birchblazephotography.com » The Photo Blog of Kerry and Taylor Struble

As some of you may know, I’m also a graphic designer. My biggest claim-to-fame so far is that I design & layout the new standup paddlesurfing magazine, “Standup Journal.” The mag photographically chronicals the relatively new sport that’s a lot like surfing, but you use a long paddle. It’s pretty cool ’cause you don’t need a wave to do it. Flat water, surf… they’re even starting to do it in white water rivers! It’s catching on fast and you’ll see celebs doing it in people mag, on TV, etc. We started out in ‘07 and now we’re in the major US retailers, like Borders and Barnes & Noble, and globally we’re now in 24 countries. The cover you see to the left is the current summer issue, on stands now.

One of the very cool things about working on this magazine is that I get to see hundreds of amazing photos from the world’s top professional watersports photographers, everyday. This has been, not only incredibly enjoyable, but it’s also been instrumental in adding knowledge and insight to my own photographic pursuits. Particularly in the areas of post processing and learning about pro gear (i.e. lenses, etc.).

One of the photographers we work with a lot, is a legend of sorts in the surfing photography world. His name is David Pu’u. David’s work speaks for itself, and it’s  regularly appeared in well-known publications such as Surfer, Surfers Journal, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, The New York Post, The London Daily Mirror and Time. In the June issue of Standup Journal, We did a ‘featurette’ based on a photograph taken by David. It’s an amazing photo taken in the water just before David got slammed by the wave he was focusing on (fortunately, he didn’t get a surfboard in the head!). I love this photo and was so excited to get to use it in our Mag. I was pretty happy with the way it came out, but I was super-stoked (hey, why not throw in some surfing lingo?) when Standup Journal publisher and friend, Clay Feeter, forwarded me the following comment Mr. Pu’u himself made about my treatment of his photo in the article:

“…man, nice work. I am proud to be included and consider that page (the “Perfect” article) …to be the best single page use example of my work in my entire published history.”

To quote Steve Martin, “Wow! …wow! …All I can say is, WOW!” I am so honored by this incredible compliment from David. This affirmation means so much to me, because I did not go to college. I am completely self-taught in this field. I do not have a degree or college diploma in this world where a piece of paper is SO important to people. Standup Journal and this accolade from a surfing photographer heavyweight is my “piece of paper.” Thanks David. Here’s the article with David’s beautiful photo:

"Perfect." article in June '09 issue of Standup Journal, photo by David Pu'u

I’d also like to give a HUGE shout-out-thank-you to Clay Feeter, publisher of Standup Journal, who gave me a chance even though I didn’t have that ‘piece of paper’. As Clay has said, we make a great team! In addition to bettering myself as a photographer along with my best friend, Taylor, I look forward to being a part of the Standup Journal team and producing this killer watersports photography showcase for a long time.

-kerry

There is a well known photographer from Seattle named Chase Jarvis (check out his website and work here). The guy is amazing. You may not have ever heard of him, but it’s likely you’ve seen his work. Volvo, Reebok, Apple, REI, Microsoft, Jeep, McDonald’s, Columbia, Red Bull, Nikon…these are a few of the companies Chase calls clients. Not bad, huh? A few months back another guy by the name of Russell Byrne (Russell’s blog) asked for, and received a pair of Chase’s shoes. Huh? What? To quote Russell, “Photographer Chase Jarvis once told an audience that anyone who walked his walk would find success, which led me to wondering what walking a mile in his shoes would really be like. So I asked Chase to send me a pair. And he did!” Russell wasn’t about to keep Chase’s soles to himself, so he posted the following challenge on Flickr: “I would like to see the shoes shot in as many ways as possible… let me know if you are ready for the challenge to….SHOOT CHASE JARVIS’S SHOES” (visit the project website) His well-traveled, Adidas Muhammed Ali Classics, to be specific. And I was. I was ready to put our Birch Blaze, White Mountains of New Hampshire stamp on those shoes. And what better way to represent than sneakers sporting snowshoes? This was definitely a team effort. In fact Tay actually snapped this pic. It was a lot of fun and we hope Chase might happen upon our effort and maybe actually even like it (if you have an extra minute, after the pic you might find the story of how I received the shoes mildly amusing):

This shot was taken in the ’shadow’ of Mt. Washington, a mountain which, on April 12, 1934, recorded a wind speed of 231 mph, which is “the highest natural surface wind velocity ever officially recorded by means of an anemometer, anywhere in the world.” A record that still stands to this day (I can Google with the best of ‘em). You can check it out for yourself at MountWashington.org. The Presidential range continues north from Mt. Washington, so I’m guessing it’s probably Mt. Jefferson or Mt. Adams in the background. We took this with the Canon and a 50mm. No flashes involved here, this was lit with nothing but the strengthening March sun—camera-left—and a pop-up reflector—camera-right. Those are my legs and feet, by the way…fitting tho, I think I’ve found my calling, “Kerry Struble; Well-worn sneaker model.”

