Chalk Dust and Camera Bags: Photographing the International Climbers Festival in Lander, WY
If you've never been to Lander, Wyoming, let me paint you a picture. Why listen to me? Because that’s literally my job and I have the unique privilege of having grown up in this small mountain town of 7,000 people. Nestled at the edge of the Wind River Range, Lander transforms every summer into the beating heart of the climbing world when the International Climbers Festival sprouts out of the town’s city park. And this year, I had the privilege of being right in the middle of it all — not as a local Landerite — but instead as a commercial photographer with camera in hand.
As a travel photographer, few assignments get me more excited than ones that combine stunning landscapes with a community that's genuinely stoked to be there. ICF delivers exactly that with a hint of nostalgia (but maybe that’s just me!) The festival is a beautiful chaos of athletes, adventurers, gear vendors, and people who consider "rest day" a foreign concept.
From an event photography perspective, ICF is a dream and a puzzle all at once. The light in Wyoming is simply unparalleled with a golden hour that feels like it lasts forever, and the dramatic granite and limestone backdrops practically does the work for you. The hard part? Keeping up with climbers who move faster than my autofocus.
What I love most about shooting events like this is the raw, unscripted energy. Nobody's posing for the camera. They're too busy living their best, chalk-dusted life, and my job is simply to capture it before it disappears.
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