Loving life in the French Alps. Photo by John Gibson/Gibson Pictures
A friend once told me, the best way to gain a good prospective on where you are in life is to look at yourself from an outsider’s perspective. That is no easy task. Looking back on this past year it has been a crazy roller coaster of highs and lows. At the age of 28, I was fired from my job for the first time. I took this a sign. The proverbial being kicked out of the nest. I figured it’s all or nothing now.
This past year my life brought me to some amazing places. I look back on my year and realize that I am; A: very fortunate to live the life I do and B: I have accomplished a lot. I traveled non-stop from April until the middle of July. I got to go to California, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho, Canada, Switzerland, France and Mexico. I truly am living my dream
This year marked many first time experiences in my life. My first time to travel outside of the US to shoot photos as a job. My first time to Mexico, all while on my first bike tour. I followed the Tour Divide Race for the first time for three weeks, all with someone I had just met. I experienced many great bicycle events like; Single Speed Arizona, Chatel Mountain Style, Trestle All Mountain Enduro, The Ranchstyle Mountain Bike Festival, Breck Epic and so many more.
When I tell strangers about what I do, most people say that I am living the dream. Frankly, I believe I am. I am living the dreams of my teen years. I grew up flipping through magazines viewing amazing photos from around the world, dreaming to one day be that name listed next to the words “Photo by.” I dreamt about being the man behind the lens, capturing amazing moments in time to share with the world. To capture an image simply for the appreciation of the viewer.
One thing I take a lot of pride in with my photography, is my willingness to expend extreme amounts of energy to capture a single image. Daily I was blowing the minds of the Breck Epic racers as they saw me on the farthest end of the day’s course, most days twice. I peddled my bike, with my 35 pound camera bag in tow, to some of the most beautiful sections of the race. I would sit for what seemed to be hours in a specific location, just to capture one image of the leader. Over the years of capturing images, I have gained a lot of patience and willingness to wait for the right moment.
If I was to pinpoint a specific point in time of the past year that was the most memorable, I would have to say that it was the 10 days of physical hell that was the Leadville 100, Breck Epic and the Trestle All Mountain Enduro. I attended, witnessed and documented all three of these events that so nicely lined up perfectly into 10 days of pure photographic bliss. Before the dust had even settled in Leadville I was on the road to Breck. Before the seventh and final stage of the Breck Epic was complete, I was off to Winter Park to capture the first rainy stage of the Trestle All Mountain Enduro.
Those ten days were easily the most physical demanding of my short career. For the first time I was having to pay close attention to my body. Even though I wasn’t out pounding down 30+ high elevation miles for six days, I still could not afford to bonk. I was eating well, sleeping lots and even taking supplements. All of this while putting in well over 75 miles on my bike, not to mention the camera bag.
My year came to an end with a two week visit with my parents. My parents, still happily married, live in the same house I came home to the first days of my life. I feel extremely fortunate and very thankful that the house I grew up in is the the same house my parents live in today. Most people in the world can not say the same, and for that I am endlessly thankful to my parents. There is something special about what I have, and I appreciate every bit of it.
I look forward to sharing a piece of my life with you all and hope you enjoy a look into this crazy thing called life through my eyes. You can see some of my work on my portfolio site; devonbaletphoto.com
Niner rider, Dejay Birtch enjoys one of the many perks of living in Tucson in the winter.