I’ve drowned a camera… in a rain storm. The fascinating thing about what I shoot, and where I shoot, is the balancing act between personal safety, being fully immersed in the expedition, and getting the shots. During these trips, I typically expend about 30% more energy and effort than the expedition members, so management of nutrition, sleep and gear become critical. I often joke that I do everything the athletes do, with an additional 8kg of gear! Typically, hanging from helicopters and cliffs is always dangerous. On Aconcagua a few years ago, I lost R150k worth of equipment when my tent was blown out of Camp 1 during a storm whilst we’d been taking a rest day at Base Camp before the summit bid. Fortunately, en route to the summit I collected a back-up camera I’d stashed at Camp 2 so was able to shoot the rest of the expedition. The real hair-raising part was the thought of losing the images from the previous two days. But as we climbed up to the ice field below the camp to retrieve what we could, we found the remains of the tent, and upon shaking ice and gravel out of the remains down at base camp, the memory card fell out – intact and still working!
Expedition members head towards Base Camp at just over 4,000m on Aconcagua, home for almost 2 weeks © Erik Vermeulen
EV: Any peak over 7,000m is extreme. The 9 Peaks record attempt I was part of in 2017 was pretty epic. The sleep deprivation and weather made it really special, and while the team could catch some sleep during the transit phases, I was getting images done for the media. We generated over R 4-million worth of media for our sponsors and got features in magazines like Men’s Health. Oddly, I love the snow and ice, and even the heat and desolation of the desert. These extreme places is where I find my flow, and it almost doesn’t feel extreme. I’m not really sure what the definition of extreme is. When people find out I climb high mountains whilst taking photos, or run through the wilderness photographing, they almost always point out to me that it is dangerous. The reality though, is that it’s dangerous crossing the street or drawing money from an ATM. When I die, I would rather it be in some epic place, than whilst doing something mundane – and the bonus is I can get photos. Just kidding.
Erik says he only noticed the juxtaposition in post production: the blister, the red socks, and the massive rock on the wedding ring! © Erik Vermeulen
LD: What has been your most memorable trail running shoot and why?
EV: Finding a favourite is so difficult. The one thing I’m really passionate about is potential – human potential. When I’m shooting an event, I try to capture the quest that everyone has: to run faster, further, higher and steeper, to find the limits of their potential. I try to do this within the context of the run. This is what sets trail running apart from road running – it’s the environment. It’s like another character in the plot of a movie. When I have the opportunity to combine this with amazing lighting, and sunrise and sunset, the stoke levels rise even more. So when I find any trail run that combines these two elements, it rates as a favourite. It would be unfair to single out one event from any other, and besides, I’d probably be biased if I’d said The Munga Trail.
Sunset cover shoot at Wonderboom in Pretoria with Thabang Madiba © Erik Vermeulen
LD: What has been the most uncomfortable or dangerous position you’ve had to be in for a shoot?
EV: I remember shooting an adventure race on the highveld during August, and crouching in a river at 3am with an ambient temperature of around -3 degs, with steam rising off the water. That was pretty uncomfortable, especially after getting out. As for danger, I believe that this is something that’s almost always within your control, so I try to avoid situations where my skill level could be exceeded by the environment I find myself in. I think it’s irresponsible and selfish to get into situations like that, particularly if you’re shooting an event. You should be an asset to the organisers, not a liability. This is what sets me apart from most of the other photographers – I have over 25 years’ of outdoor and adventure experience to draw on. Although helicopters don’t scare me, they always remind me of the fact that they have the potential to provide compromising situations very quickly.
The Magaliesberg Trail Challenge has some really gnarly canyon sections and the occasional fence to clamber over © Erik Vermeulen
As a school-boy photographer one of Erik’s first lessons was the use of lines to draw the viewer’s eye to the subject © Erik Vermeulen
This shot of Johardt van Heerden looking pensive and contemplating the future proved to be almost prophetic. It was taken 3 years ago, and he’s only just making his return from injury © Erik Vermeulen
Kloofs and canyons provide great opportunities for off-camera flash when shooting events © Erik Vermeulen
