Tell us how your winning image came about?
A skater always looks for where they can skate – a flight of stairs or a rail go from being a tool, to a perfect place to challenge yourself. The image was born while I was walking around in Mexico City. The building in the image is a museum but its shape is quite peculiar, which made me imagine what it would be like to experience skating on a structure with those characteristics. All you have to do is turn your head to give it a new dimension. It immediately became a colossal bowl with the architecture in-between. It's the dream of any skater, in my mind I visualized it immediately and decided to turn it into an image.

How did you do that?
I remembered that some time ago I had photographed Diego skating some quarterpipes and had the perfect image to achieve my idea. After achieving the ideal composition and applying some adjustments to integrate the athlete in the original image, this was the final result.

Was it part of the plan to submit the image into Red Bull Illume from the beginning?
I had planned to submit it to Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2021 since the idea of the photograph was born. When I started my career as a photographer, Red Bull Illume became one of my biggest inspirations and being part of the 56 finalists is a dream come true.

What was the biggest challenge of the shot?
One of the most complicated things was getting the images that would make up the final one and to have the light in the same direction so that the post-production process was as simple as possible, trying to respect the essence of the idea. I was very careful with the shooting angle of the athlete's photograph and when working with natural light the conditions change quite quickly.

How long did it take you to get the final image?
Considering the time it took to do both shots, it was about a week of the whole process.Having a clear idea in my mind and taking care of details such as the direction of the light, as well as the proportions from the shot helped a lot in the post-production process, which took approximately two days, being very careful with every detail.

Would you do anything differently if you were to take the image again?
Not really, the colors of the sky, the athlete's trick, each of the conditions created a synergy that made it a unique image.

Do you have any tips on adventure and action sports photography in general?
It is very important to know the lines of movement of each of the action sports to capture the exact moment of the action. Having a technical knowledge of how light behaves helps to have better control of the situation and to be able to create new atmospheres. Try different angles, perspectives, lose the fear of getting dirty, and lastly, bring enough batteries and memory cards for the session.

Follow Luis on Instagram to see more of his stunning work!

Learn the basics
If you want to convince someone to pay for your work, make sure that you can meet their expectations. We’ve all taken on jobs that were awe-inspiring, scary and out of our comfort zone, but you have to know inside you that you are able to deliver and have a plan of how to achieve it. By the time I knew I wanted to combine my passion for adventures and storytelling, I already had a sound understanding of the basic principles of photography and videography, meaning that when I went out to shoot, I could focus on being creative, not on learning how to use my camera.

Don’t stress about having the latest gear
People will have you believe that you need the latest and greatest camera because of special features, but the truth is that you can get an older generation model second hand and shoot with it until it’s not working anymore. Think of it this way: other photographers created amazing images with that model when it was new and didn’t miss the new features, so you can use it too!

Be part of the community of creators and athletes
They might be in a similar phase of their career and will want to collaborate and help out on projects or be a great source of knowledge. Over time, they will help you along the way.

Be yourself
Like all relationships in life, if you’re not yourself, it doesn’t work out in the long run. Be sincere, honest, and always try to go above and beyond expectations. That also means sometimes saying “No” or recommending someone else if the expectations are beyond your current ability.

Be part of the adventure
Being part of the adventure means being able to feel what is happening and transmit it in a more real and intimate way. It also changes the results because I’m restricted by the amount of gear I can take with me.  At first, I used to be scared bringing only one or two lenses as I feared missing out, but what I’ve found over time is that it actually makes me more creative, having to find the shot working around the restrictions.

How did the idea come to life?
I guess it’s all about the natural evolution of my photography and the constant need of improving and getting to the next level. It’s also about the concept of the brotherhood between skiers and snowboarders, we always shred together and we never understood that rivalry that some people have, we are all into this because we love the sports, the mountains, the snow, and this lifestyle, and I wanted to create an image that represented this brotherhood. Two weeks before, I got together with the boys and we talked about the shot we wanted and how we could achieve it, drawing some sketches that resulted in the final shot.
Also, since I first heard of Red Bull Illume I set it as a goal and personal challenge in my photography and if you really want to have your work recognized in this awesome contest you need to explore and innovate as much as you can, that also helped me to come up with the idea for the photo.

How important was the relationship with the athlete?
I’d say it is essential but not only for this image, but for my whole portfolio. It’s mandatory to have an intense rapport with the athlete, when that feeling exists, difficult things seem to be easier, you feel safer, we both have confidence in each other. The relationship with the athlete has a tremendous effect. But also their attitude, for me to go on a shooting with someone, there are some things I need beyond friendship and that person’s quality as an athlete, such as patience and passion.

