A photographer’s commitment to pushing limits

Over the past years, photographer Tim Kemple has managed to make himself a name in the world of sports photography. Revered for his unique perspective on visual storytelling, the artist keeps progressing through bigger and brighter projects. His driving force is the mantra “story is always king”.

Tim Kemple has an interesting path

Originally a professional climber from New England, Tim started to shoot pictures and videos as a way to share his passion for adventure. As he kept going on an increasing number of road trips with his friends, the photographer eventually built a massive library covering activities like climbing, skiing, and meeting new people along the way.

Eventually, talking in pictures became Tim’s very own medium of expression. “In hindsight, I think I’ve always been a pretty quiet person. I’m an introvert. So, photography and film have become my voice. I can turn up the volume or dial it back. It just depends on the stories I’m trying to tell,” said the artist.

The photographer’s adventure in Iceland reveals his determination

Kemple first got the idea to shoot a project in Iceland while he was working for The North Face, a customer that had assigned him a mission set amidst the country’s southern hiking trails. During his time there, the photographer noticed a few brochures from companies that would offer ‘ice treks’ as a touristic activity. On the pamphlets, he noticed pictures of people standing in big ice caves. He started to ask himself whether such imposing structures could actually be climbed.

Fascinated by those Icelandic geological features that he even came to describe as “alien-like”, Kemple eventually returned a year later with experienced climbers to take both trekking and shooting to new limits. However, on the day the project was launched, he broke his ankle.

“I was devastated. Here I was, back in the place I’d been dreaming about, with a group of strong athletes and perfect weather — unable to walk without crutches and probably needing surgery,” reveals Kemple.

However, the situation quickly took a positive turn. On the following day, Tim’s crew loaded him on a sled and dragged him along to a beautiful frozen lagoon. And as soon as spikes for his crutches were delivered on the next day, he gained a certain degree of mobility back. The equipment would allow him to walk one-footed on the ice. Eventually, by crawling, crouching, and being pulled on a sled, Tim was finally able to work on a project that had taken so long in the making. He even admits being proud of the end results.

Tim Kemple has fetish gear when it comes to sports photography

The equipment utilized is determined by the situation at hand. When he wants to create a shot that looks and feels “epic”, Tim will recourse to his 100MP Phase One XF100 because of the amount of detail and of the dynamic range that the latter provides. To shoot suspended from a rope, he uses a Nikon D810 and Sigma Art lenses. And in Iceland, the photographer even used drones, namely, the DJI Mavic and the Inspire 2. If one thing is certain, it is that neither equipment nor circumstance can stop Tim Kemple from creating images meant to fascinate!

h/t: Digital Trends
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