scenery

Shot for the Day (8 June 2015)

| Zapfly

Shot_of_the_day_08JUL15

 

Back in 2003, after completing a 4 month stint as expedition photographer for Raleigh International in Coyhaique, capital of Region XI in Chile, a few colleagues decided that the best way to end the experience was be to trek Torres del Paine, situated at the southern tip of Chile.

Amongst this ensemble, only three of us were foolhardy enough to attempt the full loop and circumnavigate the entire range.  It was April, the very end of the season and all the refugios were being closed down for Winter.  Consequently, we had to carry all of our food with us for the multi-day trek ahead.

Temperatures varied from a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius during the day to a chilly minus 20 degrees Celsius at night.  We restricted our gear as best we could but our packs stilled weight in at just under 35kg each.

The effort, however, was more than worth it, as we were constantly treated to such beautiful vistas as the one above, with not a soul for miles to break the tranquility.  In the end, it took Tom, Bill and I just under 8 days to complete the trek.  I eagerly hope to return and do it once again in the future.

Day 7: Akureyri to Reykjahlio

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Blogging from a beautiful spot just ten metres from the waters edge. It has been very sunny in Iceland today but a big black cloud is approaching over the lake so tomorrow I may not be so lucky.

Started this morning in Akureyri, waved goodbye to Angelique and cycled on. Akureyri  is at the bottom of a watery inlet with lots of up hills and down downs all around the water, very hard and into the headwinds again. After leaving this area I cycled up another climbing road for a grueling 4km. The road was covered in very loose gravel which was tough to pedal through and hurt when it flicked up and hit my legs, there were also an awful  lot of lorries which added to the pressure. It was very hard and you would normally work up quite a bit of body heat but it felt cold. Cycling at a fairly slow speed and into the wind chill meant that the air temperature felt about 9 degrees.

Crossed into the next valley fighting headwinds and again felt demoralised.  Got to a spot at the bottom of a great big hill and decided to stop for a break to gather my thoughts before the next climb. The area just happened to be a local beauty spot and sported a stunning waterfall so it was a lovely place to rest and take in the scenery. The next enormous climb took an hour but when I reached the top I had a reward! The wind direction had finally changed and for the first time on this trip I had the wind behind me AND I was going downhill. It was lovely, a real bonus but I had to step on the brakes for safety reasons as it was easy to get carried away!

After lunch the winds were still being kind and for 25 miles I enjoyed the tail wind. I soon arrived at Myvatn. Lake Myvatn is supposed to be one of the places locals go for their holidays. It is an absolutely beautiful lake with mountains set back topped with snow. The ground is full of installations of lava and some would say it looks ‘other wordly’. I cycled through the lava fields to Reykjahlio and have now settled just 10 metres from the lake’s edge. The sun is laying  low over the water and I have even met three other Brits who are also cycling for charity.  We have had a good chat and shared our experiences so far but I am guessing that they are here for a good time as they have now headed off to the shop for some booze 🙂

Dave is flying in very  late tonight, he will head first to Akureyri and then on to Egilsstadir where I hope to meet up with him some time on Thursday. Keen followers will be pleased to hear that as Angelique left Iceland she was reunited with her cycling gear which had in fact been there since about two hours after we had reported it missing upon landing (!)

Please support Kids First Trust by sponsoring Julien on his Just Giving Page

Events Team
Kids First Trust

Welcome to All Terrain

| Zapfly

Welcome to the All Terrain blog. This is a blog based around photography and filming in all types of landscapes, in all weathers and any location.

Rather than continue to communicate through the antiquated channel of a static website, All Terrain Photos will now be broadcast via this blog. I hope to enter into a more two way communication in this way. Social media is a great way to integrate a very social skill, photography, into the collective consciousness.

I set up All Terrain Photos and All Terrain Films in 2004, after returning from a year in South America where I was an expedition photographer based in southern Chile for several months. I took the opportunity to take in new adventures and see some incredible things.

Upon re-entering life in the UK, I became involved in a lot of film work. I have worked with the British Army when they attempted to summit Mount Everest via the West Ridge in 2006 and with Ford on an online comedy shot across Europe during 2007.

However, my principle interest has always been photography. I shoot mainly landscape, travel and expedition photography all around the world. I am a panoramic specialist, shooting mainly 6×12 or 6×24. However, when mountaineering or trekking about the furthest reaches of the globe, a large camera can often be too cumbersome. So I shoot also occasionally shoot on 6×9 and digital.

For me, the main focus of this blog is to discuss interesting places to shoot, good kit to take along and exciting adventures to be had and open up a conversation with the wider world.

Please comment!