How I Got the Shoes
I signed up to be a part of this project a few months ago and had no idea when or even if I would actually get the shoes. I’m ashamed to admit that I actually kind of, well, ok, did forget about them. So… one day Taylor and I pulled up to the house to see several boxes from UPS on our step. They had actually delivered some packages we were expecting to the wrong house the day before, so I was pretty relieved. But wait, here’s a box that I wasn’t expecting, in fact, I have no idea who it’s from. Tay told me I better be careful opening it. At first I didn’t think anything of it, but then I noticed the box wasn’t packed professionally, like you would get from an online retailer, say. Taylor’s words and thoughts of mail bombs and bio-terrorism began ringing in my head…Cut to me opening the box (which is now sitting on our front step) with a 2×4, peeking out from behind our front door. Boy, did I feel foolish when I saw that darn pair of sneakers looking for all the world like a puppy waiting to be claimed by it’s new owner. Shhhhhhh! Don’t tell Chase!

…And since one picture is never usually not enough, here’s 2 or 3 more we took that day…

enjoy!
-k

We love mountains, so it works out nicely that we live amongst some. As I think I’ve mentioned, we live at the far, southern end of the Mt Washington Valley in New Hampshire (maybe just a tad beyond). If the Mt Washington Valley was a bathtub, we would probably be located somewhere around the drain (no offense Effingham, really!). Anyway, Tay and I head north and venture deeper into the Valley, more specifically, North Conway, maybe twice a week or so. We never tire of the beautiful scenery we get to breath in everyday, and what’s cool is sometimes I still get surprised by something I’ve seen many times before, but all of a sudden presents itself in a new light. Over the weekend we drove past a view of Mt. Washington that is partially hidden from the road. This time it really jumped out at me and after driving past I decided that, no, I can’t leave this one in the rearview. Tay was driving so I had her turn the car around…here’s what I came up with…

Saturday we showed up at the Purity Spring Sled Dog Race Classic in Madison, NH. Maddie and Dylan took a sled dog clinic last week at the adjoining King Pine Ski area, where they learned the basics of operating a sled, hooking up the dogs, and more importantly, how to stop! So, on Saturday they had a sign-up for the kids, and the first twenty could actually get a chance to run (actually, be towed might be more accurate) in a one dog race! Dylan was thirteenth in line (Maddie opted out of the racing part), but somehow didn’t make it in. But that wasn’t about to stop my Mom (thanks Mom!) from making sure that her Grandson got his place on the starting line…that’s a story for another day, but our sincerest thanks go out to local dog sledding hero Bruce Crowther, and Gretchen Karlson of Karlson Kennels, Concord, MA for lending Dylan not only their team leader, Squeaky (I apologize Squeaky, if I’m not spelling your name right) and a sled, but also their time and expertise in getting Dyl ready to roll (I mean, slide). He had a blast and so did we! Here are some shots Tay and I took…

Yes, their eyes are that blue!

After racing 12 miles, they’re just a bit tuckered out on the home stretch…but still workin’ it.

Nothin’ like a good old Dodge to get yer dogs to the race on time!

This next photo is one of my top 3 faves, I think. I swear I did not Photoshop the expression on that dog’s face (I didn’t even know a dog was physically capable of doing that). It’s priceless…way too funny, but I promise she is not choking him!

Another classic from Tay:

The kids have a go…I think it’s great that the kids can get involved in this great sport at such a young age…with or without a sled!

Pre-race pep talk:

…and she’s ready to go.

One of the things I love about photography is the story you sometimes find in your photos only after you take them. This little guy was doing his darnedest to keep his dog motivated…the dog, feeling a bit social I guess, stopped off to say hello to the spectators:

Oh well…

Ok, you definitely deserve some lap time…

Dylan finally gets his chance:

The End.