Getting Awesome at the WSSF Pro Photographer Showdown

“Let’s do something awesome.”
 
That was the goal when the Pro Photographer Showdown was created nearly 20 years ago: invite talented (and awesome) action sports photographers to showcase their (awesome) portfolio of work to a ski and snowboard loving (and—you guessed it—awesome) Whistler crowd.
 
Well, the tradition is still standing strong, because that’s exactly what happened at last night’s Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown.
 

ART!

 
While the other creative competitions of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival largely celebrate local talent, the Pro Photographer Showdown typically seeks out participants on a broader scale. This year, each of the five photographers selected among the dozens of applicants was from out of town—that means that any local bias that the crowd or the judges might have was completely thrown out the window.
 
Norwegian Frode Sandbech was the first to present his show, which he described as “photos that will make you dream”. His gallery of big mountain snowboarding, urban riding, and even a little surfing certainly achieved the goal. While snow is often the star of a snowboard photographer’s portfolio, it was the skies that stood out in this show: blazing sunsets, skies littered with impossible numbers of stars, a little Aurora Borealis action and even a couple of shots of a snowboarder “walking” on the moon. Sandbech started the show off on a high note, setting the bar high for the rest of the photographers.

 
Brent Benson, based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, was up for the challenge. This veteran has earned his place in the world of action sports photography, and his show had an awesome retro slant that I haven’t seen at the Pro Photographer Showdown before. Old school ski babes, psychedelic colourful trees, and a series of shots with so much powder that you could barely make out a ski pole—Benson’s show was a good time (with sweet tunes!).
 
Up third was a photographer with unusual credentials: Austrian Christoph Oberschneider is a med school grad and somewhat of a rookie in the world of action sports photographer, with only three years under his belt. Before his show started, he said “I’m just a guy who loves to ski”, and that’s exactly the impression his black-and-white heavy show gave.

Morgan Maassen (the guy who made this awesome film) introduced something a little different to the snow-heavy event thus far: surfing and water! This Californian photographer did a great job at drawing parallels between our beloved snow sports and the surf world. The surfers in his shots looked like a mix and powerful ninjas and graceful dancers—it was refreshing to actually be able to make out the human form without layers of snow gear.
 
Up last was Florian Breitenberger, a German photographer now based in Austria. Breitenberger is another relative rookie to the field, with just four years’ experience. He wrapped up the show giving us exactly what we want: tons of skiing photos focusing on big mountain action.