ONBOARD Italian Snowboard Magazine Cover

ONBOARD is one of the biggest snowboard magazines in the world.
Italian division picked a photo of JP Walker from last season for the cover of magazine.
This photo was shot in Pemberton, BC. I probably posted a story of the day of shooting photo with him.
JP rides for Stepchild Snowboards, Oakley and 32. He is one of the professional snowboards who has been riding for a long time and gets stronger and more creative.
He has been a cover of snowboard magazines in the world but I had missed a chance to get him on a cover of magazine by my own photo. I am super stoked that we finally made it happened.
By the way, it looks like NoBoard :)

Transworld Snowboarding Japan Cover

Long time no cover of magazine!
I didn't pick the photo but the magazine liked it.
Keiji as the film maker and Tadashi wanted to capture Tadashi and Koni's freeriding but I wasn't able to find any good angle to frame it. The sky was milky and the snow condition wasn't super great so I wasn't expecting much and standing up their direction and shot the whole sequence of powder riding photos.
I didn't plan anything to make it great but I guess that the moment of enjoyment stood up well because of no calculation or planning.
I hope you like it too.

It will be sold in Feb in Japan by the way.

NoBoard Race GT Memorial Video

I missed the race again!

Check out the soul of snow-surfing!

Picture 38606 « NoBoard Race GT Memorial Video

Grand Slam

Samurai =
n., pl., samurai, or -rais.

1. The Japanese feudal military aristocracy.
2. A professional warrior belonging to this class.

There is a Japanese snowboard crew called 7 Samurai in Japan.
They are all based in Hokkaido (the Northern Island) and grew up together with snowboarding.
Three of them have competed as an Olympian of 1/2 pipe in Salt Lake City and Trino.

Kazu Kokubo is the most known snowboarder world-widely and no doubt that he's been two Olympics already and got entitled for the Vancouver Winter Olympic as well.
Takaharu Nakai is also a very known freestyle rider. He quit competing after Trino and has been filming with a north American film company.
Fumio as known as Smokey as Fumiyuki Murakami also competed in Trino. He dropped out from the Japanese National team once and out for one full year but came back for competing again in the fall before Trino and won all of important games for 3 months and got entitled to compete in Trino.

Fumi has an older brother who is also a member of 7 Samurai. He has been competing in the national team as well and have been in Olympics. He was one of youngest riders when he started competing and now he became one of the old timers in the national team. He's got married while he is in the national team and was one of 4 Olympians in 7 Samurai.

I was reading a Japanese news on web last night and found out that Fumi's brother Daiki as Daisuke Murakami (K2) won the last game and got finally entitled to compete in Vancouver Olympics! He didn't go Trino but his younger brother did. I emailed his dad and congratulated them. Dad said "there is a grand slam at the very last game. Unbelievable!".
I am pretty sure that Daiki cheered up and encouraged so many people. He did it. There are so many new kids competing now and getting harder for Daiki to get the title but he did it!!!

4 Olympians from one little snowboard crew from Hokkaido, that's amazing. There are a true Samurai.
What more amazing is the dad whose both sons became an Olympian.

This pic of Daiki was shot in Hokkaido 2007.
On the same trip 7 Samurai and I went to Tokachi-dake in Hokkaido and having a photo session.
Kazu Kokubo is coming to Vancouver soon. His 3rd Olympic game. Can't miss it.

Cold Frame

The guy who opened my photography career Yoshiro Higai produced his second photography book.
I haven't got one yet but can not wait to check it out.
His spirit of photography always inspires me.

Only sold in Japan.

An Email from Dave B

I got an email from Dave B who I saw on the peak on the day 2 of sledding. Keiji is in the black outerwear and I am the guy who looks like just came out from jail. We were at the edge of long and huge cornice on the top of mountain.

Thanks Dave. No one really takes my photo. Now I can prove that I was there!

Day 2

This is the peak of secret mountain. We saw locals skiing and snowboarding down the face all day and were able to join them. Only huge faces like this wall have been protected by sled tracks.
Behind the peak I saw.....
Dave and Vanessa. Dave the owner of Cheetah Factory Racing, one of my sponsors. They were snowboarding down the huge face too.
This is Vanessa spraying.
This is Tomo who comes to Whistler every winter season and got fully addicted. He got his own sled and started coming out backcounty with us quite often, but he has never snowboarded down the huge wall like this. He was pretty hyped yesterday.
This is the peak view with Keiji. Again, I miss this thin and cold air so much.

F-Stop My Dream Camera Pack

I went sledding for shooting photos yesterday. I carried much stuff as I carried before. It was my first day of sledding in this season. I was on a powerful machine all day. When I was packing up equipment and other mountaineering stuff in my new camera bag F-Stop Tilopa, I was a bit worried for the weight because first of all I didn't know what to bring and second of all the bag sucked everything in.
The result is, it was pretty heavy if I carry by one hand though, when I put the Tilopa on my back, I hardly ever felt uncomfortableness. The bag was well designed to fit on back.

Check this out! Tadashi and I came to the peak. He was checking out the line on the other side. I put my camera bag on snow and pulled out my camera without worry for getting my back part wet as other camera bags do, plus without worry of getting snow inside. I explained a million of times to major bag companies to collaborate but they didn't trust me how important it was.
Oh, this is what Tadashi was checking out.
Inside of my Tilopa. I had two DSLR cameras and 4 lenses. One light meter and a pack for 8 compact flash memory cards. I got a GPS and a small Leica digi. I have a lunch set and a pack of inner down jacket. One water bottle is also inside. I have another water bottle outside plus a shovel, a prove and a mono pod. Am I missing anything?
One little nice shot of Tadashi hitting a front side wall.

I would like to thank to my sponsor F-Stop and Ian Millar again. This camera bag is just as my dream. I started getting apart of my Tamrac camera bag in 1992. Since I saw Higai as the legend snowboard photographer in Japan modified his camera bag as relocating straps on the other side, I had had to copy what he made. It was the most influencial idea.
Whatever since, I stitched, sew and modified bags and bags but never be able to make a perfect camera bag. Actually a Japanese camera bag company called Mt.Dax used my idea (originally Higai's) by collaborating with a snowboard shop but their measurement was too big or too small. They should have listened to me more but they disconnected me right after they produced. Then the other company called SAGLiFE adopted my design but it turned out something else.
Since Higai showed me his bag then I got into so much, it's been nearly 20 years and finally a new out door photography camera bag company created the best backpack ever!

Xmas! My first day of sledding

09-10 winter season has already started but I had been stuck in the city. Finally came up to Whistler for Xmas and got a chance to go out for photo shoot with friends.
We went to Hurley River. Because today was Xmas, we didn't see anyone on a mountain.
I miss this so much.

At the parking lot in the morning.
Since I moved down to the city, I spent so much time for preparing shits around me. I supposed to leave Whistler 7:30. I woke up at 5:30 and left the place I was staying at 7 but they still passed me at the gas station. The most time spending part was defreezing the key cylinder of Zizo's truck. The truck doesn't have a remote key entry and has been moistened up during summer time. Took me about 30 minutes to defreeze the frosty cylinder by WB40 outside house.
My new sled. It's not a new sled but the condition is much better than my previous XP146. This is my second short truck. This sled is made for race but has been modified for a bigger fuel tank and deeper truck paddles. The motor is 600cc RS. I have to mix oil. She will be powerless 7000ft or higher. Let's see how she goes...
It wasn't a super sunny day but bright enough. Snow condition wasn't bad but definitely affected by wind. The harmony of light and shadow.
Dave the Chicken got a new sled. I haven't seen him ripping except skating. Looks fun isn't it? Surely sledding is so much fun!My crew for the Xmas day. This peak was about 2000m/6500ft. My sled lost power higher than this point.

IS Eyewear Catalog Photo Shoot Part 2 & 3

The samples finally came in the last minute. I had to do the other job during a day but also had to finish this project a.s.a.p. as well.
On Monday I had to committed myself to finish all of shooting goggles. No matter how late I had to stay on. I started shooting the freshy goggles from Italy at 6pm at IS office and Karl the marketing manager helped me out switching and cleaning products. Karl claimed 90 pairs to shoot at the beginning and we finished 10 of them at 9pm. We nearly spent two hours setting the light. We finished at 2am. I crashed on the sofa at Karl's house. His Christmas tree made me sleep peacefully.
The day 2 I still had to go to the other job at 7:30am and finished at 5pm. Then drove straight at IS office again and expected to start shooting sunglasses but, there were other goggles waiting for me which came in with sunglasses. I was dreaming to go home last night but couldn't make it again. Everybody was just busy for Xmas (of course) but I had to finish this to relief stress and pain from concentration. I finished all of sunglasses at 10:30pm. It wasn't too too bad but I missed a ferry again. I called up a friend Kenta and crashed on his sofa with watching Rob Machado as The Drifter. Man, I miss surf a lot.

This is inside of my special dome. The black dot is my camera lens. I look through from the hole and take pictures.
This is the other side. The catalog in my hand is from last year. Even though the shape of goggle-frames were different from previous years, I wanted to find the best angle and match as last year's pictures as much as possible.
These are weight for my special dome. Without these pinches, the dome doesn't balance well.
My desk top tonight. I just downloaded them. I am not going to touch them until I feel free.
This is from day 2 as yesterday. Gush I don't want to see them again.

Columbia Outerwear

Koni from Japan has been riding for Columbia for 1 year by now and my photos of Koni have been used for their ad promotion very frequently.
The Japanese marketing manager Daigo understands and respects what we are doing. He is a very thankful guy.
This photo became my favorite.
The framing is not bad, eh!? It wasn't accident. I meant to shoot like this. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Zizo's Toyota

Zizo is a very famous Japanese snowboard photographer in the world on many different ways. His tales and funny stories were usually heard from people who I never met before. Of course I have tons of funny stories regarding him too. One of his hilarious stories is his sled got sunk in the glacier lake as I posted on this blog. Quite often, topics of Zizo make a new relationship close instantly. That's how much funny he is. He is very special and unique.

This famous character left his truck at my mechanic's house since last March. He didn't have a chance to come back to Canada again but he wanted to keep the truck. I asked him if I could take care of her in November and he said yes. I got a temporary permit by tossing the document by fax and was able to drive down to where I lived. By the way the truck was soaking wet. Not the outside but inside. My jeans got soaked to underwear. Inside truck was also a pile of his stuff. Anyway I still needed an actual signed transfer form from him to insure his truck so I mailed it to him 5 weeks ago but never got it back from him until today. If I do the same stuff with someone else, it should have done within two weeks easily. I waited for two weeks to call him and find out if he received the transfer form. He said he got it and would send it back to me soon but I didn't expect too much. A week later I called him again and asked him what's up. He said he really sent it out though, he added that he didn't send out but his mom did. After the whole month and checked post box everyday, I gave up and was pretty sure that mom sent it by surface. The form showed up 3 weeks after he said he sent out. The post office in Japan issued it two weeks ago. I kinda knew that he didn't send it out but I also had a feeling that he might not want me to take care of his truck. So I called him and skyped him and even left a message to confirm the consent but ever since I got the signed form from him, he's disappeared. Pretty sure he will get back to me soon again with other funny stories but he does this. Never ends.

