The rundown:
Having roots to Alaska led to a great opportunity of being on the visual content team for the Yukon Quest International sled dog race. The goal of the team was to work closely with the public relations team to update the general public on racer’s status throughout the race. The trail spans over 1000 miles across Alaska and Canada and is considered one of the toughest races on Earth, not to be confused with the more commonly known Iditarod race. The difference between the two, is the Yukon Quest spans over more difficult terrain and requires camping along the trail. Average temperatures reach well below -30F. The combination of the grueling temperatures and difficult terrain create many challenges along the way. On average about 20 mushers compete yearly and not all finish.
Concept and Execution:
Before start day, teams come together for what’s known as the start banquet. During the start banquet mushers draw from a hat to determine their bib number, which decides when they leave the start chute. Along the race the mushers carry a spot tracker gps. This ensures safety and an update on location for race officials and fans. Job number 1 for me was to photograph each musher, so the spot tracker website had an accompanying headshot. Turnaround for images is almost immediate as is the rest of the content captured throughout the race. One of the biggest challenges was editing the video on the road while trying to capture content. Once the race got going we were moving with the pack, bunny hopping from one checkpoint to the next. 10 days of imagery and footage all to comb through while on the road, with little to no sleep and freezing cold temperatures. A few days into the race you’re asking yourself why you’re putting yourself through the torture. It’s worth it in the end.
Gear Breakdown:
Cameras: Nikon D810, Nikon D800.
Lenses: Nikon 24-70mm for portraits
Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4 for video
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 for distant shots
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 Wide/Landscape shots
Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 for Auroras and time-lapse of night sky
Go Pro
Cheap Action Cam from Amazon. Ended up being useless, as the batteries didn’t like the cold.
SD cards (Ended up not liking the cold, had to rely on CF)
CF cards
Takstar Shotgun Mic (Great mic with same internal components as Rhode.)
Hand warmers. Big box from Costco does the trick!
Shit ton of warm weather gear
Manfrotto Tripod
Headlamp
Macbook Pro
Mouse
2 Western Digital External Hardrives (1 for backup)
Imagery and content from the rest of the team and previous years can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/yukonquest/
New Blog post coming for the 2020 race!