Good athletes are good photographers, even without realizing it, we often study the locations together and we dream together about the perfect conditions. That is when I realize that they also have a photographic eye, they help a lot in terms of framing, composition, interpretation of light.

Great photos are rarely a coincidence, they are the result of teamwork and I have the privilege that my friends are very good at the sports we practice and they are always willing to get the shot.

Did the shooting process go smoothly? Were there any difficulties?
Getting to take this type of photo demands a lot of previous experience. I put a huge amount of hours into it, I’d say that this is the most difficult shot I’ve ever planned. It’s also a challenge to get both the riders and the moon decently in focus. I wanted to have them creating that precise composition inside the moon and calculating that took a lot of time. There´s nothing random in this shot.
We worked for a week preparing the terrain, we had to carry a lot of photographic gear and the specific mountain gear we needed to work on the features and to be safe up there.

Once we got to the place we had to build two kickers and two starters since the location was a high mountain ridge with limited room to get the speed we needed, and this is maybe the hardest part of the planning, if you fail in the exact location of the kickers you miss the shot. Once you have the scenery ready you just have to wait for the moment and pray for a bluebird sky that day, along with being confident in the riders to synchronize the jump and the handplant. That’s the real challenge.

On the day, we went for an epic sunset session, testing the kickers and training for the moon shot. When the moon was rising I went to my place 300m away, communicating via walkie talkies. Once in position I had trouble finding the exact point where I was supposed to be and I became very nervous, I wandered around for 10 minutes with the snow almost around my waist and thinking that we would miss the photo but at last I found the place I was looking for.

How did you find the location for this image?
The shot was taken on our home mountain, the Malacara Peak in the Spanish Pyrenees next to Villanúa, the village where I live. I know this terrain very well, I’ve always seen the moon rising behind that mountain. This shot is the result of chasing the moon for seven years. I first planned a Moon Shot in 2015 and after that I’ve been working to keep on improving and innovating and always trying to include action sports in the final image.

Check out the behind-the-scenes video from Yhabril below!

Amazingly, Rod is not a professional photographer but a chemistry teacher in Rotorua, New Zealand. But he has had a passion for photography for many years, in particular, whitewater kayaking photography.

Rod didn’t just win the sponsored trip. He also took home a Leica Q2 camera which he absolutely loves, a Yoga 9i PC from Lenovo, a Workflow Bundle from SanDisk Professional, and his winning shot printed and framed by WhiteWall and outdoor gear from Black Diamond.

But the best part was the trip to India. As well as the festival, he also spent a week travelling around Kolkata, visiting a mangrove forest which he says was amazing. “I've been photographing for a really long time. I like to get that one shot that explains everything,” he told his local paper, the New Zealand Herald. “It's like hunting and trying to chase to get that one photo where everything lines up.” Check out the images Rod’s captured in India below!

If you haven’t seen Rod’s Red Bull Illume winning shot and the story behind it, check it out here!

Has your life or work changed since?
Well, I don’t think I’ll stop living in a van for a while, though maybe I’ll upgrade to one I can stand up in eventually! On a more serious note, winning has definitely opened up some doors. In such a competitive industry with so many talented photographers, the exposure from being a part of Red Bull Illume has been really impactful.

How was it to see your shot illuminated at the exhibition in Aspen?
It was surreal to see one of my images displayed at an exhibition. My family always prioritized visiting art museums when I was little, and I think it was always impressed upon me that art deserves to be viewed in a way that forces you to slow down and really look. Even the simple act of walking a few steps between images gives each the space it deserves to be appreciated more fully.

What did you make of the other images?
This year’s contest has so many incredible images, it’s inspiring to see the level that so many photographers are operating at. The standard is so high, which makes me so stoked to get out and shoot more.

Any shots in particular that stood out for you?
I really loved Carolin Unrath’s photo of the surfer catching the train. The concept is clever and I really enjoy the composition.

Did you deliberately shoot a climber whose hair color perfectly matched the rock?
A lot of photographers are smart enough to think of details like that, I’m just lucky.

Is it important to capture a real moment?
I think it’s situational, a lot of incredible climbing photos take a vision from the photographer and willingness from the climbers to capture. Light that makes a great photograph isn’t usually the conditions that makes for great climbing, and it’s not often that the photographer just happens to be in the most epic position to get the perfect photo. But the images where I’m lucky, where I happen to be in the right place at the right time, are the images that I generally love the most. When a genuine moment aligns with the opportunity for an epic photo, that is what I am always seeking.