This is his Tacoma, 240,000km on it. Stick. Runs OK. Definitely needs serviced up.
I cut the piece hanging out from the box which is a sled deck and installed ratchets so the tale gate can be shut down.
I miss my Tundra.

IS Eyewear Annual Catalog Photo Shoot

The annual catalog photo shoot of IS Eyewear started. Every year our art director, designer and I are hoping to finish this project before December but never happened so far. It's been over 8 years. Ho! Ho! Ho! The designer already took off to Spain this year. The art director and I kinda committed ourselves not spending so much time on this around Xmas and new years, so I am rush to finish this up. In fact, products are delayed again.
Hopefully the samples of goggles are coming in tomorrow.

I have been using this grid for long time. Without using this light, I have not been able to express true colors.
Today we only shot soft goods.
The marketing manager Karl helped me setting today.
Karl said "check this out! I got an office-boy jacket!". He is a director of snowboard office boys association. The jacket is made by 686.

Beautiful Vancouver

I have been waking up at 5:30am and taking a bus in front of my house then taking a ferry to Horseshoe Bay every morning since I moved down from Whistler.
If I am lucky, I find someone to car-pool straight to Vancouver downtown. Last week, I got a lift every morning by different drivers. At the time we were crossing the Lions Gate bridge, sun was always about to come up and burnt the sky pink. It was such a beautiful view (sorry for the drivers). The view from car was just as tremendous and gorgeous.
Anyway, I had a different routine in this morning. I was driving my own car today. I tried to find someone to come with me but everybody seemed to find a partner to share the beautiful morning driving.
I was a bit too early for the unusual situation (I had to take a class for one full week) and only thinking to go to cafe straight and kill my time there until I saw the pink from highway again.
I got off one of exits and turned around and drove up to Cypress Mountain to shoot the photo. It was -5 up there. My trunk was a full of camera equipment (later the day I had to drop them off at a studio) but I didn't prepare any gloves. Even though while pulling out the camera and lens, my hands and whole body got frozen. It was too clear in this morning so nothing to burn for sun but I thought it was beautiful enough to click the scenery.

What a tragedy!

Check this footage out!
This is Zizo and it shows how his sled got sunk in Grizzly Lake and got rescued by his French crew.



In next year, 2009, friends borrowed his sled for one day and after they rode for 1 hour the sled caught on fire on alpine and dead. This is exactly the sled on the footage.

Whose fault?

What a tragedy to Zizo!

My Sponsor F-Stop Updated My Bio

My camera bag sponsor updated my bio in their website. Please visit and check it out.
http://fstopgear.com/

F-Stop is a true outdoor photography camera bag. Photographers who love outdoor action sports started the company and it has been getting known and popular every year. The quality, function and idea are unbeatable.

I have applied to or talked to one of the biggest camera bag companies like Low3*ro or D@Kine to share my idea for true outdoor camera bags but I've got denied my offer for a few of times. I wasn't smart enough though, they don't see what we really need in the field and they don't see that outdoor action sports photographers need the best camera bag.

I should have collaborated to F-Stop since the beginning. Just big companies don't believe that we were not even satisfied their heavy and uncomfortable products. Thus we have actually modified own bags to fit our needs as much as possible. I am sure that their products are very strong as an armor but we don't need those. We need something like a jacket which fits on our body and take off and on easily.

Anyway, just as an option that you have next time to buy a camera bag, check out our products. Won't let you down.

This picture was shot in front of Salmon Glacier in Stewart, BC in 2008. Me, Tadashi Fuse, Aki Hiraoka, Shota Suzuki and Taro as a Heart Films filmmaker. One of memorable trips with Heart Films.

Presented by IS Eyewear

This is a next ad campaign of IS Eyewear. It's a same setting as I shot of the previous ad. The models are Canadian snowboard hero Devun Walsh and Kale Stephens.

The Strange Bros ad is a tribute to our beer drinking, doughnut eating and goggle wearing heritage.. If you've never seen Strange Brew get your shit together...

Yeah, we are Canadian!

Kasa-Tre

No matter what, I still believe that I've learned so much stuff about studio photography in Japan. Those professional commercial photographers are insane over there. They lead the technical lighting skills and stuff.

If you pay, you can buy expensive lights and boxes at camera shop anywhere in the world but none of products meet the finest quality.
Believe or not, as what commercial photographers in Japan are using as their equipment for lighting objects, they don't use light boxes or domes. They use trace papers, milky white panels and bounce boards to shoot a product. Those materials diffuse lights and control lights much more sensitively than just using a box, then these lights provide suitable and best lights on each products....
but really, who cares, right!?

As being an apprentice of photographers at a rental photography studio as a light man, I learned so much. I worked at a studio in Tokyo for two years. Even though it was right after Japanese economy crisis attacked in the early 90's, my studio was still busy. Every day we had constantly 5 to 10 photographers and we assisted setting up lights for them. Our studio had 5 different unique spaces and photographers picked one of 5 studios for their needs.

Anyway, I learned this technique of Kasa-Tre at the studio. Kasa means umbrella. Tre is a shorten word of trace-paper. Box, box with diffuser inside, umbrella, reflector or any equipment used with strobe lights provide different personality. Unfortunately they seem all look same but once you get more picky and professional about lights, you will not get satisfied by any of the elements.
This Kasa-Tre simply isn't strong light as umbrella nor box. The light is soft and mild and really suited for shooting models.
We used to make the diffuse part by paper at each time we used but I always had a feeling of wasting. After I left Tokyo, some supplier started making the diffuser and selling at professional equipment shops. They are about $40. When I went to Japan, I saw them at a shop and it made to make my own one.

I spent all day today in the kitchen with a light, stand, umbrella and sewing machine. It's been almost 20 years since I met the lighting tech though, I finally made two of them for my self today!

Soft and mild...

You are not going to be back with light box anymore once you use this light for woman.

I thought that it would be 2 hours job but I spent 5 hours to create these. I gotta do something else over this weekend but I guess I have to postpone for those again. Shoooot.

I am happy with this result and Gubacho is happy as well.

Whistler Presents Deep Photo Contest

I was nominated for one of 6 photographers to compete at the 1st Deep Photo Challenge Winter in Whistler in 2007. We were regulated to shoot photos of our own snowboarders or skiers for 3 certain days in the resort, in the operation hours and has to be inside of boundaries.
I followed the rules and had the best 3 days with my Japanese pro snowboarders. The weather on the 3 days were cloudy, snowy and no contrast which wasn't great but did our best.
On the 4th day when the actual contest was happening, it was blue from the morning and more snow on a mountain from last previous shooting days. I spent the whole day in a backcountry until the evening on the day of contest and I was excited all day along.
In that night at the contest hall, the sponsors were finishing up the color balance on the monitor and adjusting the sound of music. I met the sponsor and the director and whoever involved in this project. Everybody asked me how I did so I gave back a kind of ordinal feedback as the weather condition was challenging but I did my best. Everybody asked me back again if I didn't shoot photos on the sunny day. So I replied them that I wasn't allowed.
Then the key person showed up and told me "I am sorry Dice. I wasn't able to contact you but we announced other photographers and allowed them to shoot photos today too". I was shocked. Shocked enough to leave there almost. I felt totally unfair what she just told me. I instantly knew that everybody had blue sky photos.
The result was clear enough. I didn't win the contest. Only my photos were white out and no contrast compared with others. Maybe even though without the condition my photos weren't great.
Is this some kind of politics or what? One careless person made one of my rare life experiences miserable. She probably doesn't even remember about this too but I will never forget. What a heck, eh! Life is pretty precious and sensible, isn't it!?

One of my best shots of Takaharu and Fumi. They were attacking the wall and spraying as much as possible. I didn't want to shoot boring photos so I used a slow shutter and made the picture alive.

This is same location. I follow-camed Tadashi. I liked this photo and showed at the contest as well but none of judges probably would not even bother giving me a score.

We had probably 5 minutes soccer hole in the 3 days (except the non-announced 4th day). Tadashi down-hilled a cliff in front of galleries.
By the way, this shot is still in boundary. Not everybody but most of other photographers were presenting photos shot outside of boundaries and showed at the contest. It was pretty obvious but again none of judges or sponsors didn't even care the regulation. It made me surprised by their haughtiness and carelessness.

Panoramanic Shot from Snow Camp in 2006

I have been requested for a panoramic shot of Whistler resort by a Japanese snowboard magazine but only I can think of this picture. I lived in Whistler for 7 years and I don't have a single shot of a perfect Whistler landscape photo which made me pretty disappointed.
This pic was shot on April 23rd in 2006. Aki Hiraoka in yellow, Keiji Tajima as a film maker in red, Tadashi Fuse in acoustic red and myself pointing this camera, stayed over night. We were hoping Zizo=Kazu to show up but he could not make this party.
We supposed to meet up at Tadashi's house at 5pm but they were 2 hours late by filming. I was almost giving up and calling the plan but we still wanted to go up so we fired up grocery shopping and getting much booze and peaced out from Whistler. When we were ready to start up sled, it was already dark. I think it was already passed 8pm. Only Tadashi knew the way to get there but it was very dark and we lost the direction a couple of times, plus Aki's head light on his sled wasn't working so it was absolutely challenge.
At 10pm we got on the location where we were standing up in a picture. Other side was cliff where we didn't know until next morning. It was cold night but the air was dry and crystal clear. We rush to make own tent then once we set it up, we made fire and had a case of booze in front of Whistler's over night view.

WE LOVE SNOWBOARD by XEBIO and Victoria

I still don't know what this is for. It looks like an ad of biggest Sports Shops in a snowboard magazine. My respect design crew in Japan hooked me up this opportunity and used my photo for the image.

This tree photo was shot in December 31st, 2004. The location Callaghan Lake was used to be my favorite paradise and studio but the whole mountain got shot down two years ago due to f*$%ing Olympics.

At the time we photographers were still using films and digital but it wasn't too far from the digital revolution. Many photographers started using digital because Canon produced EOS-1D series around that time. Designers, editors and even printing companies were not ready to handle data yet.

I talked to Tadashi as a pro snowboarder who lives in Whistler today. He said Whistler might open in this week. That's wonderful. The season already started.

Another Photo Usage in Transworld Snowboarding Japan

One of my favorite riders and also one of my favorite shots from last season was used in Transworld snowboarding Japan for 1 of 4 pages of FOCUS.
It's been already over 10 years to work with Tadashi Fuse and this coming season will be our 10th anniversary since we came over to Canada and started spending most of winter season over here.
We have been a lot.
I have probably involved in Tadashi's interview over 10 times excluding small articles.
He is getting more powerful and artistic every year which has been motivating myself again and again. This guy is very creative and non-stop.

