Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Daily Mail Ski & Snowboard

"We had almost perfect conditions for this shot, some fresh snow during the night to coat the trees, and then blue sky with cold temperatures to keep the snow fresh in the morning. Chris and I had had our eyes on this little group of trees for a couple of days. We planned to build a kicker behind them to give him enough lift through the trees. As ever Chris and I talked through what we wanted and where he would land. There's nothing worse than the skier landing on you even if you have already got that great shot! I prepared myself while Chris climbed up a little higher and then with a 3, 2, 1, he hit the kicker and here's the result. We got it in one!!!

The first cover of the season for Adrian was also of Chris Rowe however conditions couldn't have been more contrasting. "The snow was tipping down outside and it was our last day. There was plenty of temptation to stay in bed but its not often Chris and I get to ski together, so we packed up my Elinchrome Ranger pack and jumped on the lift. I wanted to get a shot that had energy and drama. In my head I had this vision of Chris coming off a rock in the middle of a snowstorm with the flash picking him out and the background looking as though it were night. We were joined by British Olympic mogul skier Hugh Hutchinson and the three of us climbed on the Gondola in thick snow laden down with lights, cameras and Avalanche equipment. Visibility was very limited as we got to the top so we decided to leave the equipment and do a quick recce. There was a good foot of fresh snow but unless we kept tight into the trees we couldn't see anything. Eventually we found a break in the trees and some good sized rocks with fairly good landings. We probed the landing area just to make sure there were no nasty small rocks or trees hidden just under the snow. I set up as fast as I could as visibility was getting worse with the amount of snow falling. I was all set to go as were Chris and Hugh when first the camera decided to shut down and then the batteries for the flash gave up. A few expletives later a change of batteries and a different camera (I always have two) and I was up and running. Chris and Hugh hit the jump one after the other but my timing was slightly off. They hiked back up through the deep snow and it took a few more attempts and then it all came together. Chris nailed the drop and flash, camera and photographer worked in unison at last!

Adrian's 2nd cover of the season for Daily Mail ski and Snowboard magazine was also shot in Salbach. This one was with ex ski racer Martin Bell. Martin lives in the States but comes over every year to test next years ski equipment. "Martin and I had decided to take a couple of runs during the back country ski test day to try out the skis and get a couple of shots to illustrate the feature we were working on. When we are out shooting we always keep our eyes open for potential cover or lead article shots and we spotted this cornice just off a ridge as we went up a chairlift. The attraction of this location was that we could look straight down the valley and have Martin in the foreground as he came off the top of the cornice. It was never going to be a death defying jump but it had all the potential to make a great accessible cover shot. As with all ski shoots safety is imperative so we checked out the landing and stability of the snow to make sure the cornice wouldn't crack and come down on me or start an avalanche. Martin's brother Graham was also with us so he acted as spotter and was able to mark the exact spot where I was as Martin had no way of knowing my position. Then after a brief check of everything Martin launched himself in. He hit the mark perfectly and the shot looked great. It's not often you get to shoot with Martin so I made him climb up again for a second go just to make sure!