Josh Almazar: Final Project

By Josh Almazar, The Break Free Program Participant

My project for the Break Free Program showcases my friends engaging in outdoor sports in hopes that we can help encourage and inspire other POC to do the same. We also aim to normalize our presence in these traditionally white spaces through this project contributing to the greater conversation of diversity in the outdoors. With guidance from my mentor Justin Kauffman, I’ve made sure to include some landscape and nature shots to round out my offering and to display the beauty we have nearby. Thank you for taking a look through my project, I hope you enjoy my photos!

Hiking
The approach with crash pads strapped to their backs. It looks like we’re in a heavily forested area, but this spot was actually just off the highway and wedged in the corner of a residential neighbourhood.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
16mm | 1/80s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Bouldering
Vanessa warming up on the first rock wall we found. It was much cleaner than the main wall but we quickly realised it was too wet to climb, and we moved on quickly.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
22mm | 1/200s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Bouldering
Dennis climbs the main wall while I got up close with the 7-14mm lens. I really enjoyed using this lens for action shots.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
7mm | 1/300s | F3.2 | ISO 200
Bouldering
View from the top of the climb. Luckily the top of this wall is easily accessible and let me get some great shots like this which, in other locations, would not have been possible.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
14mm | 1/125s | F3.5 | ISO 200
Bouldering
Vanessa climbs up the wall while Dennis spots and shows his excitement from below. If you couldn’t tell, this shoot was a lot of fun.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
8mm | 1/200s | F3.2 | ISO 200
Bouldering
Mid-climb break to get in some portrait shots. I had gotten some of them individually, but I loved the ones I got of them together.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
50mm | 1/400s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Chalk on Hands
Chalk on the hands, a classic climbing image but one I felt I had to get to round out the shoot.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
27mm | 1/200s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Creek
This was a test shot of a nearby creek using the Live ND mode but sometimes test shots turn out well. I’ll have to use that shooting mode when I visit actual waterfalls!

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
19mm | .5s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Ferns
We have plenty of ferns in our nearby forests, I can’t say exactly which ones these are, but I’ve always liked how they line the forest floor.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
12mm | 1/60s | F2.8 | ISO 500
Ice Puddle
A puddle turns from frost to ice, freezing fallen pine needles and indicating the progression from autumn to winter.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
34mm | 1/60s | F2.8 | ISO 500
Water Drop
A drop of water lingers on moss or “old man’s beard”. Inspired by the amazing macro photography of Emilie Taplin.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
32mm | 1/60s | F2.8 | ISO 1250
Sunlight through Branches
Late sunlight filters through mossy branches above.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/160s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Mountains
Clouds linger in the mountaintops along the Sea to Sky corridor, taken just north of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish).

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
150mm | 1/250s | F8 | ISO 640
Mountain Biking
Bella gets some airtime on our mountain biking photo shoot. She was the brains of this day, giving me lots of tips as I don’t mountain bike nor had I been to these trails before.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
55mm | 1/500s | F2.8 | ISO 2500
Mountain Biking
Maggie getting after it and getting some air too!

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
45mm | 1/500s | F2.8 | ISO 2000
Mountain Biking
Getting past some rocks and approaching the next feature on the trail.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/500s | F2.8 | ISO 1600
Mountain Biking
Robynne coming down the trail. I used the 40-150mm lens on this and I love how you can still see so much of the forest she’s riding through.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
57mm | 1/500s | F3.2 | ISO 1600
Mountain Biking
I love this shot, it’s perfectly timed where you can see each rider. I didn’t even ask them to space out, it was one of those shots that just worked out flawlessly.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
60mm | 1/640s | F3.5 | ISO 200
Mountain Biking
The crew of awesome women and mountain bikers. It was smiles all day with this group.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
85mm | 1/160s | F4.5 | ISO 640
Mountain Biking
I told them I wanted some portraits, but this was all her idea to kiss the tire! Talk about a love for mountain biking.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
85mm | 1/200s | F2.8 | ISO 2500
Mountain Biking
Who needs instruction when you’ve got poses like this in the bag?

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/80s | F2.8 | ISO 800
Mountain Biking
Erika! One of the first people I asked to help me with this project, and she did so with so much enthusiasm.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
75mm | 1/125s | F2.8 | ISO 1600
Mountain Biking
There were a lot of laughs on this photo shoot, this was one of them.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
48mm | 1/100s | F2.8 | ISO 1250
Mountain Biking
This wooden feature made for a great shot where I could have two riders on it at once in both turns.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/630s | F3.2 | ISO 6400
Mountain Biking
Erika easily rolls down this big rock as the sun poked through the trees for a moment.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
150mm | 1/250s | F2.8 | ISO 1000
Mountain Biking
Robynne gets air off a drop, no sweat.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
7mm | 1/640s | F2.8 | ISO 2500
Mountain Biking
Another shot of the whole crew riding, close to the end of the day as we neared the end of the trail.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
7mm | 1/640s | F2.8 | ISO 3200
Mountain Biking
“Can’t tail whip but I can smile big” – Robynne