A Letter from Transworld Snowboarding Japan

Transworld Snowboarding Japan announced me that they picked some of my photos and used in the editorial page. They mentioned that the photos would be touched with graphic and collaged with designs. They did pretty good job. To be a photographer, it's sad 'cause my photo doesn't contain any message but if I were a reader, I would probably buy this issue.

Ruiki Masuda as a next generation rookie who rides for Volcom and LibTech. Shot in West coast Canada.

Pretty serious, isn't it?

This is Koni as Takafumi Konishi who is also from Japan and rides for ROME and Columbia.

Do you want these figures? They are not for sale but if you want to check out the art works, go to a book store on November 6th and buy the copy of Transworld Snowboarding.

snowboarder VOL22

A photo of Tadashi from 08-09 season has been published in COLD FRONT in Snowboarder magazine in US.
Snowboarder was my first snowboard magazine sponsor ever. It had been 5 years since I left the magazine and any of my pics had not been used but now I am back as a freelance photographer and started submitting my photos again. Thanks for the opportunity again Huggy and Pat.

My words on the page have been cleaned up and corrected nicely. Here is what "I wrote":

"Tadashi is well known for spending most of his time in the backcountry. He says that he wants to ride the whole mountain as if he's riding a skatepark. He hikes around peaks all over Japan and uses his sled to reach even bigger and deeper mountains in Canada. He hikes a lot more than he used to, so every single run becomes more meaningful to him, and it seems that makes him want to ride the whole mountain as if he's drawing on a big, open canvas. On this particular day, I told him to pass by me after he line, but he didn't straight-line it past me. I guess pointing it wasn't fun enough for him. It took him longer to go by me, but he had much more fun in doing so."

Seriously he is the strongest and fastest hiker in the industry. I have never seem any of other snowboarders or mountaineers hike faster than him. Closest person could be Devun Walsh who is also known as the strongest hiker in Canada but I have seen that Tadashi goes more powerful than Devun. These guys were born for hiking in deep powder snow.

Lib Technologies Ad

Ruiki Masuda a 16 year old Japanese boy got his first photo in the Lib Tech's ad in Japan. He skipped (maybe quit ) school and came to Whistler for filming with Red Eyes' Films.
His name almost sound "rookie" so English speaking friends call him as Rookie.
He bought one of crappiest sleds here and followed us everywhere. Even though some places even experienced riders might show hesitation but he was everywhere with us. He seems no fear of heights, speed and snow at all.
Hopefully he will come back here again and shoot photos with me.

I have been reviewing my photos over and over again

I have been reviewing my photos from last season over and over again lately. Especially around this time of year, editors from Japanese snowboard magazines start getting ready for the new season and getting busier. So I get asked to send sample photos over to them.
They used to ask me photos for next day. I got pretty stressed out by having a limited time to organize and sort photos to the deadline. One day I really got mad. I told everybody not to ask me as a vending machine. Now they ask me photos at least two weeks in advance. My job has became much easier and smoother since.
but... they never pay my expense to shoot photos and even worse they don't pay us much. I am still happy that they run my photos and my friends get famous but nothing else. It's a tough job. Invest so much time and money and still have to find a job to pay my bills. I don't recommend any young photographers to get in this industry.
Anyways people who live outside Japan probably will not have a chance to see my photos of Japanese dawggies. I picked up some of photos I have been seeing through and had a feeling that these photos might not be even run.
So check them out.

His name is Smokey. He's been riding Forum and even went to Olympics but never exposed outside Japan. He has a sled and usually come to Canada and shoot photos with me. This is one scene from no where. He came down from hitting jump and stopped right in between sun and me. Snow was sparkling by snow dust he made and it was absolutely beautiful.

This is the kind of weather let our motivation down. Sun is in and out frequently and usually when we are ready to shoot photos, sun start hiding for a while. I was waiting that sun would show up. Riders were at the starting point and chatting cheerfully. I was only the one fighting straight against the crappy weather... but hey look, it looks amazing. I can not complain being out there.

His name is Takumi Suzuki who has been riding for Burton Japan over 10 years. Probably none of non-Japanese people have never heard his name. He is shy and doesn't speak much so he is usually not recognized.
This is one of my best photos from season, don't know why no one is running this shot though.

This is pretty famous location back in the day. It's been over used for sunset filming and not many riders use this jump anymore. Plus, last season snow wasn't good. We hardly see people out there. We explored and looked for decent snow condition but could not find much. So I took a chance and showed this slope to Japanese boys. Of course they loved it. Taka Nakai who is another Japanese Olympian made an incredible picture with me.

His line probably hard to see on here but he carved and drew a huge line from the top of hill and hit the hump at the bottom. Not many riders image as a big picture but Tadashi Fuse does. I have other pictures that he perfectly drew a line and made a beautiful picture.

Thanks for viewing photos today.

Camp of Champions 2010 Promo Poster

Here is the completed Camp of Champions 2010 Promo Poster.

A number of back ground photos: 166 photos
A number of riders: 244 photos
A number of most layers on one file: 28 layers
A size of the final photo: 399.8 MB, 14605 x 4783pix
A time length of stitching together: unknown; too long
A number of my computer crashed: more than 200 times
A number of saving files: more than 300 times

I don't want to see this anymore. In fact I have a skier version to go. F*ck!

Camp of Champions Poster still in process

I have been spending all of my efforts and hours into this poster project last 4 weeks. We only had only one wet weekend in September but other than that weekends have been beautifully sunny and make me wish to go outside. It is a true Indian summer, isn't it!?
Anyway I am in a half way through. Actually this is only a snowboard version so I still have to work on a ski version right after this. I got asked to make a conversion one at first but I can not even think about it. I should be finish this snowboard version in this week...... hopefully.
My CB has been in a garage waiting a new master cylinder too. I need my bike back, I need my free weekend....... I have to finish this up.

'72 SHOEI Helmet

Recently I found these two helmets on eBay. One was delivered but the other one got sent back by Canada Customs.

This is a brand new from 1972 "Fancy Stripe" motorcycle helmet. This was made in Japan by SHOEI and is in mint shape! I had to buy it for my daily use. So glad that I won this product and got it today.

and this is another one from a different seller. The seller refund me money via Paypal without notice and said "I have already refunded your money. I dont know why Canada would not accept the helmet. The Sticker says Not admitted to Canada. Im sorry". What a F, eh! This is also brand new. It could have been my main helmet.

Capita Snowboard Catalog

Capita Snowboards used my photo of Ryo Ishizaka in the catalog. The art is a touch of Ephka as a graphic designer who is based in Vancouver and the other graphic designer in Japan called Hase King at Influenza 55 collaged my photo in there. Looks pretty artie.

Capita Snowboards and I have collaborated to produce my signature board in 2004 and 5. I wished that the project would continue longer but ended after 2 years.
Blue the founder of Capita was used to be a pro snowboarder, still rides amazing, and we had photo session together too. And the Japanese Team manager JT was one of my riders to shoot photos with too. Hopefully they will send their riders to me again in Whistler for the coming season.

This is the original photo by the way.

Weekend at DEVUN's

On July 23rd I had a photo shoot with Devun Walsh, Chris Dufficy, Tadashi Fuse and Kale Stephens for the ad in the temporary studio at IS Eyewear office in Vancouver.
Looks pretty good, doesn't it?

This first ad will be placed in Snowboarder magazine in November issue. I don't know when the second and third ad will be published yet.

This is the original cover of the movie. Do you recognize this jacket? Honestly I haven't seen the movie yet. I gotta see it. Produced in 1989.

Camp of Champions Poster

I started making the annual COC panoramic poster at the beginning of September. So far I stitched 186 photos for the back ground base.
I only have limited time to work on this project (usually during the summer camp, I finish the most part) in this season due to working some other stuff.

This is my main desk top. Check out the layers! I have to save the images almost one by one. I have lost so many stuff by crush and freeze.

This is my other monitor which usually only shows the image. I hope I will finish this project by the end of October.

Last time insured in 1974 with the Honda CB350

JK sent me two photos of his new collections.

The blue one is Honda CB360T which was sold in 1976. The color is called "Candy Sapphire Blue". This bike in a mint shape. His uncle gave it to him a couple of years ago since he didn't ride much and became too old to ride a motorcycle. The bike is only 2000km on. The engine was a 356cc OHC parallel twin linked to a 6-speed transmission.

This red bike he just got from his friend for free. It's used to be his friend's dad's bike but sitting in their garage long enough to give to someone else. The last time the bike was insured in '74. I am not sure which model it is but looks like a '71 CB350K. Let's see how many km on the bike.
Can't wait to borrow them and cruise around!
Lucky bastard, eh!

Party Snake Again!!!

partysnake again teaser from leepipes on Vimeo.

New Sunglass

I went to IS Eyewear office in this afternoon after work and shot some new product photos.
I spent one hour and a half to set up and probably the actual photo shoot was only 20 minutes.
It was challenging 'cause I had to set it up by myself today and I had to shoot photos exactly what I shot for the catalog in last winter. Ouch!

Karl the marketing manager helped me to move sunglasses a little by little. Without him helping today, it would have been impossible to finish it up.

This is one of the glasses I shot today. What a beautiful product! I brought it home for myself.
The lighting isn't still perfect though, no one really notice what's bad. Catalog photo shoot will be happening in December and I will create some other lighting equipment by then. It should be fun.

Piston

I wanna be a piston!

Looking for a Bike

Finally I found and purchased an old Japanese bike. It's a '82 Honda CB750 Custom with 33,000km and tons of spare parts. I started looking around an used bike after I sold my '96 Suzuki Intruder, which was a sweet bike too but my style wasn't there. I spent 10 days and most of my spare time into finding a right one. Motorcycle season will end soon so I was rush to find a good bike. I have probably contacted every single old Japanese bike sellers on Craig's list and collecting information as much as I could. What I show here isn't many as I saw and checked out but picked that bikes didn't leave my brain.

First of all, after I spent a week to contact sellers, I picked the most decent one to start with. This bike was made in '81. CB750K which could be the finest 750 back in the time. I like the spoke rims and kick start but the single front disk brake was kind of sketchy for the size of motor. Anyway, I took a ferry and spent a half of day to get there and checked the bike. She was pretty shinny and I was ready to take her back home but, I found oil dripping pretty constantly from the top end. It could be 2 or 3 hours job. I asked a bit of discount but the owner didn't accept my offer so I spent another half of the day and came back home.

