<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[trail running photography]]></title><description><![CDATA[Capturing the thrill of every trail run in Ontario.]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:51:22 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Technique: Lines]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I scout photo locations on the course, beautiful scenery is secondary to what I'm paying attention to. I translate the landscape into shapes and lines, and runners into stick figures to transform the woods into an energetic visual language. The Visual Language of the Trail Composition is about arranging various elements such as trees, trails, stumps, stones, and runners, so they're visually appealing. It's better to reduce these elements to shapes and lines for the sake of composition....]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/technique-lines</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a188041145da5e383071789</guid><pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 12:30:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_2f193e9e6e214aec8e4c907e5f4e4691~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Training for Trail Running Photography]]></title><description><![CDATA[I'm not a runner in the traditional sense of going out for regular runs, or running for the sake of running. But I love to run when there's a deeper purpose. For example, I can smoke any of my kids in a game of tag, and I wouldn't be the first one eaten running from a T-Rex. Oddly enough, one of my favourite times to run is while photographing a trail run. Merging Landscape and Sports Photography on the Trails When I photograph trail runs, I scout out what I think are the best spots to take...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/training-for-trail-running-photography</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0bbc8bdf43effc8ce5e91a</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 14:45:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_ce1a9203fd0d41649a501abae967ec13~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trail Running Photography as a Sport]]></title><description><![CDATA[When it comes to sports, I’ve always leaned a little more toward chaos. As a kid, I loved pro wrestling—still do. My brother and I would turn the living room into a wrestling ring. In grade five, I loved tackle football. No equipment, no real rules—just run with the ball and don’t get tackled. I was fast and not afraid of pain, so I did pretty well. The summer between grade 8 and 9, I’d go for runs through town after dark on cool nights. In high school, I got into weightlifting, and there...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/trail-running-photography-as-a-sport</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e7bde8123d99511bfd9d58</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:18:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_4220c498326249bb9b4413db09422398~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Technique: Light]]></title><description><![CDATA[In photography, the use of light is a technique. When you're in full control, you get to make whatever decisions you want—harsh light with crisp, deep shadows, or soft, diffused light. You might choose a warm glow or a cooler tone; there are all kinds of decisions to make with light and shadow. Working With Whatever Nature Gives You When I'm out photographing trail runners on a circuit, I don’t have that control. I have to take whatever I’m given, whether it's total darkness with harsh...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/creative-technique-light</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d3ff49d36a85c300c13512</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:57:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_5ae3b63427674397b8311fb212eac650~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_988,h_660,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Technique: Lo-Fi Black and White]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes the Best Stuff Starts as a Panicked Problem So here I am, deep in the woods, getting swarmed by mosquitoes, using my camera as a weapon, waiting for trail runners to come through. It’s getting darker and darker. Now, this is a nighttime trail run with headlamps, so the idea is for it to be dark, right? But I'm realizing it might actually be too dark to take a picture. The Technical Challenge of Low Light Photography I’m dialling in my settings, waiting for the runners to appear. At...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/sometimes-the-best-stuff-starts-as-a-panicked-problem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c5524717c64e1bc92a351b</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:55:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_4a91aa57223c473a9ece36de86f921a2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The 2 AM Milky Way Mission]]></title><description><![CDATA[At 2:00 AM, my alarm quietly went off. I had tucked it under my pillow, right next to my ear, so I could hear it without waking anyone else in the tent. I unzipped the flap, stepped out, put on my shoes, grabbed my camera bag, and stumbled into the cold night air. I looked up. Clear skies. Good. Because this was my only chance. Years of Planning for This Shot For years, Naomi has wanted to come to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. And for just as long, I’ve wanted a Milky Way shot over the...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/the-2-am-milky-way-mission</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c548781f04cf599d617dca</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:02:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_88f182596ced47a0b1ceba2620a3ea11~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Unexplainable Attraction to Stacks of Firewood]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve never been able to resist taking a picture of a stack of firewood. On road trips, I’ve pulled the “stop the van, let me out” move just to grab a landscape-style shot of a neatly piled stack. I’ve even posed beside one in Dog River, Saskatchewan, just down the road from Corner Gas. I’ve used stacked wood as a backdrop in family sessions and pet photography. There’s just something about it. So when I’m trudging through the woods during the 24-hour ultra marathon Sugarbush Shenanigans ,...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/an-unexplainable-attraction-to-stacks-of-firewood</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c44955653657f03d5da46c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:49:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_0a19a8c86bf84353bafdb80717541cd7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Realizing Trail Running Photography is a Hybrid Art Form]]></title><description><![CDATA[At some point, I realized that trail-running photography is really a blend of landscape and sports photography. I’m trying to capture high-energy athletic movement within a landscape. The Challenge of Combining Two Photography Styles Which is kind of crazy, because if you asked me to just frame a nice landscape photo, I could do that. I could walk through the woods and take shots that I think look good. But to do that while also anticipating a runner coming through the frame—that’s a whole...