[Pics] Seven Amazing Climbing Photos And How They Were Made

When it comes to getting the shot, I can’t think of many genres of photography where more guts are required than that of climbing photography. Not only do the climbers have to scale seemingly impossible routes, but the photographers are more often than not right on the wall with the climbers, lugging DSLRs and a few lenses up with them too.

A recent article on the Sierra Club website discussed the logistics of pulling off these epic climbing photography shots with their creators.

“I’d been waiting for years to shoot photos on the Innominata Ridge. It’s a stunning knife edge that splits the immense south face of Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in Europe. I got this photo at sunrise as my partner, Ally Swinton, climbed along the terribly exposed ridge.”
—Jonathan Griffith

Johnathan Griffith

“This photo of Chris Alstrin on Grandma’s Glass was taken just before midnight in Ouray, Colorado. Sun seldom hits this narrow gorge, and the idea was to create a sunbeam-shaft look.”
—Keith Ladzinski

Keith Ladzinski

“This is James Pearson making the sketchy first ascent of the Arch of Bishekele in Chad’s Ennedi Desert. Besides the challenges of a remote location and technical rigging, I had to deal with extreme heat, sandstorms, and knife-wielding bandits before I got this shot.”
—Jimmy Chin

Jimmy Chin

To get this photo of Joe Kinder climbing in Utah’s Hurricave, my friend Seth Giles helped me haul up and place all the lighting equipment, which took about five hard hours.”
—Keith Ladzinski

Keith Ladzinksi

The entire article, which goes into a bit more detail about each of the above shots and includes three more photos and descriptions, can be seen at the Sierra Club website. Good luck not getting sweaty palms looking at these.