My friend Dave at Disaster Motors was offering his CB550 Super Sport but she is more collector's motorcycle. I still like the bike very much but it wasn't in a rideable condition neither so I was looking for a similar 550 and found one here. $1200 with 36,000 click wasn't a bad deal at all but I found out that the tires were original and carburetors were rough and the motor was stained by oil. It could be a nice bike but I realized that I use on highway a lot so I ended up getting a bigger engine.... but honestly I should have got this bike.

I have been always curious this monster bike as well. So I went there and checked it out. This bike was Honda CB750F2 fully restored. The owner said never ridden in the rain and kept in a heated garage. What so special about this bike was replaced to Barnett clutch and Shadbolt cam, also added an oil cooler. F series as know as Super Sport model got more updated parts originally and designed to compete other Japanese bikes as Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. This F2 got more powerful parts installed. This bike was rare, clean and reliable but the price and km were a little high to me, plus I found another oil dripping from gasket. So I left there.

I should say that I finally found an old Kawasaki Z1. Before I started having an affair with Honda, I was originally looking for Kawasaki bikes. This owner was the first owner and has kept this bike in the garage since his son was born in '84. It's a '76 Kawasaki Z1 900 with 20,000 miles. It's not been ridden over 25 years!. Everything seemed mint except rubber parts and I got stuck there and could not leave. The price was fair, actually very cheap, but I wasn't sure how much I had to spend to get her back on road. It would be totally over my budget. Spent probably 1 hour to look at the bike and left there.

I will post my new old CB once it comes back from my bike shop. I had two happy riding days though, I took her to the garage yesterday after work. She needs to get carburetors cleaned, wires replaced, tires replaced, brake checked and little others. I have a plan to modify a bit too :)

Vovo Headwear Catalog - Tadashi Fuse Signed

Anthony has launched out into a new business. His company Vivo is now printing a new catalog for 2010 Fall Collection. The riders are Tadashi Fuse, Andrew Geeves and Marie France Roy.
My pictures of Tadashi were used in the catalog. Glad that the pics stand well.
You will see Vivo around pretty soon!

Columbia

Columbia Sports Wear Japan reused my pic again for their ad promotion.
It will be on the site SBN which is the biggest and most powerful snowboard website in Japan.

http://snowboardnet.jp/catalog/columbia/top.php

Canon 600mm F4.0

I posted my Canon 600mm F4.0 on craigslist for almost one year. I have shown the lens to a couple of people but no one could not afford it. The retail price was roughly $10,000 for a brand new. I got it as used after a new version came out. The lens was the longest, heaviest, most expensive, most difficult and limited usage in my lens collection. I probably took her out 3 or 5 times only. Many sport photographers, nature and wild life lovers use the lens but I didn't. I was going to shoot photos surfing but I enjoy myself surfing more instead of taking pictures so I didn't use it. I was thinking to take bears and other wild life too but I realized that the lens was too heavy to carry around. I wanted to keep it but at the same time, I was sad that it was just sitting my shelf for a long time. I finally sold it today.

The lens is unreal. So big. Old people said and believed that camera would take people's soul too. This lens could have been a "cannon" to them. Ha! Ha!

Yes, that's right. One of the biggest lens you have seen in a magazine or at arenas.

Look how sharp the lens is. I was 6m away from her. That was the closest I could get. I had to yell her to pay attention and get steady.

Now I am missing it. Hopefully the new owner will enjoy the lens.

Cheers!

Got my new toy!

I go a package from Mervin MFG in Seattle! My winter season already started today.
It's a snowboard. It's a narrow enough to be called a ski but Lib Tech claims it as a snowboard. It's a Narrow-Ass Snowboard!
I f*cked up my ankle more than 10 years ago and got never been able to put a binding strap on my foot. I have been skiing but my satisfaction wasn't there. Luckily I met NoBoard 2 seasons ago and now I'm back on board again though, NoBoard is without bindings. I can not go hard pack snow. Then Mike Miyazawa at Advance Marketing in Japan hooked me up the NAS! I will be surfing on snow again no matter what condition is!!!
Thanks Matt at Mervin and Mike at Advance!

Honda CB 550 Super Sport

Since I was a kid, I had always dreamed about motorcycle. I was always curious about it. I just never made a chance to get a license or always some other interests faded my passion away.
Last summer I committed myself to get a license before I turned 40 and I finally got it. I also got this Suzuki cruiser bike called VS800 for practicing. This is made in '96. A service man at Suzuki dealer has told me that the bike is the longest seller without any major modifications, which means one of the most reliable and completed motorcycles in this industry.
Anyway this bike is beautiful and reliable though, I still like other bikes like old Japanese Honda or Kawasaki, bobbers or cafe racers or specifically Harley.

Then, one of my friends as a motorcycle collector introduced me and offered me his old Honda.
This original factory paint is called "Candy Apple Red". This baby is made in '76. The model is CB 550 FOUR Super Sport. The "Super Sport" model, featured a dual gauge cluster (with a separate speedometer and tachometer) and a stock 4-into-1 header. CB550 is also known as very reliable and has been reported to be good for 100,000+ miles. I believe it. If I sell my Suzuki, I will buy this CB550.

Last Summer Weekend on Bowen Island

Today Bowen Island was celebrating the annual festival. Looked like most of resident finally showed up on the street. I didn't believe that so many kids were there on this island.

I don't usually take my camera with me but today I brought it out. I shot probably 100 pictures at the parade. It was fun shooting without contract or any job titles.
After the long parade under the sunshine, we found a little shade and chilled out a bit. My friend 3 year old son was expressing himself with funny faces so I paparached it. Glad I got a camera with me to capture a moment of his life.

My new house on Bowen Island we just moved in. We had a lunch where I was shooting this photo from. This place is peaceful.

Our family dog Gubacho. He is such a character.
I shot all of photos by Canon REBEL XS and ES-S 18-55mm. I didn't use Manual mode at all. Everything was shot fully automatic. Not bad eh. I don't believe how handy and good digital camera is.

B-Day

My girl Karen gave me this picture on my birthday. Doesn't it look pretty happy!? I am happy that she capture our life like this.

We had been too busy from moving, unpacking and settling. We couldn't manage time to go bank and grocery shopping. At that night my 40th birthday was cerebrated by rice balls and a left over wine which didn't even fill out my glass. First of all, I felt disappointed but afterward I was laughing myself.

Over this weekend, a couple of family friends had a party for me. Finally I got my 40th cake!
My dream 40 is so much different from what I dreamed of. Is it bad or good? Is 40 called a turning point? Telling you the truth. Dream never come true. I guess I should stop dreaming and start to get realized who really I am.

A Gift Stergeon Fishing

Everything started with this picture. One of my snow friends Dave Kelleher the film maker sent me a picture of Stergeon last year. I didn't believe what he told me until he sent me this photo and I was just blown away in last fall.
He called me up last Tuesday and told me that Stergeon Fishing was hot again. He already caught 13 of them within a day and one was actually nearly 8 feet long! He didn't forget that I told him to hook me up! It turned out my birthday present.

Shandy Campos and his girlfriend joined us. This baby Stergeon hasn't been fished yet so Dave is tagging him.

This is how heavy they are. Shandy had to hold her rod up to crank it up.

Spent about 5 minutes to get her on boat.

and this is my birthday gift 56" Stergeon. Yeahhhhh!!!!!!!!
Thanks Dave and Tim. If you want to experience fighting with monsters, let me know. I will give their contact. By the way, this is a sport-fishing. You catch but you don't keep them. Catch and release, bro!
PS Chinese people buy Stergeon from Native people and make a Stergeon congee. I heard that it was the best congee ever. I believe it.

Commuting from Bowen Island

I moved to Bowen Island last week. Now I have to take a ferry every morning and every evening. It was a big commitment for myself but I gotta live in slower lifestyle.

This is my ferry and my rule. It started controlling my life.

My bike in the middle. A mean looking mid-age guy became a friend today. He loves Harley. He told me that he's been commuting to Vancouver everyday in last 7 years. He catches 5:30am ferry and get back on the island with 6:50pm ferry which is I take too. This guy encourages me so much today. Definitely a new life started!

CYC Design Product Photo Shoot

I had a photo shoot at CYC Design for two apparel lines called "REIGNING CHAMP" and "wings & horns".
I recently started working for a serious company as a salary-man. Today I got off there 3pm and headed to CYC office to shoot the products.
The room was too small and I had to use whatever I could take from their warehouse. Probably spent an hour and 30 minutes to set up lighting.
I also moved to Bowen Island from North Vancouver last week. I had to catch my last ferry to go home at 9:45pm. Barely made it but without Kenta as the designer of REIGNING CHAMP and Brian the director of wings + horns, I would not have made it.

It's been over 4 month not using this ProFoto. I love studio photo shoot.

The space was so limited. I wouldn't think that I could set up right but I used the same lighting as before. It worked very well.

A view from camera angle.
I have more stuff to shoot on this Thursday again. It should be fun.

Vivo Headwear

Vivo means “I live” in Spanish. The word is full of life.
One of coaches at Camp of Champions, a Kiwi native Anthony Leffelaar, launched a new headwear company. I thought that it was the most difficult time for businesses especially small businesses including myself but he claims it as a win-win situation" to start a new business.
He didn’t want to have a big team so that he could grow with his riders and support them more and more as the brand grows. He is adding two pro skaters and two snowboarders for their global marketing structure in the future too.
Can't wait to check out more products!
http://vivoheadwear.tumblr.com/

IS Eyewear Ad Photo Shoot

This is the interface of Lightroom which software I use a lot. I rename or change file name, convert to different file format, color correct, file, metadata, crop and so much more.
Today after being Mr. Incredible at office (if you have no clue what I'm talking about, watch "The Incredibles"), I went to IS Eyewear office and did the next ad promotion photo shoot with Devun, Tadashi, Duff and Kale.

Zerosen Taro came by the office with Tadashi after skating in Vancouver. He helped me setting the temporary strobe lights. I totally forgot that I sold a large octagon softbox in this spring. I used a defuse paper to wrap umbrellas at this time. This is better lighting anyway. I had been just lazy to set up this Japanese special light. The result was awesome.

This is the first ad image. Duff, Dev and Tadashi were a very good model today. I will post the actual ad after adding graphic design.

Kale lost his cell while waiting the first ad taken. He went back to McDonald's and every visits after he came down to Vancouver but didn't find it.
This was the second setting. Devun and Kale were supposed to be in the position but I asked Tadashi and Kenta being tested the lighting.

Kale's mom said "I don't drink beer" and held up the bottle and acted as Devun. I saw Kale's mom snowboarding at Camp of Champions in this summer. She was actually jumping at a pretty decent kicker.
Can't wait see the ads after the graphics done.

One More Day for COC

Summer with Camp of Champions will be over tomorrow. I don't live in Whistler anymore. I will pack my stuff up and get out from this resort soon.

