Every ATVer has their favourite places to go riding. Sometimes, convincing others that they need to come out and go for a rip on their favourite patch of dirt is a challenge. For some avid ATVers with productions skills, they can show their buddies how stellar their trails are without ever hopping off the couch.
Jody Stevens, member of the Lower Mainland ATV Club in Langley, B.C., is one of those dedicated riders. She submitted her contest-winning video shot at Logan Lake into the My Favourite BC Trail Video Contest 2019 put on by ATVBC.
“After finding out about the contest from ATVBC, I asked my husband to mount a Drift camera onto my helmet,” Stevens said. “After a weekend of testing, I filmed while riding around Logan Lake on my Polaris 850 XP.”
Jody Stevens and her husband, John, have been avid ATVers since 2005. — Photo courtesy Jody Stevens
Within the four-minute video, Stevens was able to showcase many of the features she loves most about the sport.
“I love riding through trails with lots of trees, puddles, mud and the trails that just go on forever, especially on a warm sunny day,” she said.
Beautiful B.C.
Some of her other favourite aspects of ATVing are having lunch on a bluff overlooking a lake, admiring mountain peaks and coming across random wildlife.
“It’s very exciting to see the odd bear or moose and her calf—while keeping our distance and slowing down so we didn’t bother them,” she said. “We love to explore and see so many beautiful B.C. landscapes.”
Jody Stevens enjoys travelling all across B.C. This photo was taken in Nahatlatch Valley, west of Boston Bar. — Photo courtesy Jody Stevens
Stevens enjoys venturing out of the Lower Mainland to explore other areas of the province. Last year, she travelled out to Elkford, B.C., and met up with members of the Elkford ATV Club.
“It’s a long way to go, but it was a great trip and they have a super friendly ATV club,” said Stevens. “They took us out daily and guided us on some beautiful rides.”
Wherever Stevens goes, she can be found camping, fishing and ATVing in nature.
“I love being outdoors and riding for hours—four hours at least—with our friends and family,” she said. “Once back at camp, we cook up a nice dinner and sit around the campfire talking and laughing about our day of riding.”
Jody Stevens paints rocks that she finds while camping and gives them to family and friends. Her artistry covers fish, animals and ATVs, including her club’s logo. — Photo courtesy Jody Stevens
Tips from a contest-winning videographer:
If you’d like to document your ATVing journeys like Stevens, take her tips and you’ll be a (Go)pro in no time.
- Carry extra batteries
- Record in short durations—a minute or two at a time
- Switch up riding behind different people to avoid recording the same people all the time
- Edit 30-second clips together
- Include some still photos
- Add text to explain the video or picture in short text
- Hold the camera steady and move slowly when looking around
- Clean lens frequently, especially in dust or rain
- Avoid long periods of the same scene (road riding) unless there’s some good action going on
- Add music and give credit to the artist
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