got to catch him with some trees in the background, or skiing a ridgeline. Those outragously colorful '80s one-piece outfits photograph much better!)

[Castlerock]

NtrentT, NH Tele's shot is Tucks from the snowfields. It is a classic photo, that you must take sometime yourself. NH Tele's shot is actually from so high on the cone that it loses some of the steepness (since it is looking down the slope instead of across it.)

[Castlerock]

Here is an old thread that has a similar perspective to NH Tele's ahot just from a bit lower. It also has some "steep" shots. That show steepness by looking across to the slope as oppose to up or down it,

photo thread from July (http://timefortuckerman.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000681#000000)