Backcountry skiing from the photographer’s perspective

Bruno Long mainly shoots backcountry skiing and snowboarding. To shoot such high-performance athletes, you need to be a good, experienced skier too. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have skied in the backcountry for almost 20 years now.” For such pursuits, you don’t just need up-to-date camera equipment but also skiing equipment. “Keep up with the latest technology and make sure you realize when your old gear becomes obsolete.” Finally, there is the avalanche safety aspect of the backcountry “Take a course from a certified instructor. Be a good partner when out skiing and ask the same of your partners too.”

To other skiers and photographers wanting to get into the backcountry, “The biggest tip I would say, if you are new to the backcountry, is seek out some good partners or mentors to get out with.

Locations for backcountry ski photography

Thankfully locations for great skiing and photography are often one and the same. “In terms of locations for skiing in the backcountry, it is hard to argue that there is anywhere better than the mountains surrounding Revelstoke.” In Europe, one mountain area stands out for Long, “there is only one place on my wish list: Engelberg, Switzerland. Every time I see a photo from that place, usually from my favorite ski photographer Oskar Enander.”

Fleeting moments

Bruno Long’s approach is a little more laid back than some, “Unlike many other photographers, I don’t really go out with a specific image in mind. I usually let the light and terrain dictate what I shoot. Often, I will have ideas from past shoots or other images I have seen in the back of my head but rarely do I seek out something ultra-specific. Anticipating when the light is going to change or when shadows are going to have into just the right place, that is the type of imagery I like to shoot. Those fleeting moments that rarely last more than a few minutes.”

What are the biggest challenges?

Over the years as a surf photographer, there have been many highs and equally many lows. My work has evolved to be more focused on artistic ocean/surf shots as opposed to client based surfing action shots. This alone is quite a big challenge as I am putting a lot of pressure on myself to create consistently unique and artistic photos in the water. I have had long spells of feeling like I don’t have the ‘spark’ anymore, but I always come back to the desire within to get out there and shoot. As I am always looking for unique shots, this often means relying on very specific surf conditions and lighting to align, which means I spend a lot of time planning shots before I actually go and shoot them, but this is a challenge that I enjoy. Over the years making decent money from surf photography has been a challenge, it took a while to make a name for myself and consistently get clients, but dedication and perseverance pay off in the end.

What equipment do you trust when shooting?

I have shot with a few different camera brands over the years but now I am using Sony gear pretty exclusively. My trusty A7Riii has been a solid companion over the years, and is my main workhorse. I wouldn’t take it in the water without my incredibly good quality surf housing from Liquideye, I have used their housings since the begin and for me they are the best in the business.

Describe your perfect day shooting surfing

That’s a tough one as the shot I am chasing is always changing! However, a typically perfect day would be waking up at sunrise and shooting some empty waves at a favorite spot of mine in Indonesia, with clean offshore conditions and nice soft morning light. I always find shooting empty waves very meditative and puts my mind in a really good state for the day ahead. I tend not to shoot too much in the middle of the day as I prefer softer light, however I might opt to shoot some underwater shots of waves breaking from below, which is a fascinating subject. The day would end with a sunset session with some mates in the water, shooting some action shots and speed blurs at last light.

Where’s your favorite place to shoot surfing action?

I love shooting different spots around Indonesia. There are some heavier waves in Sumbawa that I always keep going back to and then some beautiful spots in Southern Sumatra. There are also a few spots close to me in Bali that I can always count on to keep me getting out there, but I will keep them on the down low for obvious reasons.

What’s the dream shot you want to nail?

I have a few shots in mind that I would love to nail, and they keep me inspired to keep at it. Location wise I would love to get to Tahiti and Ireland in the near future.

What equipment do you trust when shooting?
I have been shooting Nikon since forever, it’s the first camera I chose, and I’m still with this brand. I usually shoot with zoom lenses during the events, and primes during the photoshoots when I have more time to switch between them. Since last year I also switched to a mirrorless body and lenses, and I must say I'm hooked on it.

Describe your perfect shooting day
I don’t think it exists, I mean it’s still coming. Seriously I have no idea, but dirt jumps with bunch of good friends at sunset in an epic place, sounds pretty good to me

Where’s your favorite place to shoot?
Most of my photo shoots take place in the mountains due to the fact I shoot a lot of bikes, but I really enjoy it, and I think I’m a bit of a mountain guy. Weather can always change very quickly which only makes the shoots more interesting to me. On the other hand I really like shooting in Utah at Red Bull Rampage because of the beautiful light, and very long sunsets in the desert. But to answer your question, I don’t think I have any favorite place to shoot, I really like all the places I can travel to take photos, and every new place is always a challenge and fun to photograph.

What do you do in the winter months?
Winter is always off-season for me, but I also have quite a lot of preparations before the next season, so this time goes by very quickly. I always try to go on vacation, as well as photograph other sports like skiing or snowboarding, but to be honest I usually end up in a warm place shooting bikes or just skiing at home.

What makes a great action sport shot?
I think the composition, lights and shadows, and certainly the moment of the image. I always pay attention to catch the rider at the perfect moment, with the best light possible.

What are your top three tips for anyone who wants to submit content to this year’s Image Quest?
I think it’s worth trying, and if you have any idea for a photo, just go out and shoot it, and submit it to Red Bull Illume. There is nothing more rewarding than being amongst so many good photographers with your favorite shot being up alongside theirs.
Think wisely when choosing an image for each category, make sure the judges will see it as a good choice. You can also check the finalists from previous years, sometimes it helps with the selection.
Try to have a nice selection of photos for each category, and also submit everything you can, and have your own style.

Are you planning on submitting for Red Bull Illume? Do you already have ideas in mind?
Yes, I definitely plan to send in my entries for the contest, and I hope I will find some time to shoot something special for it as well, I have some ideas in my head for a long time.

To see more of Barteks's work check out his Instagram.

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!