UKC

Bit of a random one so I wasn't too sure which forum to put it in.

Basically Reading University is doing a naked calendar featuring different sports teams for each month. The mountaineering club, of which I'm president, has agreed to take part in this but the logistics of organising it are proving difficult. The photographers doing the photoshoot are based in Reading and are volunteering their own time to take part in this. Which means that we can't do anything on actual mountains/crags/anywhere with interesting scenery since we have to go quite a way from Reading to get to those kind of destinations. This leaves our next option as doing shooting something at an indoor climbing wall (probably more appropraite for this time of year anyway). The problem is that being public walls it's difficult to find somewhere that will close or stay open just for us after hours so we can take the photos.

Does anyone have any solutions/ideas as to what we can do? Have people done anything similar to this themselves? If so any tips on the actual photos would also be of help. Luckily climbing comes with plenty of kit to hide body parts behind so I'm told the whole thing will be very tasteful.

Help!

In reply to Juniper:

How hard have you tried?

In reply to Juniper:

We did a kayaking one by the canal in Birmingham, not obviously in public, the buildings on the other side of the canal and train track were quite far away, although trains did go past.

It wasn't long before the police were called.

In reply to Juniper:
I'd bite the bullet, wait for a warm day and head over Bristol area or Wintours

In reply to Juniper:

Try a local bridge/church wall maybe... :0)

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I've contacted most of the walls where we usually take the club climbing but they've all said no so far. Although I'm still waiting on a couple of replies so fingers crossed!

My worry about doing it outside is the legality of it. I don't want to offend people or for anyone taking part to end up in trouble since it wouldn't reflect too well on the club.

In reply to Juniper:Try NUMC for advice they do one most years

In reply to Duncan Bourne:


Arf arf!


Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Good job he didn't suggest the Cheddar Gorge.....

In reply to Juniper: Have you thought of a buildering shot? Nice secluded old building late at night?

Cx

In reply to Blue Straggler:




Giggles in the corner.

In reply to Juniper:

There's a hairdresser's somewhere which apparently had me as there favourite month.

The trick is to take the photo from behind, on an overhanging wall - makes your shoulders look bigger in relation to your bum...

I was an employee of the wall at the time so we just snook in early in the morning and took the photo.

In reply to Juniper:

Did they say no to:
staying open after hours
or
letting you do your shoot there at all
or
hiring the place out exclusively for 1 hour (did you even ask about that?)

Sounds like you might have been asking them to go out of their way with them getting nothing out of it.

Does it have to be at a climbing venue anyway? You could just pose the people with the gear. Who cares whether there's some resin handholds in the background?

In reply to Juniper:

Is there any nice scenic boulders nearby? Dean Fidelman's Stone Nude calenders might give you some ideas.

http://www.stonenudes.com

In reply to Juniper: how about going to the mountains or crags with good scenery and take the photos your self?

In reply to Juniper: Could you not ask a local climbing wall to let you in a few hours early?

In reply to mountainsheep:

If only! There's a distinct lack of such things near Reading. Which reminds me I really should move elsewhere.

As for the walls themselves the responses have been varied but it seems to be a combination of the things listed. Either they won't stay open later/let us in early because they'd need staff there for extra time which they don't want to do. And that's fair enough I suppose. Or they're just generally worried by the idea of having people climbing around naked. Unfortunately we don't have any budget so hiring somewhere to ourselves is also not an option.

I think we may have to go with a posing with props type thing. It's just a shame that way we won't get any nice action shots.

Thanks for the ideas though.

In reply to jamestheyip:

For the purposes of research and to see if I could help the OP in any way, I had a look at the suggested website and have concluded from the scenary that those shots probably weren't near Reading.

In reply to Juniper:

Have you any indoor ice climbing walls nearby? There's one in Manchester at Snow and Rock I think. If there's one near you it's worth asking if you paid the "hire" fee if they'd be accommodating, or open the shop late for you one night.

My dear husband did almost naked in Gressoney a couple of winters ago. Hilarious photos.

In reply to Juniper:

I repeat, as you seem to have missed it:
"Does it have to be at a climbing venue anyway? You could just pose the people with the gear. Who cares whether there's some resin handholds in the background? "

In reply to Juniper:

As others have said, go buildering and do it. You're a UNI MOUNTAINEERING club, everyone expects it anyway!
Even better, go pose on a centeral monument and get the shot then run like billy-oh.

In reply to confusicating:

should'nt that be "willie-oh"?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Nah, I didn't miss it! I think this is basically what we'll end up doing (although I am now eyeing up potential buildings as an option!). I just thought it would have been nice for a climbing club to have photos of us actually climbing. But then you can't always get what you want eh.

In reply to Juniper: I really don't get this? You just go to a crag and get your kit off, we used to do it all the time ?

In reply to Al Evans:
read the thread? they are effectively stuck in Reading, not known for its peaks or even Peak.

In reply to Juniper:

Throw some "climbing pose" shapes on chairs, tables etc.

In reply to Juniper:

Hi Heather,

What about the one and only crag in Reading, used to be known locally as Crag X, until perrin re-branded it and published his work?

Bouldering, in woods, secluded from passers by...

Rich

In reply to brixton climber: Classic's

In reply to goingupintheworld:

Yeah how did Perrin get away with it?!!! Anyway the photographer reckoned it was too small to get decent photos at. Mainly because the blokes are falling over themselves to do this so we now have (possibly) way too many people. Who'd have thought it.

In reply to brixton climber:

Oh and these pics are brilliant. I love the fact that there's no clothing EXCEPT a hat.