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/realizing-trail-running-photography-is-a-hybrid-art-form</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c4437d653657f03d5d9680</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:27:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_3389f46d8ea0465e866e7d0fd082c79a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Technique: Panning for Motion Blur Effects]]></title><description><![CDATA[The third creative technique I started using was a slower shutter speed and panning as the runners went by. I love the sense of motion this creates. I can get those same low-angle action shots, but instead of everything being frozen, there’s actually some movement in the frame. And that’s kind of the point—these people are moving quickly, and it’s nice when the photo reflects that. The technique itself is using a slow shutter speed and panning with the runner so you keep them as sharp as...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/technique-panning-for-motion-blur-effects</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c41e2536a1fdc193c193e1</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:13:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_52ec6e24fcfe48468dd544c53c8f281a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Technique: Low Perspective, Wide Angle, Landscape, Runner, Drama. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Naturally, I’m not just going to stand there and simply document a runner. Here comes another runner—snap, I got them running, great. One shot of everybody and we’re done. But I can’t do that. It’s just not me. Choosing Difficult Low-Angle Shots So I start thinking, what would make this picture kind of cool? A low-angle shot. The problem is, probably nine out of ten of those shots end up being crap compared to the clean, easy shot of the runner smiling at the camera that I could have taken....]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/technique-low-perspective-wide-angle-landscape-runner-drama</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c41c0ed2e55f64fe07ef1f</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 17:35:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_4bf8dfdc54ae4dd980dcc39ef60058ad~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding the “Why” Behind My Love of Dirt]]></title><description><![CDATA[Then the question is, why? I was sifting through photos from last year’s Fat Ass race, and I saw a runner come through with dirt on their knee. I just stopped and thought, yes—that. My Universal Love of Mud and Dirt I like mud and dirt. Even as a family photographer, that was always in the back of my mind - oh, it'd be so great to have a family do a mud fight. When I do candid sessions, if a kid trips and falls and gets grass stains on their knees, or the family ends up in the water at the...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/finding-the-why-behind-my-attraction-to-dirt</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c4117736a1fdc193c179e5</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_e4517d12b0824ee8b7605220652c7238~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Initial Strength Building Makes Trail Running Easier]]></title><description><![CDATA[Five years later, we go back to the Grand Canyon. And this time around, we do some training in advance because we don’t want to be the post-hike wimps we were the first time around, when even a gentle declining sidewalk made us beg for mercy. Discovering Mount Pelion as Our Training Ground There’s this place near home called Mount Pelion. It’s not an actual mountain, but you can get some serious training in because it’s so steep. At first, we would just go and walk up to the top and back...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/initial-strength-building-makes-trail-running-easier</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c2d6c036a1fdc193beed20</guid><pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:28:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_6ddb1d57bb874de1858b6276ea64249a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mental Hurdles That Keep People from Starting to Run]]></title><description><![CDATA[When you want to start running, there are all sorts of mental hurdles that get in your way. Everything from this is physically daunting , to I don’t want to look stupid , to I feel utterly inferior . Using Ultra Marathons to Make Your Run Look Easy “This is really difficult. What’s gonna make me stick with it?” One of the tricks I’ve learned with the physically daunting aspect of running is to compare the run I’m doing to an ultra-marathon. Then I look at my little 3K run through the woods...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/mental-hurdles-that-keep-people-from-starting-to-run</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c2bf09e959cef02a7d632d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:24:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_2ec5566550be4172b9fb5f0426ec87f7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My First Obstacle Course Challenge: Barefoot Running in Downtown Belleville]]></title><description><![CDATA[Movies —and seeing my wife do it—inspired me to get into running. So, I signed up for a learn-to-run program in the fall of 2019. There were running and stretching techniques and that kind of thing, but the most important part was that for six weeks, I had an appointment every Wednesday evening to go running. Otherwise, I was never actually going to do it. In my mind, running is a boring but necessary life skill. If you’re running from a T. rex or running to save your kid’s life, that’s...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/my-first-obstacle-course-challenge-barefoot-running-in-downtown-belleville</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c1a31eadda444fefaf2bc9</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 20:52:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_ee7b75a200d9456182f8763b3d932678~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Life Philosophy: Running Through Obstacles While Carrying Burdens]]></title><description><![CDATA[If I run an obstacle course challenge, I’m gonna opt for running it with the sandbag, right? Because, if you  ask me, running trails, over obstacles, while carrying a heavy weight, mirrors everyday life. Psychologically, we’re outfitted to pursue goals, but there are always obstacles on the way to those goals. And our culture’s M.O. is basically this: if there’s an obstacle, take it as a sign to quit. Turn back. Assume you’re going the wrong way. Or worse, decide you’re just too damn lazy to...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/life-philosophy-running-through-obstacles-while-carrying-burdens</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c19d5b36a1fdc193bc0291</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 20:13:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_1bac64e8ecd2491d99b6fa0004692df3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Movie Scenes That Inspired My Running Journey]]></title><description><![CDATA[It’s not so much that I enjoy running, but that I enjoy being capable of it. And honestly, what inspired me to run—other than my wife, who became a long-distance trail runner—was three scenes from movies. One is Jurassic Park , where Ian Malcolm has to run from the T. rex. In hindsight, standing still would have been a better bet. The second is a scene from Mission: Impossible , where Tom Cruise is on a foot chase to save the world. Broken ankle and all. The third is The Pursuit of Happyness...]]></description><link>https://spent39hours.wixsite.com/trail-running/post/movie-scenes-that-inspired-my-running-journey</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c192aad25f3712fa75372c</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:59:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14cf85_f55ccba3a59f41279bdc755703d27b7c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_650,h_391,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mat Coker</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>