Judge 2007

Jon Foster

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SNOWBOARD JOURNAL

Jon Foster started shooting surfing as an eighth grader after his family relocated to La Jolla from Northern California. He filled up his teenage years surfing and shooting and, as soon as he was able, made the pilgrimage to shoot in Hawaii. Foster sold his first image to Surfer magazine in 1970 and kept on freelancing his way through the next two decades.

By the late 80s Foster got wrapped up in the juggernaut that was windsurfing and started shooting guys like Dave Kalama and Mike Waltz during some of the landmark sessions at Jaws on Maui. With five windsurf-specific magazines on the newsstands there was plenty of work for a freelancer with talent like Foster. He eventually returned to the surf world in 1988, when he signed on as assistant photo editor with Breakout, a regional California surf magazine, but was soon pulled into the newly founded Transworld Snowboarding. There he stayed for 14 years as primary shooter and photo editor and ultimately director of photography. Then in 2003, Jon left Transworld to start The Snowboard Journal.

Jon’s biggest photo-related challenge:
“When I started shooting snowboarding, I was learning how to snowboard at the very same time. Back in those days there weren’t too many good teachers, and trying to carry a backpack and learn to snowboard and shoot, there were a few times when I went sliding off the trail into the trees. I had to learn fast because I’d be in over my head.”

His favorite snowboard image:
“Back around ‘94, I shot Jamie Lynn going over this road gap in Norway. It was super gnarly and it’s in black and white. It’s actually the only snowboarding photo I have framed in my house. It has a timeless feel and it’s rad too.”