Photography in the Red River Gorge for the 2021 Red River Canoe Race
I was asked if I could provide photography for the 2021 Red River Canoe Race, a part of the Wild & Scenic Red River Fest. This race would cover 29 miles from start to finish, going from the Copperas Canoe Launch all the way to the Powell County Lions Club Park.
The client was initially interested in having multiple photographers cover the event, but I assured them that I was adept at moving quickly and would be up to the challenge of getting coverage of all of the important places!
I started by reviewing the course map and identifying the most iconic parts of the river, as the client was interested in seeing in the background of action and landscape shots. My plan was to capture the start of the race, focusing on tighter action shots, then further down focus more on landscape images to include places like Jump Rock, the Steel Bridge, and Ravens Rock.
Timing all of this was the key; I obviously needed to let paddlers to go past me for the photos, but I didn’t want to let too many get ahead of me before hiking or driving to the next spot. Racing from point to point, I often yelled to the paddler (after I took my photos of course) to find out where in the pack they were, or at least felt they were.
Because of the steep embankments surrounding the river, it was often impossible to get myself down to the same level as the paddlers. To make matters more challenging, midday lighting was harsh with it’s dark shadows and piercing highlights. Managing my exposure was critical to capturing successful images.
Overall, great weather, a fun competition and excited participants made this a great shoot! I was able to deliver a solid diversity of images for the client to use in their upcoming promotional materials for future events.