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
7mm | 1/640s | F2.8 | ISO 1600
Mountain Biking
Bella rides down a steep and technical rock section. Our autumn in BC doesn’t get too colourful but I was happy to find this tree with yellow leaves in the background of this one.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
7mm | 1/400s | F2.8 | ISO 1600
Landscape
Cloudy grey skies over the Pacific. Don’t let my sunny photos fool you, this is what the Vancouver area looks like most of the year.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
12mm | 1s | F8 | ISO 125
Frost
Hoarfrost develops atop the mountain. The 12-40mm lens has a very short focusing distance which allowed me to get so much texture in this shot.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/1000s | F8 | ISO 300
Skiing
You know the snow is good when you can’t see your skis.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
110mm | 1/500s | F9 | ISO 200
Skiing
A classic powder slash skiing shot, I couldn’t resist.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
150mm | 1/500s | F9 | ISO 200
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing up the mountain and into the fog.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
12mm | 1/320s | F8 | ISO 200
Snowshoeing
The fog did not let up and we ended up going a different direction than we had intended.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/320s | F8 | ISO 200
Snowshoeing
I’m happy if I can make my models laugh throughout a shoot. I was very happy after this day.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
57mm | 1/1250s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Snowshoeing
The fog provided us with some fantastic, soft lighting which was great for portraits.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/800s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Snowshoeing
Indra and Chino showing great patience with me as I try to figure out what to shoot next.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/160s | F6.3 | ISO 200
Snowshoeing
The snow started to fall heavily, and we started to make our way back down the mountain.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/200s | F6.3 | ISO 200
Snowshoeing
One of my favourite portraits I’ve taken. The snow adds a certain atmosphere and the 40-150mm lens allows me to get a close shot without getting too near to the subject.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
73mm | 1/125s | F6.3 | ISO 250
Spider
I noticed this little spider while crossing a bridge. It stayed around just long enough for me to get this shot.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/400s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Stawamus Chief
The Stawamus Chief is located in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and is one of the more recognizable landmarks in B.C. It’s a very popular hiking and climbing spot.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
100mm | 1/200s | F8 | ISO 250
Stawamus Chief
The Stawamus Chief has 3 peaks; this photo was taken from second peak looking onto first peak with Howe Sound and the Sea to Sky highway in the background.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
57mm | 1/200s | F8 | ISO 200
Trail Running
Jae and Steph running through mossy trees during our trail running photoshoot.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
17mm | 1/160s | F3.2 | ISO 6400
Trail Running
Dan, Jae, and Steph run by as I’m perched on the leg of a powerline tower. You can see some frost on the ferns on the right, showing how cold it was that morning.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
12mm | 1/400s | F3.2 | ISO 400
Trail Running
We found this tunnel of trees and bushes and spent quite some time getting lots of shots with the 40-150mm lens.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
135mm | 1/500s | F2.8 | ISO 4000
Trail Running
Steph leads the group on this section of the trail. The lens was among some leaves in this shot, creating the green haze in the bottom of the frame.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
150mm | 1/500s | F2.8 | ISO 2500
Trail Running
I used the wide 7-14mm lens to catch almost everybody in this one shot while they ran down a switchback.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
7mm | 1/320s | F3.2 | ISO 1000
Trail Running
Jae and Dan run uphill past me while shooting with the 7-14mm lens. Some obvious distortion on this shot but I quite like it for action shots.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
7mm | 1/320s | F2.8 | ISO 500
Trail Running
Dan runs by through a sunbeam, lighting up his face and leg. I had everyone try their turn at this shot but I love how this one turned out with the light and the trees towering above.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
7mm | 1/320s | F3.2 | ISO 320
Trail Running
Steph laughs while we figure out how to use a reflector. I liked how it brightened up the shadows, but I need some more work on how to use lighting/reflectors.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
48mm | 1/2000s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Trail Running
One of the last stretches of trail before we finished our shoot.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
150mm | 1/250s | F2.8 | ISO 1000
Trail Running
Dan smiles as we make a stop on the trail.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
75mm | 1/160s | F2.8 | ISO 320
Trail Running
Power pose from Jae. The next frame had her smiling, but I like the strength shown in this one much better.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/800s | F2.8 | ISO 200
Trail Running
Ben was happy to find some sun to shine on him after the cold morning.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
40mm | 1/80s | F2.8 | ISO 1000
A Whisky Jack
A Whisky Jack perches on a ski tip during a ski tour in Mount Seymour Provincial Park.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
130mm | 1/250s | F9 | ISO 1000

Learn More About Josh's Project

You can follow Josh as he planned and executed his project through his three monthly blogs.

READ MONTH THREE BLOG

READ MONTH TWO BLOG

READ MONTH ONE BLOG