photo-3
Separate your subject from the background. If you’re rider is wearing a Real Tree Camo Jacket and there is a real life tree behind him, you need help! Try opening your aperture and playing with a shallow depth of field, light your subject with an off camera flash or strobe if you have one, and if all else fails change your angle completely and find better framing. There was a lot going on in the background of this photo, the gondola, lift towers, etc. I opened my aperture to f/1.4 to pull the rider into focus and everything else out of focus. Pictured: Danika Duffy; Photo: Chris Moran
So you’ve saved all summer bussing tables and bought yourself a DSLR just in time for winter. The white stuff is starting to fall from the sky and you’ve just signed a six-month lease on a two-bedroom apartment in Mammoth — or whatever mountain town you’re calling home — with three other dudes and a couple dogs.
Here are eight tips (scroll through the slideshow above to reveal captions) and a few photos I captured over the weekend at Mammoth Mountain. They may not get you shooting from a heli in Alaska anytime soon, but they will save you the many headaches I encountered when I began taking photos of snowboarding.
To see more of Chris Moran’s work, be sure to check out his website, TheGrimLab.com. And don’t forget to follow him on Tumblr and Instagram.