It is midnight on the flanks of Mount Shasta, an immense stratovolcano in northern California, and T.C. Worley is huddled in a tent. Wind explodes on the slopes above, gusts and snow slides thundering like locomotives at 10,000 feet.
On assignment to photograph climbers on the peak, Worley fights to sleep before a planned 4a.m. start. A camera body, lenses, and batteries jostle in his sleeping bag, freezable implements he keeps close to his core.
(Click for TC WORLEY PHOTO GALLERY)
Worley, 31, is a Minneapolis-based photojournalist who’s specialty is adventure travel and the outdoors. From climbing mountains to trekking in search of the world’s tallest tree, Worley makes a living hauling camera equipment to remote corners — and then attempting to capture the perfect shot.
Working as a contributing photographer for New York Times, Worley’s work has appeared in dozens of articles for the paper. Here are 10 tips — from common techniques to unorthodox tricks — Worley offers for burgeoning photographers looking to capture action and scenery in any scenario outdoors.
1. Extreme Weather Tricks
On Mount Shasta, Worley kept batteries in a pocket next to his body as he climbed, preserving stored electricity that otherwise is zapped by cold. For shooting in precipitation, Worley sometimes slides his camera into the sleeve of a Gore-Tex jacket, nudging a long lens to the opening at the cuff and shooting with an ad hoc cover.
2. Varying Perspectives
Shooting a Nature Valley Grand Prix bike race last summer, Worley noticed a pack of photographers together all shooting with 300mm lenses — all essentially getting the same shots. To make his images stand out, Worley got close and put on a wide-angle lens. “At events, I try not to shoot the same vantage or angle as everyone else,” he said.
(Click for TC WORLEY PHOTO GALLERY)
3. Makeshift Tripod
When it’s dark or you need a long exposure for effect, set your camera on a rock, log, or ledge and employ the self-timer function to take a hands-free shot.
4. Safety Shot
A photojournalism standard is to first get a “safety shot,” which is an image that, though maybe not the most creative, tells the whole story of the scene or event. “If your kid is skiing, get a simple shot of him standing in his skis before you get creative,” Worley said. From an equipment approach, this can mean using a standard lens before grabbing a telephoto or a wide-angle lens.
(Click for TC WORLEY PHOTO GALLERY)
(Click for TC WORLEY PHOTO GALLERY)