During the camp, I always talked about this thing but never had a snap shot for the proof until today. The red line is indicating where 1/2 pipes were in nearly 20 years ago. You may kind of tell where the snow line used to be by the border of dark part and white part. White part was never exposed for years and years, that's why it's so white. We have lost so much snow and glacier. We can't even climb up the ridge and chill out there anymore. I don't know the exact umber but I assume that we have lost 10 to 15m of glacier ice. Wonder where the melting water disappeared to.

He came from Argentina. He studies English in Whistler. He enjoyed talking about himself, camp and Japanese friends who met in Canada. He rides hard everyday though, finally today our timing matched.

Shayne Pospisil is one of guest coaches. I see him at big contests and events. He is also a pretty sick rider who riders for Billabong.

In this afternoon, some guest coaches started hitting the big hip. Danny Larsen marked the highest point today.

Another sick shot at the hip. I like the combination of light, sky and clouds. Rupert Davies was a definitely shinning rookie of the summer.

Two More Days Left on Glacier

We have two more days left on the Blackcomb Glacier. It was pretty cloudy when I woke up again and depressed me though, I was a little smarter in this morning. I checked the web-cam and found out that it was totally blue-bird on the top of Blackcomb.

I didn't mean to cut her body in half. Her name is Jess who is one of the top skiers in Roxy team. Sorry Jess but I really like this photo. I used a mono pod to get my camera level as high as her riding position but aiming too low. What I like this photo about is the shadow. The combination of framing made an energetic picture.

The coach of summer (personally) Chris Dufficy is doing method with his camper. If I were a camper, I would definitely choose him as my coach.

and Duff again. This photo is sick as Jess' photo. I should try this angle more tomorrow. It looks different and cool.

Mr. LNP was hitting the first front side hip. I have never talked to him or had a session before. Even this photo I poached some one's photo session with him. However no one was shooting from my camera angle, plus I am an official camp photographer so I snapped it. Glad that it turned out super good.

A Sea of Cloud

Time flies. Summer camp with COC will end on this Friday. I shot 510 photos today and erased 19 bad ones. I posted 491 photos on COC website tonight. I should not have shot so many photos today. It took me 4 hours to download, convert file types and upload to FTP.

Woke up in this morning with a bit of headache from drinking last night. Probably stayed at friend's house until a little after 1am. When I woke up, I looked for my cell to check out the time but I realized that I left it in a car. Then opened my laptop and confirmed the time again. It was at 6:30am but I wasn't ready to wake up at all. I checked out outside and found out it was cloudy which allowed me to go back to sleep another hour.
Glad that I didn't sleep in too much. When we almost reached to the top, clouds broke out and blue sky was waiting for me.

We have 4 Japanese kids in this session. Back in a day, a half of campers were Japanese but not any more. This guy Ryusei is one of other Japanese riders but you might see him in X-game in a future. He got a nice style.

Chris Dufficy was having another awesome day. I promised him to have a photo session with him and his campers tomorrow.

We played all day above clouds. So cool.

Torstein Horgmo was doing a follow cam for his team mate and it just looked having so much fun and demonstrating a technically difficult stuff. Pretty cool.

The Cove

What the fuck is going on?
Someone has to explain it to me soon.
If it's true, why didn't we know about it.
It's lame, shocking, sad and so shame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRD8e20fBo

Session B Finished

Camp of Champions finished the first half of summer camp already. It's so quick.
I went up to our terrain in the morning when no one was there still. It was so calm.
During a day, about 200 people shredding in this area.

Are you able to see the sticker which is the 5th from the bottom. It is actually most of part covered by the black belt.
I put the sticker on this pole in 1991. It's been 18 years sticking there. Every year makes me happy.
Usually the sticker starts showing up from snow around this time. At the end of summer camp, snow melts and this sticker will be seen about 10 feet above snow.

Torstain Horgmo has been killing it. First time he showed up COC 3 years ago and since then, whenever he shows up, just killing it. This summer is spinning 10 and 10 after 10. Very stylish too.

Chris Dufficy doesn't care who's shooting or filming. He probably doesn't much care who's watching. He just rips! I found him that he was jumping off the hip and hiking back up.
I ran to the table top and luckily captured the huge air.

Ken's wife Michelle always wanted to take my camera and shoot my face. Thanks anyway.

Red Eyes' Films Teaser X

This is the 10th anniversary of Red Eyes' Films.
In a last few years they spent most of time in B.C. back country for filming. A few of Japanese Olympians have been filming with them too.
Check out the teaser. You will see a different way of filming and you might like it.

Dance Move Monday

I don't know when and how Ken Ach started the Dance Move Monday but as long as I know of, whoever wants a ticket to go in Camp of Champions on Monday, they have to dance in front of Ken.
No matter who it is. A camper, sometimes camper's parent, a filmmaker, a pro, maker people... whoever it is.
Every year one or two kids denied dancing and they didn't even get a ticket and didn't come up to the ski hill. I know Silvia Mittermuller when she was the first time ever guest coach at Camp of Champ 3 years ago, she refused to dance and she bought a ticket and came up.
Anyway, the Dance Move Monday has been getting a surprise event and a wake-up call to campers.
Since we lost the king of POP Michael Jackson in last week, we decided to do MJ special DMM.
It was amazing that every single kid knows who Michael Jackson is and how he danced.

Saw a Legend

I saw a legend snowboarder hitting a hip today. If you can tell who it is by this photo, you must have lived in the same decade of snowboarding with me.
He invented cool tricks and even style. He started a magic team called Forum Snowboards. This guy created a sensation in snowboard industry.
His name is Peter Line. One of my favorite riders ever.
Great seeing him again with a huge method.

The Last Day of Session A

One of Chris Dufficy's campers made a stylish air at a hip jump. It was partly cloudy and that made a bit of accent in my photo. It turned out really good.

I was using two cameras. One was equipped a telephoto lens so I could shoot jump photos from where I was standing up. The other was attached a fisheye lens to shoot at the wall below me. Conn-dowg ground the wall at a perfect timing. He was nicely lighted up.

Partly sunny and cloudy doesn't mean anything bad. I actually like it. Not too hot nor not too cold. Probably hard for riders to adjust speed though, Nic was flying away with pretty good speed.

At the farewell BBQ, Ken the owner started drinking Coca-Cola contest. Fun to see that all of kids held their chest afterwards and suffered from stimulation.

Colin said he just wanted to sneak one of chilidogs at the contest but no one didn't let him have only one. He ended up battling to other competitors but he hurt himself again by cramming hotdogs into his stomach right after this. During a day he misjudged speed and landed on flat and damaged his libs in the afternoon.

Stomy

I went up on glacier around 9am. It was rainning. I was crossing figures that rain would stop soon. 10am I started hiding myself under lunch tent. Rain turned to snow and rain and snow again. 10:30 I was cold and my body started shaking. At 11am, decided to have one run to warm up myself. At the bottom of t-bar, it was snowing hard and snow was already on my jacket plus I was soaked already. Looked at the sky and it didn't seem to get cleared up. Ended up headig down.

The Last Day of 5 Days Campers

Today was typical Whistler weather. When I woke up, I was still laying on the bed but looking at the sky from the window right beside my bed. I saw blue sky. I doubted if it was a perfect bluebird but I jumped out from my bed and got ready. Once I stepped out side and looked around, there were a few of clouds. I was crossing fingers for clouds not covering the top.

All the way to the last chair lift, it was blue above us. We still saw a cloud on top of Blackcomb. There was 50/50 chance of being in a cloud all day or totally white out.
There were clouds coming up when we got there, we luckily had a great day of mixed sun and cloud.

Lib Tech rider Sammy Luebke showed up. Nobody had any clue who it was. He went pretty big and stoked campers and media people.

Mark Sollars was the jumper of the day. His riding was so reliable and perfect. No one could beat his riding style too.

Yesterday at the Forum rail session, I wondered who it was. After he hit this jump, he actually came up to me and told me that he was at COC 5 years ago. Then I remembered that there was one kid from Quebec riding super good and all of maker people at the camp wanted to sponsor him.
His name is Nic Sauve. He reminded me that I shot tons of photos and gave to him. Glad that he remembered me. Super stoked!

After the hip-jump session, I called it and got on t-bar. A camper who went up with me, all of sudden told me that I sent photos to him 3 years ago. He was a camper back then as well. He said he really liked the photo I shot of him and sent me an email and asked me for the photos. I only slightly remembered but there weren't many campers who I sent photos as a gift. I was super stoked to be told twice about a good story in one day.
Then almost before I got on the top, I saw that ski campers were having the legendary back flip lesson. I just wanted to capture their passion and ski down again to where they were doing it. Coaches were telling campers how to do back flips and campers were all patient to master the first time back flip experience. I probably stayed there 20 minutes. 3 campers did back flip first time ever in their life. I was pretty excited to capture the moment.

COC Day 2

Day 2, kids were riding rails all day log. I walked all over the park and saw kids having a hot session at each features. It was partially foggy and white out but still lots of fun!

After lunch, girl-campers with Silvia Mittermuller were killin' it on this rail.

Chris Dufficy's doing a Stinky air. I wish I was on the other side. It could have been a funny shot.

A guy in Forum team was so good on the stair rail. Stevie Bell was also killin' it.

Wish it was a bit more contrast. Nice air brother!

Summer Camp Started

Cam of Champions started today. Kids all over the world filled the camp session A.
The weather in Whistler wasn't cooperating but we all enjoyed being on the gracier shredding.

Rob Kingwell came back for coaching again.
Check out the bus too. COC got the own limo!

The trade mark of big smile, Chris Dufficy, is also coaching again. Can't wait to see him doing some sick stuff. Every year I shoot at least one very good photo during summer camp. His hip jump and 1/2 pipe air was super cool last season. On the last day of camp last summer, he borrowed ski coach's ski and did a huge back flip on the biggest jump.

The camp owner Ken Achenbach has been producing a dream camp to kids. He hands out lift tickets to his campers every morning.

It was pretty white out. we had probably a couple of inches new snow when we were there. Hopefully sun will show up tomorrow.

Our lunch tent. We make our own sub in this tent.

Columbia

The Sportswear Company Columbia launched forth a new style of ad campaign with a professional rider. Koni who has been shooting with me in Whistler back country got recruited by Columbia in the last December and rode the whole season in the brilliant outfit. He must have been stoked to get a new sponsor , and he hooked me up with them for using my photos for his ad. Stoked!

Columbia has used the same ad with the chairman Gert Boyle for a long time and it's given us so much impression. I personally liked the ad. She grew up in outdoor and she wanted to spread her love to all over the outdoor world. I have heard that the company used to be her dad's company and she rebuilt.
I grew up in Nagano and I was always surrounded by nature too. My dad is almost 70 and still running a little outdoor shop. He's been hiking on weekend with his customers and fans since I was a little. Non stop!
Columbia with Gert sympathizes with me about outdoor life.

