Do you love it?

I had a day out in the mountains last week with a friend, snowmobile accessed snowboarding. This is where we will double up on a snowmobile to get up a line, snowboard down, and then use the other snowmobile to get the first sled back, and repeat to ride line after line. It was both our first days out on the snowmobiles for the year. It was storming super hard, the visibility wasn’t great, but the snow was deep, and we did lap after lap through the trees, riding some of the deepest and lightest snow I’ve ridden in a few years.

The one thing that made this really unique, was I didn’t shoot a single photo. I was there to snowboard for myself. I do spend plenty of time at the resort strapped in, but if I’m out in the backcountry, I’m almost always shooting, whether for specific brands, or capturing imagery for editorial. I can’t even remember the last time I went out without a camera, purely just to ride.

I have a friend who would always say, usually in a joking manner “Do you love it?” This would usually be at a time when it was super windy and your face is getting pummelled by snow, or you just got your snowmobile stuck and you need to dig it out. But the reminder was there that despite these difficulties, what we are doing is still fun, and we want to be there.

A regular question people have asked me is if I wish I was riding what I got to shoot, and the honest answer is no. The thing is I don’t even really think about it, I love shooting photos. I love watching through the viewfinder and being able to capture a moment in time in a unique and interesting way. Carrying a heavy camera pack, going around the good snow to get a photo of someone else, or shivering in the shade to get the right angle is just part of the game, and the reward is being able to walk away with an image.

I get the same, if not more excitement to photograph someone nailing the perfect turn, or stomping the perfect air as I would if I were to try and do it myself.

With a lot of my work focused around snowboarding, and being in the mountains, the saying “Do you love it?” has stuck in my mind, and has become a thing I find myself regularly saying. It’s a good reminder to embrace the less than ideal parts and try to enjoy them, and when it’s good, those moments are quickly forgotten. I remember the glorious moments, when everything seems to come together, and you can showcase a timeless moment.

This is a collection of work I’ve made for various brands, and editorial outlets over the past few seasons.