Ray Demski Photographs Michael Rösch at the Dachstein Glacier

Written on Thursday 10.12.2009 10:30 AM By: Red Bull Illume

Although winter is somewhat slow in coming to the Alps this year, 2007 Red Bull Illume finalist Ray Demski encountered near-blizzard conditions on the Dachstein Glacier in Austria when capturing German biathlete Michael Rösch for an Olympic profile in September. Accompanying them as assistant photographer was Johan Stahlberg from Sweden.

Known for his strengths in low-light action photography, Demski chose the Dachstein as a rugged outdoor backdrop for this dramatic shoot. Growing up in the rocky mountains of western Canada, Demski is used to shooting in tough conditions, but icy temperatures and biting winds made the shoot a special challenge for him and the crew.

“The weather was really bad, we had winds of up to 80km/h and you couldn't go outside without covering your face with a scarf and goggles,” said assistant Stahlberg.

In addition, the all-encompassing whiteness of the fog and snow made it extremely difficult to get powerful contrasts and interesting angles. Due to the extreme cold, the on-site film crew also had problems with their equipment.  

However, despite the challenging conditions, Ray Demski and Michael Rösch gave their best to get some extraordinary pictures, which were released in early December 2009. Red Bull athlete Rösch is the son of former biathlon world champion Eberhard Rösch and has been junior world champion four times, three times in the relay and once in the sprint distance in 2003. His professional attitude and expertise contributed a big part to the amazing photos resulting from this unusual shoot. See for yourself and browse through the pictures here.