Bigger than life at the BRG!

So last February I spent the day over at the Boston Rock Gym photographing the Heart of Steal bouldering competition.

Through all the images I took, there was one that I felt nailed it for me. I had been toying with the idea of doing something big with it for a while but I could not decide on what.



Gavin, the BRG manager, told me he had the wall space whenever I rolled something out.

So somehow, not sure what made me think of it, I though about creating a multi-layered composite image that was derived from the original. So I must have printed out a dozen different pieces of this image starting from the parts of the subject that were furthest from the camera and matting and cutting out each part and layering it up as it grew physically closer to the camera. Starting with the background as the base panel, I made a cut out for the head and body, arm, then the wrist, hand and hold.

The finishing touch was using a gloss finish sealer on all of the subject and a matte finish on the background.

That combined with the actual depth of the image really made it POP!




After all that work I was dying to show the guys at the gym.

When the day finally came to bring it in, no one was there. I was so bummed! Well, you know what they say; fail to plan, plan to fail.



Here I am at the BIG unveiling (notice the horde of onlookers in the background).


Well anyway, one by one they all got to see it over the next few days and it seemed to be a hit.

The subject, Jon Glassberg got word of it and also posted it on his Blog. I was hoping he would like it = )


I was expecting it to end up in the changing area in the back, but was I pumped when they hung it up right over the front desk!


I have been climbing at the BRG for 2 years now. It has been one of the best things that I have ever done for myself both physically and mentally. I would highly recommend this to anyone. It is far beter than pumping iron at a regular gym! When you are there, you mind flushes of all other thoughts. Climbing demands your attention unlike a regular gym where I always found my mind wandering.











left:Here is Gavin with a little Vanna White action.


I was expecting it to end up in the changing area in the back, but was I pumped when they hung it up right over the front desk!




Plans are in the making for the "Heart of Steal 2010". I will have see what I can pull off this February.