Zach Petschek Photography Blog

Back in June we did a job for Injinji. It’s catalog season and they made it happen. Their new line of toe socks for next year is ready and they left prepared for the outdoor retailer convention in Salt Lake City.

Sunrise through the trees

Our first half of the shoot was a 2 hour drive first thing in the morning. The shoot relied primarily on available light so timing was of the essence. I was on the road by 330am after a pit stop at 7-11. I don’t operate well without coffee. We arrived and it was still dark. But just barely. The sky began to outline the trees and the stars began to fade. It was an amazing sight to watch the sky light up. I vowed to come back out another morning and capture it, as soon as things calm down around here.

The art director and models arrived on set as the sun rose and we got started. The first model jumped right into her role and we were off and running, pun intended. The sun raking across the fields of grass was fantastic. I only wish I could have slowed the rising sun a little more. I haven’t found an app for that yet but I’m still looking.

It was an eventful morning and I could have gone on for days. But as the sun got too high and the lighting got bad, we took a break for the day. Late in the afternoon we met back up again a little closer to town. These were more forest like images than open ground. After another 4 hours of shooting it was the end of the day and the end of the shoot. Thank you to everyone on the crew and everyone else that helped make it possible. Watch for Injinji’s new product line. Especially if you’re an athlete of any kind.

Petschek_100607_0006714 Sunrise through the trees

Petschek_100607_0006758 Runner on remote trail

Petschek_100607_0006912 Male athlete running in a field

Petschek_100607_0006976 Hiker walking through the mountains

Petschek_100607_0007182 injinji toe sock

Petschek_100607_0007205 Closeup of Injinji logo

Petschek_100607_0007273 Adjusting shoes - wide angle perspective

Above Ground

Everyday that we are alive is one more day we’re not dead. Life is uncomfortable, disturbing, painful and unusual. The range of human emotions is enormous, but that is what makes us human. That is why we are who we are. Life can get unbearable, as it has for me many times, but I can always rely on one thought. At least I am still breathing and walking. At least the grass roots are still below my feet.

After exploring New York for a day the smog and noise began to get to me. I needed to escape. Coincidentally I was in the middle of Manhattan near Central Park. It was in itself an adventure. At eye level you cannot see or hear the city that surrounds you. It is like pure isolation from the metroplitan lifestyle that you are actually engulfed in. Grass everywhere, low key buildings you would find in a national park, trees towering overhead. But in this serene and isolated setting if you look towards the clouds you will see the city gazing back at you as if to remind you that it is all an illusion. So I hide underneath the canopy of the trees to breath the fresh air and turn my back on the concrete guardians.

Chess in the park

The hidden path

Innovative technology

For all of the photos from New York click here

Excited to go camping this weekend. I need the vacation. We’ll be heading east beyond the smokey confines of El Cajon and Lakeside. Expect pics next week. Lots and lots of pics.

Cheers!

East of El Cajon, east of Alpine, East of The Golden Acorn Casino, keep going keep going. All the way to the edge of the county. You reach a sign that says “Jacumba Next Exit.” Pull off and drive down a dirt road for a half mile. Find a place to park and grab your water. It’s a 7 mile hike along the train tracks. Straight up “Stand By Me” steez. Six tunnels, three of which are so long that you cannot see the ground in front of you although you can see the exit. One of those is a half a mile long. This is where Lucas and I decided to make our next adventure.

There are goats and hawks, and cactus and dirt and rocks. There is debris from excavations of yester-year. You pass by damaged train cars that collided with a rock or fell off the cliff to deteriorate into time. At the end of the road is the largest wooden trestle in the world. At its highest point it’s 180 tall. It curves from one peak to another, one tunnel to another. It was fun and exciting but next time I’m riding a bike instead.
More Goat Canyon Trestle photos

Abandoned train. Michelle Oleary climbing in.	A collapsed tunnel.	The trestle, underside.
One of several tunnels that we had to walk slowly, toes pointed upward to avoid damage.	View from a catwalk in the middle of the trestle. Michelle Oleary playing.	Trestle as it might have looked a long time ago since the world was black and white then.
A goose?	A zebra?	How many bars do you have? Arin Buresch.
It’s amazing how clear and bright the sun is outside of the city.	Stand by me…	Michelle Oleary teetering at the edge of a cliff