Posted from Rivarolo Canavese, Piedmont, Italy.

After this day of shootings I have arrived to a couple of conclusions. First that my 85 is non enough anymore and the second one that MX rocks, already know this, but now is rocking so much that I know that if I will continue to shoot with this guys I will endup on buying a moto in the future.

So at the end this are some clicks from that day. Enjoy & Have fun!!!

So in the morning I start my trip to Pila, this time by train because is quite easy to reach the place from my house in this way and this gives me the opportunity tho think about the challenges of this trip… I always try to focalize before of a work like this on the challenges that I can find… and this it inspires and get me motivated.

So is coming in my mind that this event can be an interesting event, width a good number of riders from all over the world, and in the same time with a good number of taf riders. In the same time I start to remember the trail, that I have already ride my bike on it, and I try to focalize on wich are a couple of spots hat can help me with the composition, next thing in my head I try to immagine the riders on that trail… this time I have to immagine not me but some super taf rider… I remember also that Pila when is dry has a god quantity of dust on the trail.

So… what I have for playing ?

- a couple of nice jumps

- three sections of nice turns

- the famous super hard and WC rocky section

- dust

- some wood section

- and taf riders

This are more or less the base  from where I have to start. Next step, better to think on lighting… but damn, I am not informed about the schedule of the event (don’t do like me, be prepared), so I do not know which are the light conditions in which I will have to shoot… but more or less I will be lucky because I saw the meteo, and weather has to be good… maybe to good… full sun.

After all this thinking I arrive on the spot, and surprise surprise… there are 400 riders that are racing (super nice event organized at Pila). I decide to get informed on the schedule, breakfast with a couple of friends and time to study on the field. I discover that the race will happen in full sun in the afternoon, and this is not the lighting that I was imagining. So first day I take some test shots but nothing is going well in the first day, the only good thing is that I was understanding where and what I do not have to shoot… and the first thing I will not shoot the day after out of the forest in the full sun… First day I take a look on the qualifications trying to see where the riders are fast agresive and nice to be photographed.

Day one… conclusion… not good results, and the day after will be for sure hard.

Day two… waking up really late… that doesn’t have to happen to a photographer. Time for running on the trail, starting to walk on it and as I was having in mind the day before I start on taking photos on the first turns section, I find a goot light and a nice composition and start to eat dust trying to get as closer as possible with my 50mm to the wheels that are passing quite fast near to my face and continuously throw dust on my face and my camera, but some time if you want some shots you have to eat that dust.

After this, another series of pictures going up to the spot where I want to shoot the race, not so happy about because the light is changing. I arrive to the spot and here I have to find a good composition for my pictures, I found it at the beginning of the taf WS rock section and now what I have in mind is that from there will pass 400 riders one of every 30 seconds more or less, first will pass the slower ones till the last ones that are the taf ones… and that I do not have to lose. So race is starting, the light is filtering very well through the leaves and I can shoot some nice pics… but direction is changing and I have to use the flash, 1/16 power is enough and I position him laterally triggering with my PocketWizard. Pay attention always to the sun, and how is moving.

So here is starting the image hunt… trying to find the best moment for every rider, trying to catch him on the perfect light. In this way time is flying… and this are the results:

Was something instinctive and casual, at that point I didn’t know about aperture, exposure, dof, composition etc. I was simply taken a photo and did not thinked anymore to that moment fore many time, better till I was finished the film on the camera and send it for developing, and in that period for finishing a film I was needing months. When I have taken the photos from development the first thing that I have discovered was that I have loaded the camera with a B&W film and I was no so happy till I see again the image from that day, and was exactly what I have seen there, better to me was like being there again and there I have discovered what a simple image can do. And after more that 10 years from that day and a huge quantity of images I am continuously searching for that emotion and that kind of image…

At the end we have spent one week in Morzine and one in Les Deux Alpes two area that are one of the most important riding areas in France, trails and spots that every european rider has in his mind. So with our crew made by me, Luca, PG Mimmo and also with the guys that have join us some days on this trip: Mauro (the Rock ‘n’ Roots boy), Peat, Augusto & Gully we have started to ride this trails everybody in his own different way with his own film in the head… and this was so sick, everybody with a different bike, with different skill levels, with different styles and with different preferences. Things to learn from everybody or compete with everybody… also if with some of them is super hard to compete.

Little by little the environment becomes challenging, and we see that we are in the RIDE PARADISE, we have around us in the fist week Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz and Chatel… damn all connected between them, Les Portes du Soleil, and this will make our life harder, like the rider life has to be. So we start with Morzine & Les Gets and we find here trails with super flow sections, great lines, jumps etc. Here I can say that you can breath MountainBike air, you can see MTB in all his forms: freeride, downhill, enduro, XC, dirt you can see little kids, super taf riders, people from all over the world sharing the same thought MOUNTAINBIKE… what an atmosphere, super motivating for our riding !!!

And after all of this we have to go in the heart of this place, Chatel, we all want to go there where the MountainStyle is happening, the place that I have saw only in videos but always wanted to see it with my eyes, to see how big are the big things there. For arriving there we have to cross to valleys, riding always super sick lines in Avoriaz, but after you go on top from Avoriaz you are facing the magic spot, Chatel, and your curiosity is starting to have answers, and the first one is that the spot is super big and desirves maximum respect. Here from the top we start one of our best day of ride from this trip. Great trails, great riders that in some sections are pushing me for going faster and I try to do my best not letting them overtaking me, and super sick things that our guys Mimmo & Luca are doing on: Chatel Road Gap, River gap, one big step up and the super flow line, and so many other thing that we find here. And for concluding at the end of the day starting from “Guys let’s search for a place for drinking water” we go near to the MounainStyle contest area, from there the guys, Luca & Mimmo are starting with “Let’s go to take a look on that drop” and little by little they are goin up on the latest drop from the contest, the one before of the latest wood big kick. At that point I understand that they will try that huge staff… so that was… first Mimmo is dropping in and hitting the big jump perfectly, landing and discharging his adrenaline screaming , after him time for Luca, dropping in and putting also a whip on the first drop… super style… wow that end of the day was super sick… respect for our guys !!!