I found out that my old friend works there too. He was interviewed in Transworld Japan in this spring and I was like "hey, I know this guy!" and contacted the editor. A week later the old friend emailed me and we got connected again. We went to the same school for 6 years and we were even classmates for 3 years. Small world!

Being a Commuter

Recently I left Whistler and moved down to North Vancouver.
I thought that I would be a permanent resident in Whistler and living there forever but the world economy crisis didn't let me continuously living there.
At some point though, I have also felt that this dreaming life wouldn't last forever and thought that I needed to shift my way of life.
I have a friend who met 20 years ago in Japan. His name is J.Kami. He has been one of my best friends since. Before I met him, I wasn't even interested in photography at all and I wasn't even thinking of starting snowboarding. He was a photographer and snowboarder who grew up in Vancouver, and he is the one who made me get into these two things, and these two things have made my life last 20 years.
Now I work at his office. 20 years after he shifted my life, now he shifted my life again.
I'm pretty sure that my intention of photography will change a lot in next couple of years but I am still hoping that I will spend time in wildlife more and more.

The pic was shot from commuter's ferry between Vancouver downton and North Vancouver.

ESPN

My summer camp photo of Dustin Craven has been used for the index of ESPN.
http://espn.go.com/action/snowboarding/blog?post=4189220

Check the site out. Even fun for surfing.
http://espn.go.com/action/

and this is the guy I know, Paul Thacker.
http://espn.go.com/action/gallery?id=4168735&image=10

Retouching Photos

I went out with pro snowmobilers in this spring and shot some photos. I sent photos to Paul Thacker who rides for Polaris Snowmobile and Monster Energy Drink, and then replied to me and asked me if I could send him larger images. Of course "yes" but the original photos are at my office and I won't be back there for a week. I decided to retouch the photos and test to see how they would look like before I send the larger images to him.

On the first day of the filming session, we shot this photo. Left is original. Right is adjusted the exposure a bit. I toned it down to show more details of snow but the whole image turned to be a bit darker than I expected. I don't like the blueish color snow neither. I think I will keep it as in the original condition.

I built this jump with StepChild crew about two weeks ago. I guess snowmobilers also enjoyed hitting the jump too. Paul got a nice air but the whole image seems too white. I switched it to B&W. It shows more details of snow and doesn't get affected by weired color. I like it in B&W.

This was the second day. Paul himself was just warming up on the jump but it turned out good again. I like both color and B&W but I wanted to crop a bit. Check out the gradation of snow. So contrasty. I love it.

I figured shooting this jump horizontally. It seems that all of motor sports photos are framed too tight and cropped to zoomed-in. I like a picture which shows the height and background. Hopefully it makes sense to my viewers. I toned down a bit of the exposure and cropped the top part but I still like the original.

New Sponsor

I have a new sponsor!
F-Stop Camera Gear approached me and told me that I was recruited as one of their selected photographers and will be given their gear in a sponsorship program.
So stoked!
Why me? Am I good enough?
I felt uncomfortable being a sponsored photographer for a little moment but I was just as honored but nothing else.

F-Stop Camera Gear makes all kinds of bags, and they are known as the most comfortable back packs as a result as used by active photographers for snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, hiking, etc, and etc.
If photographers like to get in some action while working, the bags will be perfect. That's what these camera bags are made for.

I assume that this sponsorship started when an email from Ian Millar reached my mail box in the last season.
We were both inspired noboarding and introduced by Cholo Burns who lives in the noboard world. Ian communicated me in regards to noboarding and he put my photos and words together in the Noboard Magazine.
As I was told and known him as a professional photographer so as a designer and as he works for a camera bag company called F-Stop.
We haven't met yet though, since the beginning, I have had a special feeling with him by living in Nagano, Japan where I grew up.

I will introduce the gear in my blog in near future.

Summer Job

I signed a contract as being a staff photographer with Camp of Champions again!
It will be my 9th summer as being an official photographer, Yoo-hoo!
The summer camp started in 1989. First time I ever snowboarded in summer 1990 at this camp.
I was not even a camper but a poacher by the way. It's been a long time friend with the camp owner Ken Achenbach. Thanks Ken for all of support!
He was running a snowboard shop called the Snoboard Shop in Whistler. I bought a pair of AirWalk boots, Yukinemaki Pants and the original soakable gloves in the morning. Next day I went back to the shop and bought a redneck shirts too. I wish I still have them. Could have been so funny.
Well, it will be another wonderful summer again!
Every summer was different. Met so many unique campers, coaches, diggers, friends, poachers and they were all an odd character.
I have an assignment to create a new poster too. I am already excited!
See you there!

Last Day of Shooting

So the season is over.
At 9:00am Step Child's owner Sean Johnson called me and asked me if I could come up and shoot photos with them today.
The weather didn't look great plus I gotta do so much stuff like to repack my camera gear and reload my sled to truck and finish up some paper works before I left house but I got motivated.

Joe Sexton is such a character. He always made me laugh by what he does. I supposed to worry when he dropped his sled sideway but I just couldn't stop laughing.

Thought he was gonna land on me. He is totally watching me. It was close but he didn't hit me. We had a couple of jib session on this tree and our season was over.

Then JP Walker and Joe started hugging and crying. I knew Joe was laughing but JP looked more serious. "yuh, season is overrrrr!"

JP was crying for real. Joe was just as laughing. JP has gone through so much stuff in this season. It's so nice to be still snowboarding, isn't it!? We all agreed that the season was pretty beastie but no inury and we were just as happy to be there, and the season was finally over.

They just could not wait to destroy their soggy and smelly gears. They lighted up and started a little camp fire going on the top of hill.
The season is over.

How Bad Do You Want to Win a Free Sessionat COC?

How bad do you want to win a free session at Camp of Champions?
Provide it by sending pictures, video, or whatever to Westbeach: competition@westbeach.com.

I will be at COC and shooting photos of hot campers again! I will see you there.

The First Man on Sled Over 300ft

Paul Thacker attempted to become the first man to jump a snowmobile over 300 feet at Brainerd (N.Minnesota) International Speedway, smashing his old record of 271 feet and elevating his name atop the ranks of ‘craziest thing ever done on a snowmobile’. He set a new world record 301 feet.


Last thing I asked Thacker at the end of this filming session in Whistler how his season was.
He told me that he broke his old world record recently and pretty happy. I can not describe what exactly he said so I use his words on monsterenergy.com.
"I got up to 87 miles per hour and hit the take-off ramp. When I was in the air I just knew it was perfect. Flew over 301 feet. With the amplitude and the way I landed I knew we got to where we wanted to be. I was already screaming in my helmet on the down run”.
He got a nice sideburn, eh!

AK Sledders

Alaskan rides blew me out. These 3 riders are all from Alaska. Probably grew up with snowmobiling. They are such a crazy rider!

Paul was having fun on the little windrip.

Cory Davis doing Indian air. This jump was step down. Every single jump they found was never be found by snowboarders. They got a fuel power and didn't need a steep transition to hit a jump.

and this is Brett Turcotte doing Superman. It doesn't look like a big jump but where he was using to take off was pretty much a top of cliff. How he was flying was to get speed as much as possible on the flat part and climbed the hill and took off from the cliff. He was probably doing a super man about 18 feet high.

Before After

Snowmobile is a very sensitive vehicle.
It runs on a freezing condition to a spring-summer condition and it goes from pretty much 0 elevation to thousands of feet within an hour.
No clutch. Liquid cooling system. 2 strokes or 4 strokes.

What Cody has on his hand is called jed. Gas comes out from the tiny hole in the middle of the tiny bolt-looking stuff. He said he would not even tell the difference of holes unless read the number of the size.
Recent obtainable sleds carry elevation valves so you don't have to change the jed on the mountain but race sleds usually don't have the elevation system. If you own a race sled and go up mountain and play, you may want to change the jed depending on an elevation otherwise it won't supply much power.

So, they are doing jedding. Arctic Cat has carburetor on the bottom. Looks hard to change.

Then Cory got a power to hit big jumps.

This is Brett. He showed the craziest tweak air what I have never seen before. I didn't believe that snowmobile can do such a thing. I wanted to keep on shooting but......

After the jump above, he went much higher in the air and landed on the channel of landing. His mountain sled wasn't strong enough for heavy duty jumpings. The rails and wheels got totally bent. He took the suspension out from the sled and brought it back home. Next day, he brought a new set of suspension up and installed. Pro sledders have to be a mechanic, I guess. I was even thinking to heli it out.

Introducing Jumper's Sled

Brett Turcotte's Cat. Cross country sled.

Paul Thacker's Polaris. 600cc mods. Race chassis.

Ray's Ski-doo MXZ.

Cody Borchers' Ski-doo. 785cc mods. Race chassis. The motor runs with 130 octane gas.

Cory Davis' Cat. Race sled.

SLEDNECKS 12

His name is Cody Borchers. He is a professional snowmobiler from Alberta, Canada. One of my fave riders.
He had an injury in January and didn't ride at all in this season but he came back! Yeah!
He has been filming with a snowmobile DVD called SLEDNECKS and this is their 12th season. He hooked me up for shooting photos and I met other impressive slednecks like Brett Turcotte, Cory Davis and Paul Thacker. I met Paul before and other twos are just as crazy too.
I am going to shoot more photos with them for a couple of more days. I will show my photos in my blog and introduce how the filing in back country with the slednecks like. Stay tuned.

KINGSHIT to KINGSNOW

Do you know anything about KINGSHIT?
Yes, they talk about shit like sk8ers, artists, filmmakers.....

http://kingshit.org/ and check it out!

What about, do you know anything about KINGSNOW?
This one sounds much more gentle.
This related website is more for snowboarders.
I got interviewed by Natalie Langmann and you can view my fave photos and story.
Please check it out too.

http://www.kingsnowmag.com/article.php?entry_id=170

Dice Wears Dice

Because of my name, my client has sent me dice-patterned outer wears.
It's a one piece outer wear plus the dice-pattern. It's so conspicuous especially off snow. I get stared at gas station or like coffee shop.
Is this made for me?
I gave one of two to the Red Eyes' Film director Shibu. He must have worn more than I did. Look how much he got sled oils. By the way, I'm with a helmet.

One Last Big Jump

So, after the long illness by flu, I finally felt all right and went up shooting photos with Step Child crew. The weather supposed to be mixed with sun and cloud but while we were filming this big jump, sun was fully baking the area.
I'm so glad to come out again and shooting insane photos with a motivated crew.

We met up at the parking just before 8am.
When we got to the jump in the alpine, a foot and 1/2 fresh snow covered the whole thing (old jump and take-off) and actually sun had melt the jump down more than a foot, according to what Stian said.
So we took out a shovel from backpack and started digging out the whole thing. We spent about 2 hours on that.

Doing a speed check.
Stian was just as hyped as to hit the jump again. E-man looked a little nervous.

