Climbing Photographer Spotlight: Rob Kepley
Westminster, CO
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This story originally appeared in the July 2014 issue of our print edition.
In the winter of 2009, Kepley decided to shoot a few of his friends on a route in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado. After more than an hour of sketchy soloing, building a solid anchor, and rigging his rope, Kepley looked down at his tiny 5.1-megapixel camera and thought to himself, Man, you need to upgrade your equipment if you’re going to go through all this trouble. With the purchase of his first DSLR a few months later, he was back in Eldo jugging on a pre-hung rope he thought belonged to his friends, when he heard a pissed-off Steve House say, “Look what this guy is doing with our rope!” Kepley apologized profusely, offering to buy him a beer. Perhaps the worst part: “The photos of that day turned out horrible.” He recovered well from that mishap, with publication in several climbing mags and assignments for brands like Rab and Liberty Mountain.
Website: robkepley.com
Instagram: @robkepley
Further reading:
16 Climbing Photographers You Should Know
