‘...there is a moment where everything aligns. Feet lift effortlessly, light and sound become perfect and the senses become one.’
THE GPS FOR EXPLORERS. When it comes to the explosion of the trail running scene, Petch is grateful to have been in the mix just as the juggernaut is picking up speed. “It is changing peoples’ lives. Without sounding like an old hippy, trail running takes you back to basics and rids us of so many aspects – chains – of modern life. There’s no special gear required other than commitment and love for moving forward. “I love the direction the sport is heading in and very proud to be seen as part of it. My role is to capture what race directors and runners want from the day – the ‘essence’ of what makes it so special.” In documenting the trail and ultra community, Petch believes he can tell a story well beyond the scene itself.
“In my opinion, we seem to have lost direction in this modern life. Everything is so busy and cluttered with most of our life (and sports) requiring us to spend and buy more and more stuff. Trail running strips away all of this baggage, and our natural instincts take over,” he says. “It gives us time out and a place to reconnect with what it is to be human. If my images inspire people to feel the sun on their face and get fit while getting back to basics, then I’m a happy man. Run 10km or 100km – that magic can happen to us all because if you strip away the big cars and credit cards, we’re all the same. Capturing that equality on the trail is very special to me.”
Paul Petch is a freelance photographer, art director, graphic and website designer based in Christchurch, New Zealand. He specialises in outdoor photography.
www.outdoorphotography.co.nz
www.pauljpetch.com
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