What do you do when you’re driving home from an out of state editorial portrait shoot and receive a text with a hazy picture of what appears to be a really old and dirty but very unique empty swimming pool and the message says “1 night only shred session- it’s getting filled in TOMORROW!” The answer I came up with was “Hmmm the cars already crammed full of lighting gear… I’ll be right over.”

More Images http://christopherbeauchamp.com/

Abbe Hamilton joyfully emerging from a secion of low airspace in the Reynolds River Section of Howe Caverns, NY.

Typically the undeveloped sections of Howe Caverns( a commercial tour cave in upstate NY) are off limits for exploration. An exception was made this past weekend as part of a fundraiser to benefit the rebuilding effort for Schoharie Co. NY which was devastated by hurricane Irene last year. Cavers throughout the Northeast donated money to the relief effort in exchange for the opportunity to explore, map and photograph this little explored section of cave. I was quite pleased to get a slot on the team to create photographs as it provided a unique opportunity to shoot in a otherwise inaccessible location and support a very worthy cause in the process.

Opening spread from Rock&Ice

Super psyched to see the Catskills getting some of the coverage they deserve in the latest issue(#200) of Rock & Ice Magazine. Last winter I teamed up with Ryan Stefiuk, guide, writer and author of the popular blog-http://bigfootmountainguides.com/ in an attempt to document the vast quantity and quality of new mixed ice climbs in the Catskills. It was a fantastic project to showcase a place that’s been very influential to me both as a climber and photographer. It was also a great opportunity to test out some new ideas, for instance   would dangling thousands of dollars worth of lighting equipment cantilevered over the edge of the cliff in a snowstorm help me produce unique images? Judging by the final product, I’d say yes. Now the only question remaining is whats next and how far am I willing to slog carrying all that gear to get the shot. A more complete portfolio of the images is at http://cbphoto.biz/ILOVECHOSS/

Mixed ice climbing spread in Rock & Ice

ESPN HS Holiday edition cover.

Fun holiday edition ESPN HS shoot with rising basketball star Kris Dunn.

Although I’m pretty sure his coach didn’t quite understand what I said when I asked if it was ok for me to stand on top of the backboard for this shot below. It’s sad that even at 6′ I still need a ladder to get close to the rim.

Kris making it look easy.

        One of the great privileges of being a professional photographer is that it often affords you the opportunity to meet and work with inspirational people. Like these “Doctors without Borders” I recently created portraits of for CT Magazine. They go at great personal expense, not just financial but also their time and travel to places where they can really make a difference in peoples lives. Often and probably more importantly, they share their expertise and training with the locals where they travel to so they can be better prepared to help themselves. It’s gig’s like this that help maintain your belief in Humanity and inspire you to try a little harder.

Warning: These ladies can hurt you!

I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with some of the ladies from CT Roller Girls  to create some imagery for their marketing and promotion. I absolutely love rollerskating and  they were a great group to work with which made this a fantastic project. And although I got to call the shots on set, I have no doubt they could put me in my place on the derby track (or anywhere else) if necessary. Though I think I might be able to take’m in a roller disco dance off.

Check out their upcoming bouts- http://www.ctrollerderby.com/events/

An unpublished outtake from a recent ESPN shoot.

• A photo shoot can be a lot like a sporting event, you can play well and still lose. At least it can feel that way sometimes. What I mean by that is, sometimes what you believe to be the strongest images from a shoot may not make the cut. They may not fit the story, they may not fit the layout, there may not be enough space or the art director/editor might simply have a different vision. Regardless of the reason, it can feel like a loss to have your best work sidelined. But then, that’s just part of the game.

Aldo keeping it cool while carrying a $60,000 Arri Alexa thru a raging underground stream

 Full BTS peak-http://cbphoto.biz/slovakia_bts/

I’d recently been looking at some interesting examples of light painting for portraits and was eager to give it a try.  Fortunately the Hosemaster fad was before my time so I’m still  free to think about light painting without getting overly nauseous. So when the opportunity to photograph DJ Garebear presented itself, it seemed only natural to give it a try.