Judge 2010
John Scarth
PHOTO EDITOR, SNOWBOARD CANADA MAGAZINE
“Seeing one of my photos ripped from a mag and put up on someone's wall like I used to when I was younger was pretty rad.” Jon Scarth, photo editor of Snowboard Canada magazine, still gets a kick out of making a living out of photography. “It was amazing to even be interviewed for the position and when I got it I couldn’t believe it.”
His entry into the photo-world started young as his father worked for Kodak. “There were always cameras and film all over the house. When I showed some serious interest in high school, he gave me his old Pentax and from there I was hooked.”
For John, the role of a photo-editor is different to what he initially expected when he started. “The advent of the digital camera has brought a lot more technology into the profession. You are not only a photographer now, you’ve got to be equally proficient on the computer as well. The instant feedback of digital cameras has also made the learning curve much faster which is only a good thing. Sometimes I do wish I didn’t have to spend so much time on the computer after a shoot but the ability to email a client or rider work from the day's events is the trade off I guess.”
Snowboard magazine staff typically travel with professional riders throughout the winter season and cover travel, contests, lifestyle, riders as well as company profiles and product reviews. A normal day at SBC revolves around its base in one of the world’s best snow-sport locations – Whistler. “There are 2 types of the typical day at work. There is the office side where I’ll check and respond to emails for a few hours in the morning and then Skype with the other editors since I work from home. Then it’s back to the emails or going to shoot some portraits or gear for the mag. If it’s in the winter then I’ll be out shooting anywhere the snow is. For the majority of the time, it’s snowmobiling around the Whistler area and if I’m lucky I’ll be traveling. I love my job in both seasons because they are each so different.”
What type of photography does he enjoy shooting most? “My main subject has always been snowboarding and it will continue to be that way for a long time. I am getting into wildlife photography more and more these days though. It takes a lot of patience to get a good shot and there are rarely any second chances so you have to be on it which benefits the snow side of my photos as well.”
For this year’s Red Bull Illume, he is looking for great photos that “tell a story without needing a caption.” John also appreciates how the contest brings a unique focus to freesports photography. “It’s great to bring together so many different photographers and showcase their work together. When you are a working pro in one sport it’s easy to get tunnel vision because you are so entrenched in your own genre. This event opens your eyes to what many like-minded creative people are doing documenting different sports. And for the viewers of this event it’s probably the best assembly of action sports images they will ever see.”
www.snowboardcanada.com
