Judge 2007

Joel Muzzey

PHOTO EDITOR, SNOWBOARDER MAGAZINE

Growing up in Gilford, New Hampshire, snowboarding was always Joel Muzzey's first love. He strapped into a board for the first time 15 years ago and has been hooked ever since. Muzzey studied journalism at New Hampshire State College and eventually found a way to parlay that degree into a job in the snowboarding world, working as a writer first with Transworld Snowboarding and then Snowboarder. He looked poised to continue following the writing track until while on assignment on some far flung mountain, a light bulb went off in his head: "I was around a lot of photographers and I was like, I should be shooting too. I'm in all these sick spots and I'm out here doing international travel with the magazine …What am I doing not shooting?"

So Muzzey did just that. Though he never studied photography formally, he taught himself in the ins and outs of the camera and within about a year a vacancy opened for photo editor at Snowboarder. And he got the job. Muzzey still writes occasional features for the magazine as well as some freelance articles, but the majority of his time is spent behind the photo edit desk. Now 33, he's successfully done the writing thing and now photography, so what's next? Will he make a move for the publishing side? Nope. Not even close. "I'm going to basically disappear once I make enough money," he says. "I'll probably retire to the mountains in Austria. I'm going off the grid."

What makes a great photo?
Hassleblad, Arctic light, Fuji film.

How has snowboard imagery changed in the past five years?
Film to digital. Bigger jumps means shots are further from the action. Meanwhile shooters with riding skills are getting on the slope in Alaska, bringing that terrain closer to viewers' eyes.

Any advice for photographers seeking to get their images published?
Be ready to kiss a lot of ass.