Kayak | Peter Holcombe Photography Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Kayak’

Bart and Patty’s Evergreen Wedding

07.22.2010 - By Peter
Categories: Weddings
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Bart and Patty had their perfect wedding celebration in Evergreen, Colorado. We started at the Highland Haven where they and all their family was staying. This is a little gem of a spot on the outskirts of downtown Evergreen on the banks of Bear Creek. The creek is a major attraction to Bart and Patty since they are kayakers. You might have seen my blog post about Bart and Patty’s Colorado River engagement shoot back in March. After some time getting ready, we photographed around the Highland Haven and then worked our way over to the Evergreen Lake House. This is a very cool log building that sits right on the bank of Evergreen Lake with a large outside deck perfect for a wedding celebration with a mountain feel. The ceremony went off with out a hitch, the deck even went into shade 5 minutes before the start making for cool guests and was easy on the bride and grooms eyes. At one point I realized that this was not your ordinary wedding when I started to notice all the water proof Cameras that the guests were sporting. I’d bet over half of this group were rafters or kayakers and a non water proof camera means a short life in the hands of this group.

A great party ensued complete with a live band and a wedding cake that looked like a river with a class IV rapid complete with rocks, waves and his and her kayaker action figures. It was a really fun day and I thank Bart and Patty for letting me be a part of it all!

The following Saturday they had all the guests meet them on the Arkansas river for a trip down Brown’s Canyon. 37 kayakers and 5 full rafts made for a floating celebrations that won’t soon be forgotten!

I wish you both the best and look forward to seeing you on the river soon!

Tags: Colorado, Colorado Wedding Photography, Evergreen, Evergreen Lakehouse, Kayak, Mountain, Mountain Wedding
Posted in Weddings

Fibark: After Dark

06.22.2010 - By Peter
Categories: Adventure, Personal Work
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Fibark is America’s oldest and boldest river and whitewater festival. If you have never been, it is something to witness. One of the most popular events is the Hooligan Race. A “boat” race where groups create makeshift rafts and boats from all types of unlikely objects. A huge mass of spectators watch as these crafts come through the rapids and self destruct sending parts and people flying into the churning river.

Fibark: Hooligan Race 2010 from peter Holcombe on Vimeo.

After all the dust settled I had another opportunity to photograph Nick Troutman, the reigning World Freestyle Kayak Champion, but this time he brought along Eric Jackson, a four time World Champion and US Team Olympian, and Eric’s 16 year old son, Dane Jackson, who is already a force to be reckoned within the junior and pro men’s contests around the globe. Much thanks again to Nick, Dane and Eric for taking the time to make these images and get back into the freezing cold river well after most everyone had gone to bed.

It was a dark night, but I fixed that quickly. I set up several flashes and one very bright spot light. I was really about capturing the flow of the water and spray off the boats as they looped through the air. These almost abstract images are more focused on the water than the boat and paddler. There is a beautiful reaction to every motion the paddler makes within the water. Many kayak images are all about the person and the boat but these images brought the subtleties of the water into the forefront. Any paddler notices this all the time but it is seldom caught in an image in such a dominant sculpted form. There are so many amazing aspects to kayaking and I hope this series shows some of the beauty of the waters reaction to the acrobatics of these world class paddlers.

Tags: Add new tag, Arkansas River, Colorado, Dane Jackson, Eric Jackson, Fibark, Jackson Kayak, Kayak, Nick Troutman, Salida, White Water
Posted in Adventure, Personal Work

Bart and Patty’s whitewater kayaking engagement on Westwater!

04.16.2010 - By Peter
Categories: Destination, Engagement, Portraits
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So how do a guy who owns Golden River Sports, a kayak and fly fishing store in Golden, Colorado and a girl who is a professional kayak guide and instructor with Reniassance Adventure Guides throw an engagement party? They spend two days on the Colorado River running Westwater Canyon with all their best friends!

It was the perfect way to celebrate Bart and Patty’s engagement. This trip consisted of seven rafts, nine kayaks and twenty five people. We spent two days on the river and a night at the Little Dolores Creek confluence camping out next to the river. When I say “camp” you might think freeze dried dinners and water from canteens, but not this crowd. The pork tenderloin was hot, the beer was cold from the keg and the campfire was raging. This was living. An amazing dinner that would make many 4 star restaurants proud to have on the menu. As the sun went down the camp fire stoked up and the party carried on into the night.

This was really fun for Kathy and I to photograph as it was more than an engagement shoot but a journey with a fun adventurous story. It was full of visual content. I loved the colors of the kayaks and rafts on the river and the people with a zeal for life. We took Bart and Patty aside once at camp and used the best natural light of the evening to create portraits that really showed their love for each other and being on the river together. Passions really show through when you get someone into their true place of tranquility. This was really amazing to see them relax from the chaos of loading the boats at the put in to the first little riffles on the river to the larger rapids. The further down the river we went the more they relaxed and got into just being in this beautiful remote environment.

Please watch this video to get a feel for Bart and Patty’s super fun engagement party!

Bart and Patty’s Westwater Engagement weekend from peter Holcombe on Vimeo.