10 Tips for Successful Ski and Snowboard Photography

Shooting in cold weather and capturing exciting images of skiers/snowboarders takes mad skill.  Use these tips to improve your images!

1. Dress warmer than you would if you were just skiing or snowboarding.  You may be sitting for a while as you get your camera ready and plan your angle.  The athlete gets to move around during this and keep their gloves on.  Dress warm so that you aren’t distracted by violent cold shivers that make your camera unstable.
   
2. Work closely with the athletes.  This is one of the most important tips.  You can get good shots without knowing who the athletes are, but if you work with them you can get great shots!
3. Show the element around the athlete.  Try to compose so that trees or other features are in the image for perspective and size comparison.  Show the beautiful scenery.
4. Gray day?  Over-expose by 1-2 stops.  Your camera wants to shoot the gray day as it is… gray.  Over-expose so the snow looks naturally white.
5. Star the sun for original images.  Check out this article: Shooting into the sun.
   
6. Zip up that backpack before every shot!  The one time you forget, your pack will get stuffed with snow. Sometimes you get what you deserve…
7. Don’t put yourself in dangerous areas.  Avalanches are very real and serious.  One image, no matter how great, is not worth your life.  Shoot smart.
   
8. Get in close.  Close shots with wide lenses show off the athlete and environment in very extreme ways.  These make for some of the most unique shots.
9. Try to capture the athletes face in the shot for a better image.  Faces are important and give meaning to a shot.  Don’t just capture the backside of your athletes all day.  Some tricks shoot better than others, work closely with the athlete for tricks that will shoot well.  Snowboarders have a backside off jumps, don’t shoot it all day…
   
10. Plan your angle by visualizing what it MIGHT look like, then moving to it.  Powder is really tough to move around in so you’ll probably want to ski/board right to the spot and be set.

About Connor Walberg

At only 25 years old, Connor has been published in many major international publications and is a signed Getty photographer. His writing and photos have been published in Photoshop User and Light It Magazines, amongst many others. He believes that if you work at what you love, you'll be able to make a great living. Connor currently resides in Edwards, CO with his wife, Kelly, and dog Tucker. You can view his portfolio at www.cnwphoto.com

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