ExOfficio Winter 2012 Storytelling Campaign

Since last Fall, I've been working with adventure travel clothing manufacturer ExOfficio to help build an archive of storytelling content for catalogs, look books, in-store merchandising, and advertisements.  The campaign is scripted around authentic travelers and stories rather than manufactured moments.  To gather images, I've scouted the globe for fellow travelers who fit the ExO mold--then I simply hang out and photograph them in real travel scenarios.  Cambodia, Vietnam, South Korea, Southern Mexico, India, the Amazon/Orinoco, and Argentina have all served as backdrops for the project.

Next week I'm dropping-in to Colombia with a team of storytellers to document a tale of self-discovery and renaissance--for both the country and its travelers.  It's a fresh commercial concept with a compelling editorial thread.  Real travelers, real destination, real stories.  Still imagery, video, music, words.  All coming this Spring/Summer to an ExOfficio touch-point near you!

Here's a few images and videos from the winter campaign:

Don Thomas cameo in Nat Geo Kids

Don Thomas is making a cameo in National Geographic's new Ultimate Weird But True book for kids--and I couldn't think of a more appropriate title for the book, considering the character selected for the two page opening spread:)  Photo taken in high-desert of Bolivia.

Fall Work with New Clients

It's been a busy Fall season and busy is good in the world of visual storytellers.  With two laps around the world in the past six weeks to amazing destinations like Beijing, Emilia Romagna Italy, New York, Southern Mexico and Olympic National Park--I think that I've become time-zone agnostic.  Some of my images from these assignments are starting to publish in print and online.  Below, I've included some tear sheets from the past weeks.  Enjoy!

Gregg

New Client: Bicycling Magazine - November 11 Issue/The Ride of My Life

New Client: New York Times - October 11/Tour of Beijing

New Client: WIRED Magazine - RAW FILE/Tour de France iPhone

 

 New Client - Cyclesport UK - October Issue/Tour of Beijing Feature

 New Client: La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy - October 11/Beijing Bike Culture Feature

 

VELO Magazine: December 11/Tour of Beijing

 

Paris Brest Paris for La Gazzetta's Sport Week Magazine

La Gazzetta dello Sport is Italy's biggest newspaper and the largest sporting publication in the world.  Each weekend, they publish SportWeek Magazine as special insert in the newspaper.  The magazine recently featured a photo-essay of my work from the Paris-Brest-Paris ultra endurance cycling race.  Held every 4th year, the race was a precursor to the Tour de France and has been running for over 100 years.  I shot the race with my trusted moto-driver, Mr. Stephan Schier, for 90 sleepless hours--rain and shine, along the incredible backroads of Brittany and Western France. 

La Maglia Rosa - Feature Picture Story for September's VELO/VeloNews

September's VELO Magazine (formerly VeloNews) is featuring a picture story I produced about the history of the Giro d'Italia's modern-day pink leader's jersey.  Researching the article took me into the heart and soul of the race with the sport's biggest champions, directors, and business owners--and of course, plenty o' gelato. What a fun gig indeed.

Backyard

I've been living in the countryside near a small town in eastern Italy.  It's late-summer, the fruit is sweet, it's hot, and most people are on vacation at the sea, the lake, or wherever it is that they go to cool off.  This is what I see when I'm here. 

Next week, I leave for China.

It's been nice to have a backyard.

My pasta class from Grandma down the road

Din Din on top of the ridge

At the lake

Sausage Fest

legs at the station

At the swimming hole

the usual Sangiovese loop ride.

Totally NOT behind the scenes at Le Tour de France

After witnessing the crazy press hordes, photographers shouting at each other, and tales of friends being elbowed in the face in the finish line pit, I decided that the press pass for the Tour de France that allows "behind the scenes" access wasn't really so "behind the scenes" after all.  Here's a video from the photographer at Bicycling Magazine where Frank Schleck gets knocked off his bike by the crazed "behind the scenes" media who are scrambling to get a shot of the moment he hugs his brother after loosing the time-trial (and the Tour itself).

I like my freedom to roam and since this freedom is effectively restricted in the press area, I decided to scrap my press pass and big cameras to wonder around outside the lines and shoot  2011 Tour de France w/ an iPhone--as a fan/spectator. My goal was to convey what it's like to be a "normal person" without a press pass at the Tour de France.  How close can a fan get to the athletes, what's the vibe, and how fun, wacky, wild is it (fans are much more chill than the media)?

Here's a short gallery photos from the 2011 Tour de France:

2011 Tour de France iPhone Gallery - Images by Gregg Bleakney