EXTREME PHOTOS..." national geo. "( cont... )

Cliff Diving in Boston, Massachusetts

Photograph by Romina Amato, Red Bull Cliff Diving

"This was the first time I dove from a building—it was amazing," says diver Cyrille Oumedjkane of completing a reverse somersault layout from an 88.5-foot platform attached to Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) building.
With skilled precision amid dramatic clouds, the Frenchman and his fellow divers dazzled some 23,000 spectators surrounding Boston Harbor on the sixth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. In cliff diving, competitors dive outdoors at heights ranging from 66 to 92 feet and enter the water toes first; regular divers launch from 33 feet or less and enter headfirst.
For Oumedjkane, who has been practicing his sport for 25 years, plunging into water is a way of life. "I dive because I don't like soccer, and I like the adrenaline."

Getting the Shot
“With the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, we get to some really unique locations,” says photographer Romina Amato. Indeed, this year's tour also hit Ukraine, Italy, France, Greece, Mexico, and Chile. “Each location comes with its own challenges—and Boston was no exception, as we had very limited angles from which to shoot.”
To capture this image, the veteran cliff-diving shooter was positioned in a parking lot next to the ICA building. “Cyrille’s dive looks both graceful and powerful as he launches against the natural drama of the weather front,” says Amato, who used a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and 50mm f/1.2 lens

Highlining at Cathedral Peak, Yosemite, California

Photograph by Mikey Schaefer

"On the highline my thoughts are simple and clear," says pioneering rock climber, BASE jumper, and wing suit flyer Dean Potter. "Fundamental needs shine through the mental clutter. I focus completely on my breath, my connection with the line, and making it safely to the other side." This highline was set up on the summit of Cathedral Peak, in Yosemite National Park, at an elevation of 10,911 feet. Though Potter is untethered, he is in control. "I’ve always been a 'free soloist.' Whatever I do, I long to be untethered and free," notes Potter. "I am completely confident with my ability to catch the line if I were to fall. I’ve practiced this catch move successfully for the past 19 years."
This shot is just one spectacular scene from "The Man Who Can Fly," an episode of Explorer airing Sunday, February 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel (see a photo gallery). The show captures Potter's quest for true human flight, with first feats in free soloing and wing suit flying in Yosemite, California, and British Columbia, Canada. The episode examines Potter's unique blend of daring, determination, and pursuit of the unknown.
Getting the Shot
“Hands down this was the most complicated photo I've ever taken,” says photographer Mikey Schaefer. “It started a year earlier with Dean [Potter] seeing the moon rise over Cathedral Peak and noticing that it would make a great shot.“ A bit skeptical, Schaefer used an app called The Photographer's Ephemeris to locate where the moon would rise from a relative location. “I went out the night before the shoot with a GPS and lined everything up. Sure enough, the moon rose exactly where I thought it would,” says Schaefer.
In Tuolumne Meadows, Schaefer set himself on an adjacent ridge from Potter, about 1.2 miles away, and began shooting at 7:30 p.m. “Thankfully the light was absolutely perfect, as it was just ten minutes before the direct sunlight would be off of Dean. This allowed me to balance the exposure evenly between Dean and the moon, as there weren’t too many stops difference between the two,” recalls Schaefer.
Schaefer worked throughout the filming of the show, from rigging ropes to operating video cameras, all while shooting still images as well. The image of Potter against the moon stands out from the rest of the shoot. “The whole scenario seemed crazy,” Schaefer says. ”I was over a mile away from my subject, who was walking a tightrope with certain death consequences if he fell. I was running through the woods with $20,000 worth of camera gear, making the most unique photo of my career. I'm still a bit amazed that I managed to stick the shot."
This image was captured using a Canon 5D Mark II and an 800mm, f/5.6 lens with a 2X doubler.