Last night’s pro photographer showdown was yet another entertaining event at WSSF. I talked about 3P0 being the hidden gem of the festival. Well the pro photographer is the crown jewel, capturing the essence of surf, skate and snow culture and speaking to the audience in a very soulful way. After all, a picture is worth 1,000 words.
This year’s professional photographers were experts at shooting cold-water surfing, warm-water surfing, strobe photography, mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding. Ultimately, it was warm water surfing that stole the show, winning both the Audience Choice and the judged Best in Show.
First up was the dark horse, Whistlerite Mason “Mahone” Mashon. At the ripe age of 24, this jack of all trades who works for Voleurz, has already found his place in this competitive world. His slide show was the most diverse, with shots from mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding and surfing. One of the shots that stands out the most was a silhouette of a skier grabbing air against a blood red sunset.
Next up was Jeremy Koreski, born and raised in Tofino, BC (one of my absolute favourite places in the world). He pretty much has nerves of steel, preferring the challenge of shooting in cold weather. His images ranged from the 0 degree C water temperatures of snowy Nova Scotia to the slightly warmer waters of Mexico and Morocco. Jeremy also had some beautiful wildlife photography, including eagles, bears and Orca whales.
Erik Seo is one of my new favourite photographers. He specializes in strobe flash photography using colour and light to illuminate his skiers; producing bright, bold imagery. I love that he never takes things too seriously and captures hilarious moments like athletes jibbing basketball nets and riding a one-dog sled. His show was high energy from beginning to end.
Warm water surf photographer and veteran, Brian Bielmann, absolutely wowed the crowd. He showed a cross-section of his skills, from shooting surfers in the barrel to the eye of a sea turtle to a wave at its crest to his son with a blue Mohawk.
“You guys are all just surfers,” he told the crowd in amazement. He said Whistler embodies the lifestyle he lives in Hawaii and the culture is similar. Despite his high profile in the surfing world, Brian seems to be a very humble down to earth person. Brian told the audience about how he and his photographer friends used to have slideshow parties on the North Shore in the 70s and 80s and how this event is those slideshows on steroids.
Ski photographer Grant Gunderson, photo editor of The Ski Journal also had a very strong show. He uses unique perspectives and great portraits to bring skiing to life.
Canadian photographer Yves Garneau was unfortunately stranded in Europe due to the Icelandic volcano, but recorded a speech for us. Currently based in Switzerland, Yves takes amazing big mountain shots.
As you read above, Brian Bielmann won both awards. When he accepted his award, he brought his kids up on stage and you just felt like you were part of their family. I hope we can welcome them to our family of Whistler again soon.
After the show we checked out State of the Art, which is always an amazing hit. Here is one of my favourites by Arleigh Wood:
And finally, you may recall that I traded 2 VIP tickets to the Pro Photographer Showdown in exchange for “Island Magic from the Seychelles” as part of the Black Market Photo Trade. Mr. Dean Nelson finally delivered it last night. Here’s a photo of my beautiful shell ring and other assorted goodies:
