The moment I set eyes on this crystal ball, my mind was absorbed by the idea of integrating this massive glass hulk into a snowboard action shot. The execution of a good photograph with a heavy 10kg crystal ball turned out not to be all that easy. The great difficulty was to catch a perfect close-up of the rider within the 30cm diameter of the glass.
The reaction of the five handpicked snowboarders I chose for the project initially was everything but enthusiastic. They laughed at the idea and dissed my crystal ball. However, after persuading the riders, I quickly gained their confidence.
First we built a spine at the local soccer field in Oberiberg – the right place to shoot at dusk. After a few initial shots the right vibes evolved and with that the riders showed all their skills and executed their tricks to perfection. The seven hours the shooting took literally flew by. While evaluating the day’s achievement that same night, one shot with Philipp Schicker was our favorite. The 23-year-old took off the past winter to pursue his snowboarding passion, and accompanied me on several shoots. The trick he performed is the Miller Flip.