I did a double angle again. For the first half, I didn't know that my Pocket Wizard (wireless remote) wasn't firing far enough to hit the other camera. I figured when I checked the previews.

This is the exact same photo but shooting from another angle. Honestly I like both. That's why I use two cameras to capture one. It's hard for me to decide angles. Setting up two cameras reliefs extra stress.

Stian made BS10. It was huge. So sick!
Hopefully you will see the photo in a magazine as his sponsor's ad promo.

Orga Lake with Red Eyes' Film

Orga is about 1 hour north from my house in Whistler. That's where a Japanese crew Red Eyes' Film is staying at.
They can't ride sled out from the house anymore because snow has been all melted but basically behind the house is the whole snowmobile zone.

Taka Nakai injured his ankle before he came to Canada. He didn't still feel strong enough but he ended up hitting the jump with other crew members. He did a huge BS180 and made it.

Ruiki is a 17 year old boy. He made FS540, BS720 and switch BS180. Lots of potential.

I haven't shot Fumi the smokey for a while. He made to the Olympic in 2006. He is a pretty skilled rider. He spins a lot but I haven't seen him grabbing very often. Today he made BS360, FS720 and then BS720 with grab. So stoked.

The house owner Curtis teaches Fumi how to BBQ.

This is the house where the Japanese boys are staying at. It is pretty amazing to us that we don't hear any noises which other people make. All natural. This place is located in a forest. There is a river runs through by the house. The dog is running around and paying attention to other creatures around the house.

F*cking Flu Ruined my Season

Whistler had a perfect week for filming and everybody was dreaming this for a long time.
Super sunny, warm, longer day light and still fresh and soft snow.
I lived for this timing and I was planning to kill it everyday but I got flu and stayed home. So lame!
These are the drugs that my whole family took everyday. Some of them got empty and some of them had to be replaced for surviving. We had high fever, sore throat, stuffed nose and running nose. Last 5 days I didn't sleep more than 90 minutes because of all these.
I wish we would have one more cold storm.... maybe see you next season...

Cypress Mountain - Vancouver Olympics

This assignment was planned 2 weeks ago. Of course I didn't know that I would have a cold and high fever but I had to finish it up. A writer came all the way from Japan. I supposed to go to the airport and pick him up but I could not do it so I sent a filmer and riders to go there and meet the writer. I had to postpone the photo shoot for 12 hours to get healed a bit better.
At 6am, I charged up with Red Bulls and drove down to Vancouver to meet my crew at Cypress.

2010 Vancouver Olympics, Cypress mountain was chosen for 1/2 pipe contest. I haven't been there for nearly 20 years. I hardly remembered anything there until I got on the chairlifts.
One season I was a night timer at Cypress, my buds and I came up here total 76 nights for snowboarding.

Fumi poached the 1/2 pipe. On the first run he already got high air tweak. As might have been expected, he was an Olympian 3 years ago.

and then poached the park too.
He doesn't read the sign "no helmet, no ride".

Supposed to be a beautiful location to take a snap shot but the background was hazed out. In fact I wanted to leave there and dive back my bed as soon as possible.

The Camera Arm is still in Progress

The last sunny & deep powder day of the season. I had a fever and cough but gotta come out to shoot with Tadashi. It was his 2nd last day for the season but I had already made another plan for tomorrow. We went up to Sproatt. It was about 1 foot deep, cold, light snow and strong sunlight. In the afternoon, snow got pretty baked by heat.

Finally I took out the camera arm prototype 2 to test it out. I have been seeking the chance but the season wasn't productive and too short.

Do you see me? I am standing up behind him and controlling the remote.
This is Tadashi's impression with the camera. First of all, he figured that the angle of camera wasn't right. It should have not been vertical but horizontal so that the camera capture more things around. Then we changed the setting...

My calculation wasn't right. I had to bend the bar but I didn't want to snap it off neither. If the camera were able to aim higher, it would have been perfect. I had to cut his head off.
Also Tadashi said that he was afraid to use this arm for jumping or riding down on a pillow line. It is still too heavy. I wonder if the project is "that's it that's all"? It could be hard for noboarding too. May be mountain biking or hiking.....

So, what I did at lunch time was I carried it and sled around. Looks cool, eh! First time ever self portrait of snowmobiling!

The season is almost over. I didn't have much chance to try it out though, this project left much to be desired. More fun!

Problems

I started my day a little late. I just had to do some stuff with my family and could not leave my house until 10am. Around the same time, clouds were breaking out and the strong sun light and blue sky started showing up. I called one of my main filming crew but no one answered my phone. So I drove to Rutherford but none of trucks were there. Then I realized that the parking was removed to the higher elevation because snow has been melting a lot. So I followed the track and drove about 10 minutes on mud-snow off road but my crew's trucks weren't there.
On the way to come back home, I got one new message from the other crew. They were at Tricouni and expecting me to come over so I gave up meeting with the first crew and supercharged up my Tundra to the second meeting point. Of course no one was there. They left a message a little after 10am and I got there 11:30am. I started unloading my sled from the deck and I saw a tiny bit of oil marks on the step. I didn't even care much 'cause the chaincase cover just got replaced so I believed that the mechanic didn't wipe it off or some. Then I poured some oil and realized that the divider panel between the motor and the exhaust was gone. I called up my Ski-doo garage and made sure if they meant to replace the divider and if it was OK to ride like that..... but, while I was waiting the shop owner to pick up my call, I found out the chain case bolt was missing. I wasn't 100% sure so I was going to confirm if the bolt was meant to be like that. Of course not. A mechanic totally forgot to replace the bolt from the old chain case cover. If I didn't realize and rode the sled all afternoon today, probably it would have lost so much oil in there and sucked so much water and then could have got blown the chain up. I was by myself too. Sketchy.

Also I found out that my Canon EOS 1D Mark III didn't get repaired correctly. When I sent their loan unit back to the Canon, the operator said "this camera is being completed for the AF focus adjustment". WF! The problem wasn't the AF adjustment so I told them again that the optical finder was miscalibrated with the body. However I am not a mechanic or freak so I just trusted them. It could have been the AF problem.
After I brought out my camera for a couple of times, I doubted eyes again. I found out that the calibration wasn't still right. What did Canon fix? I want a better repair specialist at Canon to check my camera. So lame. Such a wasting time.

This is what I wrote to the operator:
The problem, as I see it, is as follows: I put an 70-200mm f/2.8L lens (on 200mm) on the body to more easily allow me to manually focus. When I use the AF to focus on a variety of subjects, the focus doesn't seem accurate in the optical view finder and also the focus disagrees with a manually focused. However as the photo I attached as _ICE8773, the automatically focused is very accurate and sharp (the centre tree).
When I use the optical viewfinder to manually focus, even though the subject as the centre tree in sharp from edge to edge, there will always be an offset towards infinity like this. The actual image seems focused on the far back as you see on the second photo as _ICE8774. This offset is visible in shots and manually focusing generally results in mis-focused shots.
This issue looks like to me, there may be the focusing screen or the optical finder miscalibrated with the body.
I have been using my camera with this problem since I bought it and unfortunately I lately realized that the camera has a focus/finder problem but not me.

Wayne Levin

I didn't know this water photographer Wayne Levin until today. So inspiring.
I don't believe how beautiful his photographs are. You might feel a fear, a weight of deep water, darkness and silence. Please click the title and jump to his website photo gallery.
My friend Kenta who is in Hawaii right now and meeting with Wayne. I was chatting with Kenta and he linked me Wayne's website. He told me that he remembered Wayne from Patagonia's catalog 3 years ago.
What have I been missing!?
This is the first time I've ever wanted to put other photographer's photo on my wall.
Sick pics.

The Sean Johnson?

Just before I left my house in this morning, I skyped a Japanese guy who has been running a snowboard outer wear company called AFD Ice Gear over 15 years. He was also the first guy who sponsored my outer wear.
Anyway, I haven't talked to him for a long time since last time I visited in Japan about 15 months ago. I saw him on the skype online in this morning and started chatting him. He was pretty hyped to go out snowboarding next day and actually he was doing a photo shoot with a legend snowboarder Matt Cumins from the States. Yup, Matt started riding for him from this season.
I told him that I was just about to leave my house for shooting photos with Sean Johnson. Then he was like "whaaaaat!? the Sean Johnson? the Lamar's Sean Johnson?", so I said "yes, the Sean Johnson". He came to Blackcomb summer camp a couple of times for a long time ago and he remembered Sean from the camp and as the Lamar team member. I added Shin Campos would be there too. My friend was just stoked as to hear these names and still riding. This guy Yama is a mid 40. I hope he's having fun with Matt right now.

At the Squamish gas station in this morning. 4 Toyota Tundras and 2 Nissan Titans and Sean's Ram3500 with a double place trailer. 9 crew members today. Pretty beastie.

We unloaded sleds and started from the deep forest. I saw Coyotes on the way back home.

This photo shows 6 different jumps from left to right from the back ridge to the front ridge. This is what's happening there right now. Probably 3 different crews were filming in the little area.

JP was trying to do a double cork at a poppy jump. No M.o.D. today.

Portrait Session with Tadashi

I got a call from Transworld Japan yesterday. They wanted me to take a picture of Tadashi's face.
The background could not be too noisy, preferably plain or natural source.
So we hang out our neighbor and shot at 5 different locations.
What is this picture for? He seems to be nominated for some award again!!!

Camera Data: EOS 5D with EF85mm F1.8

Productive Day

Tadashi Fuse is the champ of boot packing. I have met so many different pro snowboarders and whoever lives in a back country though, no one can beat the guy. He is the fastest. Devun Walsh is also a quick boot packer and can be a representative of Canada but he can not still beat Tadashi.
He says he doesn't think that boot packing is pain. Most of people feel that boot packing is pain in an ass. He added he just want to stand up on the take off or the ridge as soon as possible and there are not enough time to feel suffering from hiking up on powder snow.
You know what? He is a true masochist. He is probably laughing when he is hiking up too.

Koni as Takafumi Konishi has been riding for the Heart Films with Tadashi since the beginning. I didn't even know who he was until Tadashi brought him over to Whistler and made him to buy a sled.
He says he is still learning whenever he goes out for filming though, he is a good learner and very motivated every time we go out. He rides for Rome and recently he got sponsored by Columbia.

I shot this photo with EOS 5D and EF 70-200mm. Not bad eh!? Tadashi became a Picaso again.

and this is shot by my second camera which was wirelessly controlled. I used EOS-1D Mark III and 300mm on a tripod. I like both of pictures. Which one do you like?

After the lunch time, Tadashi asked me if I had a TP. I didn't have a TP but I had a Japanese pocket tissue. I didn't want to use it up by someone else but he sounded emergency so I handed him the pack. Pretty nice graphic on the back of tissue eh!? He returned it to me a few left.

Revenge the Gap

M.O.D. Joe Sexton

This jump was 38 feet high. Markku Koski and Stian Solberg were hitting the jump.

