A.E.LANDES PHOTOBLOG

That’s right… The ’101. Dirt, rocks, fire roads, heat, summer, over-extending yourself into a hot mess, and creek-soaking at the after-party. This year, I did not have a wedding scheduled in the afternoon, so I was able to dedicate the whole day to covering the race (and by whole day, I mean from 5 AM to 8 PM). With all day to work, getting the start, the Three Bridges, the Sassy Pig, and the Second Tunnel was no problem (just look out for the chicks-in-bikinis-and-beer-chugging-bros a mile from the finish). Now, staying around long enough at these locations for everyone to come by was tough, but hopefully everyone will be seen. It would be great to get out from behind the camera one of these years… Check out the photo collections below!

Here is the highlight gallery from the 2011 Wilderness 101.

And the full collection, with prints and downloads available here: 2011 Wilderness 101 Complete Collection.

Crushed! Mud and wind and cold and a stream-crossing-that-felt-like-a-river and mud and cold. Did I mention there was mud? After the course changed from rocky Michaux to a ‘much smoother’ YMCA Camp north of Carlisle, everyone thought they were getting off easy. However, the freezing temperatures mixed with Zach Adam’s insatiable appetite for drive-train destruction led to moments of glory, and all the riders demanded my humble respect during this four hour lap race. Of course, these circumstances led to many great photo opportunities, indeed.

Here is a link to the Michaux Mash 2011 Print and Download Collection.

I had the pleasure of recently photographing the great people at West Arete Computing in State College, PA. The parameters were simple – they were looking for straightforward photos of everyone with three different backgrounds, and with a slight duo-tone color treatment to match their new company website in development and correspondence. I kept everything fairly tight in composition, so they would look great viewed at a smaller size.

Here is a link to see the rest of West Arete’s Company Portraits.

Salsa the Dog loves Freeze Thaw’s new BPA-free waterbottles! I recently got done photographing the crew at Freeze Thaw Cycles showing off their new threads and gear, and we got some really great photos despite Arctic temperatures and my frozen trigger finger! I guess it wasn’t so bad… Jordyn and Clay braved it in cycling shorts. I always find an excuse to check out their amazing shop in downtown State College. So much bike-bling and bike-knowledge, it’s hard to stay focused.

Check out the Freeze Thaw’s Product Gallery here.

When Jan Thiessen asked me to be his second photographer for Monica and Karthik’s wedding, I was super-excited to learn about the scope of their wedding: two days, three events, dancing, Indian food, lots of guests, and a helicopter. A helicopter. Not to mention Monica and Karthik are a fantastic couple to photograph, and the guests at the parties laid-it-down-hard when it came to dancing. I always have a lot of fun working with Jan, and check out his gallery and photos here: Photos By Jan.

Here is my take on Monica and Karthik’s Wedding Gallery. Enjoy!

I love coming back to photographs from a wedding and remembering how things transpired – Karen and Alex’s wedding at the Crossing’s Vineyards was a simply beautiful occasion. The amazing setting with filtered sunlight through the trees meant that we had to really think about where to photograph, but some of my favorite formal images of this summer happened with Karen and Alex in the vineyard – the spark between them made photographing them so easy. The energetic wedding party made things great for the reception, and I need to especially thank Karen’s mother, who brought me back to the room where Karen was getting ready – I was floored when I saw those posed shots of Karen in the mirror. Best wishes to this very happy couple!

Check out the public gallery of Karen and Alex’s Wedding here.

And for the family and friends, here is the Complete Collection from Karen and Alex’s Wedding.

I feel that Erin and Matt’s wedding had a lot of attention paid to the details – from Erin’s wonderful veil to the choir practicing all afternoon to the very excellent reception. Everything was tip-top, and it was delightful to be a part of it. I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with Erin and Matt right after the wedding: as all the usual craziness was happening, they were having a sweet moment by a window in the church, which was perfectly lit and just a really nice pose. We had some fun with everyone posing in the Alumni Gardens, and then the guests laid down some serious dancing at the reception at General Potter’s Farm. Simply a hoot.

Here is a quick gallery of images from Erin and Matt’s Wedding Gallery.

And here is the link to Erin and Matt’s Complete Collection and Print Order Gallery.

Lauren and Patrick’s wedding is one to definitely chalk up in the “Ridiculously Fun” category! When putting together this wedding gallery, I was looking for some sweet, low-intensity images from the reception… Alas, I could find very few without someone yelling, crazy dancing, or Elmo from Sesame Street (you’ll see what I mean). Some of my favorite ones are of their grandfather praying before dinner, the guests’ dance floor antics and Lauren’s cousin tying her father’s shoe. And I love the one of Lauren laughing in Pat’s arms during the formal shots – I believe lots of laughing and wonderful memories will follow them wherever they go.

Here are the highlights from Lauren and Patrick’s Wedding Gallery.

And for the friends and family wanting prints or downloads, here is the Complete Gallery from Lauren and Patrick’s Wedding.

Blistering heat? Choking dust? Hill climbing for eight hours? Sounds about right for the Marysville MASS Mountain Bike Race. Jeez, I did one lap for fun and went through all of my water and just about keeled over. Throw in a nighttime time trial and a short-track race on Sunday, and that’s a killer weekend. I got lots of goodies (photographically speaking) throughout the weekend, including shots from the Slowest Downhill Challenge and the Huffy Toss. Kudos to Mike Kuhn and team for another great race (remember the Trans-Sylvania Epic? Same promoter!).

Here is a gallery of the Marysville MASS Mountain Bike Race highlights.

And see the Complete Gallery and Print/Download Ordering here.

The Trans-Sylvania Epic is most assuredly one of the highlights of my year. One week of stage race mountain biking in State College with plenty of rocks and roots to eat… *yum*. Lots of photos, lots of stories, and lots of sleep after exhausting days. And it’s only Tuesday. Here are the photos from Day 1 though Day 4, with hot stages and rainy downpours.

Check out the gallery here: Trans-Sylvania Epic 2010: Day 1-4.

And for all of you with a lot of time (and wanting to order prints and downloads), here is the Complete Trans-Sylvania Collection.