how to take great skiing and snowboarding pictures

Plenty of season workers get the opportunity during a winter to get out in fantastic conditions for photography. But how do you deal with the difficulties of taking photos on the mountain.

-- What about the cold conditions?
For the first question take a look at our article 'Photography in cold weather'.

-- How do I get sharp focus?

This is all about 'timing...timing...and timing'. The starting point is to know where to position yourself so that you'll be in the right location when your model-like pal flashes by or over you.

What's needed here is communication. Not necessarily walkie-talkies, but make sure you agree exactly where you will set up and where they will pass you, and – most important – agree on a signal from you to indicate when they should start. This last point is important: If you don't agree on some sort of signal, you can be sure they will fly past you before you're ready.

Also try to ensure your model knows how long it will take for you to set up: You have to ski down to the agreed-upon location, set your poles, take off your gloves, get out the camera, get it ready, and set yourself and the camera for the shot. Only then are you ready! Our suggestion: Tell them not to budge until you give the signal – for example, until you wave your arms over your head. Don't rely on a verbal signal, like shouting "Ready!" The skier probably won't hear you.

Also be wary of point-and-shoot cameras - these rarely autofocus instantaneously. Instead, they delay for a moment after you press the shutter-release before actually taking the picture. If your camera has this sort of delay, watch out! You may press the button at the "critical moment" and the camera may record just an empty patch of snow by the time it responds. Know your camera!

-- How can I capture a well-exposed image?

This is the real key to good skiing pictures. All too often you're shooting in extremely bright conditions. The snow is very bright. So is the sky. And your built-in meter interprets all this brightness to mean that you don't need much exposure. Result? Most pictures taken on the slopes are underexposed. Sure, the snow looks great. And so does the sky. But the skier who's your subject is all-too-often a dark silhouette!

So, try taking a closeup reading of the skier's face, and set your exposure accordingly. Use that exposure setting when you later take the shot. Another option is to use fill flash. This is especially useful when you are trying to freeze a rider who is coming toward you. The light of the flash compensates for the brightness of the snow and sky behind the skier. On the other hand, realize the limitation of your flash unit. It probably has a range of ten to fifteen feet. Don't expect it to light up the mountain. As bright as your background is, the fill flash will help light your subject. Use it every time.