CR Johnson: The Passing of a Legend

August 10, 1983 - February 24, 2010

CR Johnson, one of the most influential skiers of our time, passed away this past Wednesday afternoon.

From what I've been able to piece together from friends and reports, CR was skiing at Squaw Valley on the Light Towers run, off the Headwall lift. Apparently, CR snagged a rock as he dropped in, went over the handlebars and struck a rock. Ski patrol instantly responded to the scene and tried to resuscitate him. Despite the fact that CR was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, his injuries were too severe and he passed away.

I've been trying to write about CR's death since I first learned of it Thursday. But every time I sit down to try and write something, I just end up staring at a blank screen. I'm overcome with sadness and grief as I try to choke back the tears. It's tough for me to make sense of this. Why did such an amazing person have to be taken away so early. Unfortunately, no amount of pondering this question is providing any answers though.

I first met CR back in 2007 on a shoot in Terrace, British Columbia with Matchstick Productions. I'd been following CR's career for years prior to this trip and I was honored that I would get the chance to work with him. Over the course of that trip, I got to know CR, not just as an athlete, but as a friend as well. Since that trip, I had the privilege of meeting up with CR on several other occasions to get out and ski and shoot photos.

CR was an amazing person. He was always so stoked... on everything. He had such a positive outlook on life. Back in 2005, CR suffered a traumatic head injury in a ski crash. He was induced into a coma and spent over a month in the ICU. That crash nearly ended CR's days of skiing. But his strong will and love of skiing wouldn't allow that. He made a full comeback in less than two years time. But the accident had a tremendous impact on him and the way he chose to live his life. He was so thankful for everything that he had... his friends, his family, and the blessings that this life had given him.

As I proof read this post, I realize that I am not a writer. My words don't do CR justice. The impact that he had on my life and countless others just isn't conveyed in my words. If you'd like to read more details on CR, his career and his impact on the sport, I'd recommend checking out the articles by Jeff Schmuck of Newschoolers, Chris Jerard of Freeskier and Johny Stifter of Powder. These guys have a better way with words than I do.

But I wanted to make this post to try and contribute what I could... to pass along what I'm good at... photos. In this post, I'm attaching a handful of the images I got to create with CR during the 3 years I got to work with him. He was an insanely talented skier. He contributed so much to how park and pipe skiing are perceived today. His career, although all too short, was nothing short of miraculous.

CR was an incredible individual... one I will never forget. I learned a lot from CR in the brief time that I knew him. And I think we all can learn something from CR if we take a second to look in on our own lives. What are you most thankful for? What brings you joy in your life? Answer that question and try and make it a point to enjoy those things every day. Make it a point to tell those you are close to, how much they mean to you.

I'm going to miss you buddy. You were an incredible person. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

“Live your life, love your life. Don’t regret… Live, learn, and move forward positively.” -CR Johnson

Austria

Just a quick update from the field. I haven't had a lot of time recently to post to the blog. While I've been trying to make a post at least once a week, I feel like I've been failing at that goal recently. The reason... because work's been busy.

But before it gets any later and I don't make a post for this week, let's take care of that right now. Currently, I'm sitting in Austria in the Defereggental Valley at St Jakobs on a shoot for Salomon with athletes Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstad.

We've been here two days so far. The area is absolutely beautiful. The first two days of the trip have been spent scouting terrain and exploring the area. We've got a lot to work with and now we're trying to figure out where to shoot each location and how to best pull everything

together.

I'll continue to post more as the trip progresses. But for now, enjoy a few of the shots from our scouting missions.

Fundraiser for Northwest Avalanche Center

It may be old news, but I still thought this worth mentioning in a post. Two weekends ago (January 23rd), I got to help participate in a charity fundraiser for the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC).

For anyone note familiar with NWAC, they are an organization that helps promote backcountry safety in Washington and Oregon through education of avalanches and adverse weather. I've used NWAC as a valuable tool for years in helping forecast weather for planning shoots. Additionally, I turn to their avalanche forecast every time I go skiing in the Cascades, to ensure that I know what's going on in the snowpack.

So, when the opportunity came along to help raise money for the NWAC, I jumped at it. With the help of Crystal Mountain, we put on a slideshow of my photos and followed it up with a showing of the newest Warren Miller movie, Dynasty (part of which was filmed at Crystal last year). The event was further helped by donations from Helly Hansen, Ride Snowboards, K2, Smith and a handful of other companies. A huge thanks to all of them.

All in all, the event was a huge success and we were able to raise some much needed funding for NWAC. I hope to continue working on projects like this, where I can try and give a little back to the industry that has given me so much.

