For anyone who knows snowboarding, Thomas Stöckli’s Energy category winning photo from the 2007 Image Quest will give them goose bumps. The shot shows snowboarder Reto Kestenholz bashing through a windblown lump of snow, sending powder up in the air as if it had exploded.
“’WUFF!’ Can you hear it?” Asks Stöckli of the image.
The 31-year-old Swiss has been an avid snowboarder since 1993 and documenting the sport since 2001. He is a staff photographer for one of Europe’s major snowboarding magazines, freelances for many other publications and also works as an assistant to other photographers.
Nicknamed ‘Creager’, he currently lives in Zurich but works “anywhere between Alps, Rocky Mountains and the Andes.”
So, what have you been up to since winning the Energy category at the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2007?
Well, shooting and assisting fulltime! I’m just trying to get better and better.
What have been your most memorable shoots in the past couple of years?
This was probably a shoot I did last year with Red Bull Athlete Markus Keller. You'll see the photos soon, it will be part of my submission for this years Illume.
What interesting shoots or projects do you have coming up?
I am working on a track and field project mixed with fashion. But I can't tell you more yet.
Have you been working on projects other than snowboarding shoots?
Yes. Because of my work as an assistant, I recently got into fashion.
What is it about snowboarding that you particularly like to photograph or try to capture?
I love the beauty, power, freedom, energy and friendship.
What do you see as the future of winter sports photography - how is the industry changing?
Good question. It’s getting more and more technical, which is good. But having technical equipment is not everything! What's for certain, is that digital changed everything. Some of the old photographers that were great 10 years ago are gone and some rookies came onto the scene!
Check www.creagerphoto.com for more information.
2007 Winners' Q&A: Thomas Stöckli
2007 Winners' Q&A: Thomas Stöckli