From midnight photo shoots at Blackcomb to shooting his friends in the backcountry, Jordan Manley lives the photographer’s dream. He’s from North Vancouver, British Columbia, and lives in Whistler in the winter. He shoots for a range of ski magazines in North America and Europe, and finds a living doing what he always did: photographing his friends biking and skiing. Skiing Magazine contributor Sally Francklyn spoke to Manley about his shot of Max Mancini at Kicking Horse, BC, which made it into the magazine's annual “Best Shots of the Year” photo gallery (December 2008).
SKIING: Tell us about the athlete you shot.
Max Mancini is a telemark skier; this was the only time I have shot Max before.
SKIING: What were the snow conditions like? What was the light like?
Pow. The sun was going down very quickly, getting more and more golden at the same time.
SKIING: Were there any particular challenges with this shot?
Tracking the skier and keeping the imaged framed properly as everything is moving is always difficult.
SKIING: Any tips for snapping a shot like this one?
Try putting yourself in a position where the skier will whip up snow that will be caught between you and the sun, lighting the snow from behind.
SKIING: What do you like best about this image?
The golden backlit snow juxtaposed against the dramatic but shadowed walls behind the athlete.
