The Best of 2011

2011 has been one of my better years in recent memory when in comes to photography. That being said, I still find it somewhat embarrassing how few photos I manage to shoot over the course of a year. It’s also somewhat surprising that I’ve never compiled a year end best-of collection before considering it’s all the rage as we move closer and closer to New Year’s. So here’s a bunch of shots I was happy with from this past year; there’s a bit of a mix and obviously a bunch of wakeboarding photos (it is my “real” job afterall). If you want to take a closer look at any of the shots, click on the image to see a larger version. Here’s to shooting more photos in 2012.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s

Inukshuk, Whistler, BC

Black Tusk, Garibaldi Park, BC

Sun and Shade, Whistler, BC

The Ice Station, Whistler, BC

Trees underneath Peak 2 Peak gondola, Whistler, BC

The Tantalus Range, Squamish, BC

Collin Harrington, Orlando, FL

Dean Smith, Orlando, FL

Shawn Watson, Orlando, FL

Steel Lafferty, Clermont, FL

Kevin Henshaw, Clermont, FL

Aaron Rathy, Windermere, FL (SBC Wakeboard Magazine cover Vol 13, Iss 2)

Whistler Peak 2 Peak station, Whistler, BC

Stand-up Paddleboarder, Georgian Bay, ON

Muskoka sunset, Torrance, ON

Wakeboard boat from the air, Haliburton, ON

Raph Derome, The Projects, FL

Tanner Champion, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

Waterfall, Whistler, BC

Just a Stroll Through The Neighbourhood

In an ongoing effort to actually use my camera(s) instead of them just taking up space in bags in my closets, I recently went for a photo walk around Bayshores after a heavy snow storm. I’ve always loved the way snow loads the branches of evergreen trees; it creates such a unique texture. Considering we had hardly any snow in the valley last year, the November snow is a nice change.

First Peak Lap of The Season

Pretty epic day on Whistler. My first hike up Peak of the season in perfect conditions: -10 C, bluebird and 50 cm’s of fresh from a recent storm cycle. I went up for a second lap but the batteries on my GoPro died.

Run of the Day, Nov 26th, 2010

I got a late start after 25 cm’s fell the previous night. This was a quick lap off Pika’s Traverse down through the Harmony Zone on Whistler. Music by The Craft Economy.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Without a doubt the most highly anticipated day of the year in a ski town is the day the lifts start spinning and the hill opens for business. Giddy would be the one word that overcomes all skiers and snowboarders in the valley as the time approaches. Many have some kind of ritual; I used to dress head-to-toe in all my gear and even strap into my board in some cases and stand in front of the mirror. Sounds crazy, I know, but it’s part of the mania that many go  through in the build up.

It’s been years since I’ve played Mr. Shred dress-up, but with the Whistler opening a week early and the P.R. department conjuring up over a foot of fresh snow a few days before opening, I actually surprised myself how stoked I was to get up the hill. I pulled myself out of bed early and got to the Creekside gondola around 6:45 AM. Waiting in line is kind of like a big family reunion, bumping into friends you haven’t seen all summer. One thing that stuck out to me as I waited in line was the diversity of crowd. It ranged from the fresh off the boat seasonal employee,  grizzled long-time locals, super-pro snowboarders and skiers and even a few weekend warriors thrown into the mix. All there for one reason; to go play in the snow. Awesome.

The details of the day aren’t all that important. I had some great runs with some great people and it was a good start to the season. A big thanks to Snowboard Canada Magazine photo editor, John Scarth for snapping this photo of me and making me look like a hero.

 

I also put together this quick video edit from my GoPro HD camera. All shots were handheld. I plan on making a bunch more of these edits throughout the season; stay tuned.

The Confession Booth

I’m going to make a confession: for someone who calls himself a photographer I don’t shoot many photos anymore. Ever since I made the move from freelance photographer to editor I’ve spent way more time behind a desk than a lens. Recently, I began to realize this is a pretty weak excuse considering I own 2 DSLR’s, 2 film bodies, a point and shoot and an iPhone. Since I always have a camera close at hand and I live in one of the most scenic places in the world, I’m making this a vow to shoot more. This is a start.

Gotta Start Somewhere

This has been a long time coming. The two biggest skill sets of my job are writing and photography. And while I do a lot of this for the magazine, there’s not a whole lot going outside of that. I’m online nearly all the time, keeping up to date on industry news, working on our websites, being as active in social media as possible without going crazy, but my online presence has been virtually (no pun intended) nonexistent. One way to look at it; there’s been a lot of input but no output. A kind of creative constipation if you will. Honestly I have no idea what will make up the content of these pages, but I promise to keep it as interesting as possible. Maybe a photo here and there, most likely a few random observations from my very cool hometown of Whistler, BC. I hope you check back from time to time to see what’s going on in my corner of the world. Don’t worry, I’ll probably promote this shit out of this in the social media nerd-dom.

In case you’re wondering not all photos posted on here will be this gloomy and depressing. It’s just one of the last shoots I went on as I walked around Whistler on a foggy Sunday afternoon.