After this some day of chill riding, a day of rain, some street and the first scratched elbow with PG on street with his new NS bike, by the way, super crash trying to do stylish things in front of a mini train full of turists… epic crash… and not to forget Mimmo entrance in the scratched elbows club with the “Minchia ho gasato troppo!!” story in the middle of filming session in Les Gets. By the way we will dont forget Geppetto and his wife, the proprietary of the house where we are staying that has supported us on our staying providing us space for the bikes water for cleaning them, grill and wood for our party , great place hope to have the opportunity to turn back there. The only think in Morzine that is not so good is that is lacking of night life, don’t know why but all the people that you see by day are disappearing by night.

After this week we switch our location, with some road adventures, to Les Deux Alpes the land of snowboarders. Here the air that is breathing is not anymore MTB but snowboarding here we are intruders. The atmosphere is super cool, on the road you see bike riders and snowboarders in the same time, and by night they are joining together for party and fun. And this is remembering to me that I have to clean my dust from my board and get back again on the snow, but for this I will wait some months.

This place is super cool for ride, full of turns and fast trails, and riding from the glacier is amazing, below you all your ground trails and above all the people that are riding on the snow… super contrast. Great also Diablo and Venosch that is making my arms exploding but is super fun to ride.

And here in Les Deux Alpes I was having my big day, started with a nice crash on a wet turn where I was rolling down and full filling my helmet with grass and dust, and that was the beginning because after this I don’t know why but the adrenaline makes me pushing harder and harder on a single trail alone because in the mean time hat the other guys are filming, super sick ride alone width the music pumping on my head. But that was not enough for that day, so last run on Diablo at full gas following Mimmo that was chasing a French rider, so there when I was filling super fast, over my limits, funny thing happening… I hit a turn so hard without breaking that the moment after I hit the ground violently without having time to ask my self questions, I get up with a cocktail of ideas in my head and see that I have joined the scratched elbows club, I check that my bones are ok, more or less ok,smile  and make the sign to Mimmo that is all ok… and start going down super happy… that was my day to remember.

For the rest, party, nice girls, PG on the dance battle with the french dancers, and he has wined, sgaseria, drinks, stupid things, Luca riding on a half day of super mud and turning home full of mud but super happy, me doing painful riding, but super fun because after some time you are able to control or forget your pain, Peat that is testing his new DEMO, Mimmo riding with style as usual, PG consolidating his position on scratched elbows club with great dirty style… and all this kind of crap that is difficult to put in words but easy to feel when you RIDE.

So in a few words that was everything in some words, and more that this in our mind, now is time for new projects…

RIDE+ & Have fun !!!

Time to have fun now…

Think+

Many thanks to Lorenzo for using one of my photos on an article on Tutto Mountainbike, and in the same time great words man, many people has to learn from you more than how to ride fast, and big respect for that.

Wuay & Rock ‘n’ Roll !!!

Today Attila, the cat that lives on my house was to tired to run away from my camera, as usual when I try to take him some photos, so he has gifted me a couple of minutes of modeling.

Posted from Biella, Piedmont, Italy.

First day get my bike and go up with the racers… first look… the trace deserves all the respect, super technique and very difficile for the riders to make good time, but at the end on this conditions the riders are making the difference. Firs round on the trail… hmmmm… not a good sensation, I was going out from the turns and I could not stay near to our racers.

After three rounds I get a little bit more confidence on the trace but the weather doesn’t collaborate and it starts raining… was not the day for me.

We turn back to our camp and here come the fun… the old Jack is starting make his effect and it is party time… grill, ghetto blaster, jack, whip on the river, people on the top o the trees…. super fun.

I have to admit that the day after I was not so inspired for photography, my head was not so collaborative and I was not able to manage the light in a good way and at the end I see that I try to force me to get this photos with every costs also in full light with no shadows. And this makes me stop at a certain point and ask my self “What the hell I am doing ?” photographing races is not for me, I hate staying in a single spot waiting for 100 riders to pass, this is not my type of photography. I let this to te supe professional ones. What I like to shoot are riders that have style…. And so be it !!!

Ride+

Posted from None, Piedmont, Italy.

On our bikes we reach our spot and start having fun as usual. First jump first number, Luca is crashing and is getting dirty. But Mimmo is having fun from the beginning and is becoming our model nr. 1 doing some stylish tricks. In this way times flies and I am not getting used with my new fish eye, in some way I am not able to manage lights and composition yet with this lens so for turning back with something at home I ask for help to my old 85mm and he is doing his job very well.

Going down Luca is showing us that has turned back after some weeks of recovery not only on the bike but has turned back also to be fast and on a very nice section is showing his DH style.

PG wins on this session, he is able to catch velocity and some action and home I discover that I have messed up my color settings and post production is getting complicated. But as usual riding with my big bag behind is always fun and some new ideas are running on my head for the next session on this spot

RIDE+

Posted from Biella, Piedmont, Italy.