This legendary jump was 33 feet high in this season. JP was trying to land switch backside 5. The riders are insane. I don't think I can do any of them that they did today in my finder.

A Falling Rock Terror

We went back to the road gap again. Snowed over a foot since 2 days ago when we were there, and look how much snow we got in an hour. It was puking.

Well, this is what we were doing over there. The height of jump is easily over 30 feet. I would say it's 38. Stian Solberg and Markku Koski revenged it but the condition of visibility didn't help them landing.

My second angle camera got a total of 3 inches snow cap while I left my camera there. This was shot in a half time.

Today's M.O.D. was JP Walker. Joe claimed that was his jump but JP poached it.

Today's high light could be this. Look how big the rock is! When we came back from filming, JP yelled to me "Dice, you gotta come here!", so I went. I thought that Johnson and JP parked their truck like that and tried to surprise me but actually the rock fell off from the top of wall behind the camera man standing up. JP's truck got a scratch on the fender and pushed the door a bit but luckily avoided major damages. Scary!

Cameras Came Back from Repair

Hasselblad 205TCC came back from repair 10 days ago and my other headache camera Canon EOS-1D Mark III came back today. I still can't fully trust it though, both of them were repaired by the manufactures.
Don't know why, probably picked bad luck or something but hopefully that's it, that's all. No more disappointment.

My Hassy had been replaced a display flex unit which was the most expensive parts to get replaced in August. The front key switch and lite seal foil were also replaced to new one too.
I only used the camera once in October and had any problems though, I used it again on a mountain and the same problem as before the repair appeared again so I sent it back.
The mechanic gently emailed me back and told me that he test the camera again and again but everything was working great. He even used a roll of film in there and developed but he could not find any problems. Then we figured that probably the cold temperature might have made the shutter unit sticky or something.
He did also re-adjust all functions and sent me the roll he tested it out and 7 documents of all testing results like shutter, flash sync, flash metering, light meter, c-position.
They are professionals.

I don't know what Canon did actually.
The service repair form shows only "calibrated focus cleaned and checked". No data or documents.
I tested it out at my office today and it seems that the finder is accurate though, the photos I have missed since I bought the camera never come back.

Method of the Day with Joe Sexton

The StepChild crew and I went back to the road gap again today. We built another take-off yesterday before we left there. We piled up fragile snow blocks and they all got pretty settled up over night. The jump was ready to hit but the stormy weather didn't help us out much.
JP and Markku got pressurized by not hitting the jump because the freezing level supposed to get higher and they might have had to wait until next season if they didn't hit it.
So, they hit it!
Photos look insane but I can not show to you right now.
From looker's right to left: Ilari Suhonen, Stian Solberg, Sean Johnson, JP Walker, Joe Sexton and Markku Koski.

Joe wanted to get the title of Method of the Day. Surely he got it!

Then his greediness would not stop him to do another but he only slapped the board and didn't grab it.

So he revenged it. Joe, you are the Method of the Day.

Legendary Road Gaps

@6:50am I went to Tadashi's house to drop off some stuff on the way to other photo shoot. Keiji was outside and wiping snow from trucks. We had nearly 1 foot snow in 24 hours. I waited this moment too long.

This is the legendary road gap in Hurley river. It seemed that we had more snow in Whistler but JP Walker still liked the landing. It was about 1 foot and 1/2 fresh powder on the landing.
The weather was completely soaked in this morning but since we found a soccer hole, clouds had started breaking off.

Sorry viewers! I can not show too many high lights in my blog, although this shot is from one JP landed Switch BS 3. Yeah, switch! Pretty beastie, isn't it.
I just wanted to show this photo 'cause I realized how far he kept grabbing his board.

Ilari high 5 to JP. They were 32 outer wear bros today.
First time for Ilari to capture the humongous road gap in Canada. Good work to both of them.

"You were telling me that it would be snowing all day today, uhh Dice? Dude, you must be stoked to be here with us today. Right, Dice!?" said the owner of Step Child Mr. Johnson.
JP was smiling 'cause he was more stoked after he checked his footage of his switch BS 360 on Sean's camera.

Winter Arrived - Never Be Too Late

This is what Enviroment Canada says:

Alpine recreation forecast for the South Coast Mountains issued by Environment Canada at 2 PM PDT Sunday 15 March 2009.
The next mountain forecast will be issued at 5 AM Monday.

Synopsis..A low pressure system approaching the South Coast will spread snow to the Alpine today. The system will move inland in the evening, but unstable conditions in its wake will maintain flurries across the Alpine through Monday.

Whistler - Blackcomb.
Tonight.. Snow tapering to a few flurries by midnight.
Alpine low minus 10.
Snowfall accumulation 10 to 15 cm.
Freezing level at valley bottom.
Mountain top winds southeast 20 to 40 km/h becoming southwest 40 to 70 km/h late this evening.
Monday.. A few flurries.
Alpine high minus 7.
Snowfall accumulation 5 to 8 cm.
Freezing level near valley bottom.
Mountain top winds southerly 30 to 50 km/h.

Extended forecast for Whistler - Blackcomb.
Tuesday.. A few flurries.
Snowfall accumulation 5 cm.
Freezing level near valley bottom.
Wednesday.. Periods of snow.
Snowfall accumulation 10 to 15 cm.
Freezing level 800 metres.
Thursday.. Snow.
Snowfall accumulation 10 to 20 cm.
Freezing level 1000 metres.

5 Day Trend..A broad trough of low pressure established over the Gulf of Alaska will maintain a cool onshore flow over the South Coast. This strong flow will carry a series of frontal systems that will generate snow across the coast mountains from Tuesday.

........which means, my studio will be reset by new snow!

Prototype 2 - Camera Arm

November 30th, even before the winter season started, I asked my mechanic Jun to make a custom aluminum camera arm for snowboarding photos.
We spent a whole day to create such a thing and even tested it out with bike riding in his garage. The result was pretty successful but I didn't have a chance to use the thing at all. Actually I tried to use it but I probably didn't think enough how to use the thing.
I made the thing to carry as a snowboard or a shovel so I brought my thinnest camera bag to fit perfectly but that had caused a problem. If I bring the thing on a mountain, my subject had to carry my camera bag with all of my equipment. I didn't even think about it.
So, today I brought one of bags to Jun which I haven't used for anything. I was only going to ask him to modify the camera bag like sewing or riveting or whatever but he said he would make another arm so we can throw more ideas into the arm. Good thoughts!

The prototype 1 was made for being held at least a couple of inches away from our body so the bar was OK to be straight like this. However I figured that it could be too unstable or wobbly, so it made me to remodify the thing again.
The prototype 2 would be much closer to the body so we even bent it a bit out to avoid hitting the pole by head.

The prototype 2 is even detachable. Now it will be much easier to be carried around.

The new pattern of the plate was cut as the pattern of the backpack.

I didn't mean to get Jun's mom involved in our project but she and dad actually helped me a lot today. I thought that Jun had a sewing machine (as I remembered or heard) so my original plan was just going to Jun's house to get the backpack modified but he brought me over to his parents' house.
I didn't know until today but they were actually a professional dress designer. There were at least 4 sewing machines. This machine she was using, was brought over from Japan even before Jun was born. It's made by Brother, used to be operated by stepping on a foot see saw.

After she finished the hardest part, Jun retouched other details.
My old backpack completely became a specialized backpack for the arm.
Now I want to use the arm a.s.a.p.
Thanks again to Jun and Jun's parents.

Today's Highlight

Line, line , line and line.

Our studio for today. TF drew 3 lines on this face.

Riding or shooting photos in natural terrain is very difficult. Most of time, every single feature looks different from how we see from bottom.

High speed powder turn, yeah!!!!!

If there is a take-off and a steep landing, we will take it as a shootable feature.
TF likes to hit a jump, he like to power-ollies and to get himself in air, he likes to draw a line on a steep hill, he likes to spray powder, he likes to get his riding shots....
His riding style to me is just like skateboarding in an urban city but in nature.

Powder Zone II

I hope we didn't ruin the heli run. At 9:30 am, the first heli group showed up. The second group was dropped off 5 minutes after that, the third group came....

Only the north face still keeps snow in fresh. It was about a foot deep where I was standing up but the spot where I told Tadashi to spray powder wasn't quite deep as where I was. Is it because of the sunlight? It could be...

Tadashi drew a line from the peak to the bottom including hitting 3 jumps but he took a wrong line. He was mad and giving me a sign "WF" instead of "NG".
No track or fresh track can not beat any other photos. If he drew a line which he didn't plan to, he would be never able to erase the line.
It's so creative and delicate.

Loving it. The best shot of the day!

Snow was very good in this zone. Tadashi killed it again today!

First Time Photo Shoot w/Tadashi in this season

What's -20C? Is it -5Fish? It was extremely cold. We pulled over sled a couple of times until we got on the alpine.
What's Tadashi doing? He is warming his hands by the heat from the motor.

Tadashi and Keiji stopped on one of the top of ridges and deciding where we should head up to. At this point we rode 40km.

Crevasses open the mouth every where. Pretty sketchy to ride on no track.

My main camera still hasn't got fixed yet. I used my point shoot camera but I missed Tadashi's grab twice.

This is how deep it was today.
Who said no more powder!?

Method of the Day

When it's cloudy and snow is bad, it's hard to find something to shoot.
Method of the day was JP Walker today. Even though the jump was small and the condition was one of the worst, he was motivated to get a photo.
It worked out very well. Thanks Mr.Walker!

Wind Hammered

It was sunny in this morning but cold!!!
The trail was frosted up and sleds didn't get enough snow to radiator to cool it down.
Markku's sled got over heated badly and the coolant oil was boiling out when we stopped.
Whoever had ice scratchers on the sled, won today.

Got on the top of ridge. We were so disappointed by the wind hammered.

JP rules. He brought some hot tea.

I told Johnson that I would poach his idea but he said he was poaching from me.
I wasn't even paying attention where Simon was standing up but when Johnson pulled out his camera, Simon became looking really good. I poached it.

Shooting with Stepchild Crew

In a morning, we were all excited to go up and hit the jump we built yesterday. We probably spent 2 hours to build it. Right, Mr.Johnson?

WF! After Markku first hit it, the whole face slid down. A couple of thick layers slid. They were about 8 to 12" thick. This area was protected by trees from wind and probably most dangerous layers were built.

Simon, Koski and Johnson are checking the footage.

This was the second jump we hit in this afternoon. After Simon took off from the rip, the jump broke down. It was a steep and poppy jump, we should have probably waited until it got formed up.

What a day! Markuu fixed the take off and hit it again but, look at the rip! It got clapped down again. That's it for today.
Just before lunch, wind got stronger and colder. At the time we finished the second jump, our gloves were pretty frozen and our sled didn't even start without pulling out the choke. It was freezing!