Category Finalist 2007: spirit

Jacques Marais

This image was part of a shoot I did with the South African Red Bull athletes. Justin Hawkins, one of the world’s top boulderers, and I hiked onto Elsje Peak, a sandstone cliff overlooking False Bay, which is very close to where I live.

I wanted to isolate Justin against the sky, and found a narrow ledge onto which I could scramble. This gave me a close-up vantage point with a dramatic view of the sea, sky, and cliff. It looks more hectic than it really is, as the relative safety of the ledge is just out of the frame.

Justin trailed some climbing chalk from his hand while swinging away from the cliff, adding even more drama to the shot. Frame, fire, fill-in flash, and that’s about it.

Athlete: Justin Hawkins
Location: Elsie's Peak, Cape Town, South Africa

TECHNICAL INFO

• Camera: Canon EOS-1N
• Lens: Canon 17–40 mm
• Film: Kodak 100VS transparency
• Focal length, 35 mm: 17 mm
• ISO: 100
• F-stop: 5.6
• Shutter speed: 1/250
• Flash: Canon Speedlite 550 fill-in flash
• Filter: Polarizer