Posted by Photo-John on April 3, 2014
Yeah, I’ve jumped on the “Throwback Thursday” bandwagon. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you may have noticed a lot of people post old photos on Facebook and other social media sites on Thursdays, and tag them with the #TBT or #throwbackthursday. I’m sure it annoys a lot of people. But it’s encouraged me to dig deep into my archives and find all kinds of cool old photos. This week, I’ve got a batch of Sea Otter Classic throwback photos from 2005 – very appropriate since I’ll be traveling to Monterey for my 15th Sea Otter, next week.
Pro mountain bike gravity racer, Brian Lopes, on the 4x course at the 2005 Sea Otter Classic.
I’ve been shooting the Sea Otter Classic for 16 years now. The first time I went was 1998 and I’ve only missed one year in all that time (that’s why this is my 15th and not 16th, Sea Otter). This will be my first year as a freelancer, though. I’m pretty excited about going solo. At first I had mixed feelings and wasn’t going to travel to Sea Otter, but someone contacted me to do some coverage at the last minute and now I’m pretty psyched about it. So I’ll be there, visiting all the homies, drooling on new bikes, handing out my new business card, and taking pictures – business as usual. Except this year, I’ll be there working under my own name. Marketing managers take note – if you need product or race photos, let me know. I am available.
Santa Cruz Syndicate pro downhill racer Nathan Rennie, during the 2005 Sea Otter Classic dual slalom race.
Back to the Sea Otter throwback photos – I’ve been having fun going through my old photos on Thursdays. I’ve found a lot of stuff I’d forgotten about and going through the archives reminds me just how long I’ve been shooting mountain biking. It’s hard to believe but these photos are from nine years ago – well before carbon fiber became the preferred mountain bike frame material, and before most of us had any concerns about wheel size. Looking at the photos you’ll see Brian Lopes was still racing for GT and Fox, Cedric Gracia was a young buck on the Cannondale team, and Nathan Rennie was on the Santa Cruz Syndicate team. Cameras have changed a whole lot in the last 9 years, too. Most of the photos you see here were taken with my original Canon EOS-1D – a 4-megapixel DSLR that I paid over $5000 for. Honestly though, that original EOS-1D was a badass camera.
2005 Sea Otter Classic pro women’s XC race winner, Allison Dunlap.
A lot has changed since 2005. But I love riding mountain bikes and taking mountain bike photos just as much as I did then – maybe even more. I can’t wait to get back out there and capture some more memories! See you in Monterey!