Meadow Lodge Shoot with Matchstick Productions

For those of you who have been following me on twitter and facebook, you may have noticed that I dropped off the radar for most of the month of January. No, I wasn't slacking off, ditching work or starting a new career as a professional bull rider. I was deep in the backcountry of British Columbia on a shoot for Powder Magazine. The location for this shoot was Meadow and Vista Lodges, a part of the incredible backcountry hut network operated by Golden Alpine Holidays. With athletes Mark Abma and Eric Hjorleifson, and the crew from Matchstick Productions, we spent a total of 16 days deep in the backcountry of Rogers Pass.

This trip was a HUGE departure from most ski shoots that I've taken part in. Usually we rely heavily on helicoptors, snowmobiles and other exhaust belching forms of transportation to access terrain in the backcountry. However, on this trip, we were self powered. Once dropped off at the lodge, we were on our own. No electricity, no phone, no internet, no running water... you get the point. All transportation was human powered. That's right, bootpacking and skinning were our only forms of transport. It gave the entire trip an entirely different vibe and made for a different experience from every other trip I've ever been on.

I'll let you decide for yourself. I'm mid-way editing the photos from the trip right now, and once they have been released from Powder Magazine, I'll be posting a gallery of the best images from the trip. In the meantime, enjoy the above image from my iPhone... the only time I was able to use it for 3 weeks. It's a shot from the porch of the lodge. Beautiful terrain. I can't wait to go back.

Stay tuned. I'll be uploading those images ASAP. Until then... enjoy!

Traveling with Photo Equipment on Airlines

I just got an email from fellow photographer Erik Seo regarding the joys of traveling with camera gear. Reading his words, it got me to begin thinking of all the fun travel experiences I've had over the years as a professional photographer. The wonderful line ups with the good folks at TSA. I wish I could say that these encounters have been fun, but I can't even jokingly say that. The fear of not being allowed to travel to a job with your camera gear is not a joking matter and it can quickly turn a bluebird day into a cloudy, crap storm.

But there are a few things that we as photographers can do to help protect ourselves in our travels.

One useful trick to consider is to check fewer bags and bring them on board with your carry on luggage. TSA allows working photographers to bring 3 carry on bags to accommodate the massive amounts of gear we usually travel with. TSA has a link HERE that lays out the rules governing this loop-pole. It's a good idea to have a copy of this in your travel documents to show to the TSA agent that insists you're only allowed 2 bags. However, a quick note, some airlines may not allow three bags although TSA will.

Additionally, you may also encounter problems getting your batteries through security. In short, as long as the batteries are in your carry on bags, you're okay. For a quick summarization of what TSA will allow you, check HERE. Additionally, you can print out the guidelines for batteries by the TSA HERE.

Regardless of where you're going, it's a good idea to know what you're allowed to bring with you on airlines... and even better idea to have proof that you're allowed to. Chances are, most TSA agents do not know the ins and outs of traveling with camera gear. If you have any problems, show them these documents and ask to speak to a manager. Eventually, they will let you through with your gear... you may have to jump through a few hurdles along the way though.

Happy traveling!

Photo Feature in French Magazine: SkiPass.com

I just got the link to the article a few hours ago and wanted to post it before I forget about it in all the madness of the holiday season. What am I talking about? I just got featured in the French online magazine, SkiPass.com

This is the second time that SkiPass has done a photo feature on my work, and I'm stoked that they continue to love my photos. The article that follows is a gallery of images from the past two winters with a brief insight into what went in to creating each image. Little stories, funny quirks or techniques that were employed in order to get the shot.

Click on HERE to check out the full article. But a warning... it is in Frech. So, if you're like me and weren't blessed with the ability to speak numerous languages, click HERE to cheat and read the google translated version.

Enjoy!

Strobox iPhone Ap

I just heard about this from Strobist last night. (No, there's no connection to Strobist... just a coincidence.) The ap allows you to create lighting diagrams by placing various light sources in the field. A cute little drop down menu allows you to place models, soft boxes, umbrellas, strobes, etc... And when your diagram is complete, you have the ability to save or email your diagram.

Definitely a tech dork ap... but who am I kidding, I'm a bit of a dork, so I thought this was pretty cool. Beats drawing lighting diagrams on wadded up napkins or the back of my hand.

But to offer a critique of the ap, it could stand a few additional upgrades.

1.) The ability to scale the field of the diagram would be really nice. As it stands, the field is set at a certain size and does not allow the user to zoom out for larger scale scenarios.

2.) The field is set in a 2 dimensional view, and doesn't allow you to adjust the height and angle of light sources. A 3D option would be a nice addition.

3.) The ap does not allow you to make notes on a diagram, preventing you from inserting crucial data like light settings and exposure.

4.) The ap is set up for studio shooters, not location photographers. There is no sun on the drop down menu of lighting sources. If the user could edit the light sources themselves, it might make for an easy fix.

That's all I've got. I suggest checking it out... it's free! Here's a direct link to the ap store.