Part of being a photographer is looking to other photographer’s work to learn techniques and be inspired. It’s not unusual to hit a mental block and take a break to explore the minds and works of others, this is true in any craft. Last time we talked about this we asked you if you wanted to make your subjects “Fly” with Trevor DeSaussure. Today our photographer is Jay Philbrick, and he’s taking us up the side of some very high cliffs.
Jay is quite a bit older than our last subject and his senior by almost 40 years. However, that doesn’t change the fact that they both love adventure and photography, and they both love the technical aspects of taking a photo. So what makes Philbrick’s photography so adventurous? He has an album of photos he takes on the cliffside of a rock. Sometimes as high as 350 feet up.
Philbrick and his wife started their photography business together 12 years ago. However, it wasn’t until 2008 that they started adventure based shoots. The idea came to Philbrick because before he was a photographer, he was a full time climbing guide. He loves having his subject in stark contrast with what the background is showing. It’s fair to say that wedding couples, pageant queens, and dancers are probably not associated with huge cliffs.
Only one couple has actually had previous climbing experience before the photo shoot, aside from them, no one else has had previous experience. Philbrick gave a lot of credit to Marc Chauvin of Chauvin Guides International for helping him prep the safety and rigging setups to safely secure Philbrick, the clients, and Marc himself. This takes a lot of work and prep time. Especially because the location makes it near impossible to use artificial lights, you plan for using daylight most of the time. Sometimes this means beginning work on the anchors and setup as early as 3:30 in the morning to be ready to take photos along with the sunrise for good exposure with dynamic backgrounds.
While Philbrick repeatedly reiterated how safe the whole process is (he doesn’t even require the subjects to climb back up, Philbrick and his team handle all the raising and lowering, and he says this is possible due to Marc’s incredible experience and skill) one thing that he cannot control is the weather.
While he would prefer to always have things straightforward and according to plan, Jay sometimes has to make due with what happens, and that sometimes includes heavy mist, fog, and other weather conditions.
And while those types of pictures can create incredible drama and intrigue in the background. Philbrick takes photos from above as well as straight on, some for posing purposes, but sometimes for the purpose of having less weather related things being so prevalent in the photo.
Philbrick often tries his hardest to not use photo editing in his photos. Jay wants the photo to feel as real as possible. He explained to me that of course he isn’t perfect and oversights do happen. He occasionally has to remove or edit out some safety gear. However, Philbrick explains to me that this is a rarity and that he does everything he can to take these photos in a way that will not require photo editing to erase ropes, safety gear, etc. Which I’d consider a logistical nightmare, but for Jay it’s just another adventure.
Philbrick also isn’t one to necessarily hide his secrets. His wife Vicki, and their assistant Justin Macomber take plenty of behind-the-scenes photos.
Philbrick Photography is located in North Conway, New Hampshire. Philbrick photography also does other wonderful wedding photography outside of their cliffside album and other highlights. You can also follow their adventures on Facebook. I can’t think of a reason not to, their work is incredibly exciting.