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Outdoor Tips, Tricks, Inspiration and Activities | MEC Blog

How do you capture the brightness of snow, keep your ski photos from falling flat on an overcast day, or frame a motion shot? These are my top ten tips for shooting on the slopes.

#### 1. Sunny days play in meadows, cloudy days work in trees


Whatever terrain you find naturally gives you better visibility for skiing in bright or flat light, those same spots are where you’ll also find better light for photography. Trees absorb light during grey days and add contrast to the snow. On sunny days, bask in the abundant light of the open alpine.

#### 2. Leave space in the frame ahead of the skier


A photograph is a story in a single moment. Great images portray the past, present and future of action in a single image. Leave space in front of the skier so the viewer can imagine where they will be next.

In this example, there wasn’t much room inside of the couloir, and I wanted the bottom of the line, the sky, and Tobin all in the photo, so, I took out my shovel and dug myself into the snowpack a little. This way I could get far enough from the action and see everything at once, leaving room ahead of Tobin for the story to make sense.

#### 3. Account for bright snow in your exposure


Snow, mountains and sunsets are notoriously difficult things for cameras to capture since they are bright and framing them often includes fast-moving subject matter. The camera’s auto modes give you an average exposure of 50% grey. Since you’re standing on bright white snow, the camera is going to adjust that snow to be more of a grey tone in most auto settings. If I had used an automatic metering mode on the camera, this photo would’ve been much darker. Although many cameras have exposure compensation for this, shoot in full manual exposure if you can, and put time into figuring out how to use your histogram – a graphic representation of pixels used in your image (here’s some [more info](http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-read-and-use-histograms/)). Using my histogram to calculate exposure helped properly expose the image.

#### 4. Bring action and location together


Skiing is as much about the sport as the place the sport happens. To show off great terrain, take time to focus on cool natural features like old broken trees, mossy patches on rock, or any other natural wonders that catch your eye.

#### 5. Coordinate a moment with your athlete


Great photographs have precise composition, so plan the way you want the action to unfold ahead of shooting it. Find the place you want to shoot from and determine exactly where you want the skier to be in that frame. Work with the athlete so they know where they need to hit their mark (snowballs thrown at the mark can help). I shot this picture of Eliel with my telephoto lens, purposefully leaving out the sky to focus on the bottom of the Cheakamus Glacier. We chatted for several minutes about having him execute a skier’s right hand turn on that exact part of the ridge. The photo was later published in *Backcountry* magazine.

#### 6. Pre-focus the camera


It’s an absolute pain to get everything right in a photo, but then have to tell the athlete that the shot isn’t in focus. I almost never focus the camera during action, but instead I have the camera setup so all I have to do is hold down the shutter button at the right time.

There are a ton of different techniques to pre-focus a camera. On a digital SLR you can use autofocus on the point where you want the action, and then flip the switch to manual so the camera can’t try to re-focus before the action happens. Or you can use focus lock, wherein the camera locks focus as long as you’re holding down the shutter button half way.

What if your camera isn’t focusing on the white seamless snow? Estimate the distance between where you are and where the skier will be, then look around. Are there any other objects about the same distance away? If so, focus on that, switch to manual, and shoot.

Since there was nothing to focus on for this photo of Stan on the white snow, I had to estimate the distance between us (about 30 feet) and find a tree nearby that seemed to be a similar distance away. Then, after focusing on that tree, I re-composed the shot, told Stan to drop in, and snapped the frame.

#### 7. Shoot early, or late


Great light happens early and late in the day, so bust out the toe warmers and have a thermos of tea or coffee at the ready – early birds and patient folk will be rewarded.

Working with Kicking Horse’s ski patrol, Tobin and I were given special access to an alpine bowl to shoot during the crispy morning light. This was a real privilege, as normally we ski tour through the darkness to get this kind of shot at dawn.

#### 8. Find ‘skim’ light


If you aren’t on the mountaintop at sunrise, there’s still good imagery to be found. Look for places on the hill where the light is hitting at a shallow angle; anywhere that’s happening, there lies great potential for dramatic lighting, especially if you shoot towards the sun. Also, the edge of most shadows can be a great place to create a dark background.

Although this shot was captured at 10am, many hours after sunrise, we were able to find a ridgeline where the light was falling away to shadow, and I knew I could shoot towards the sun to capture some beautiful, contrasting light.

#### 9. Shoot 45 degrees up slope


Shooting up towards a skier at roughly a 45-degree angle (right between straight up slope and straight across slope) keeps the skier visible and the slope looking steeper too. This has to do with “convergence”; if you shoot a photo of a skyscraper looking up, it appears to diminish towards a vanishing point. When you point your camera up slope, the same thing happens to the ski photograph, enhancing the steepness of the terrain.

Shot during the Deep Winter photo challenge in 2013, there wasn’t much snowfall, so we had to make the most of small pockets for fresh snow. This strategic shooting came in handy for making a mellow zone look a lot better.

#### 10. Copy images


I’m a firm believer that this is one of the best ways to learn photography techniques; to emulate the best. Find ski photographs you love, and try everything you can to recreate the image – I don’t mean similar, I mean identical. This isn’t to replicate someone else’s work or claim their creativity as your own, but by working through all the details of an existing composition, you’ll learn to recognize the nuances of a ski photograph and adjust accordingly.

Taken during the Deep Winter photo challenge in 2012, I was trying to emulate Eric Berger’s shot of a skier airing over a snow cave. During this shoot, I learned a lot about size of air, space, shape, falling snow, light condition, skier form, and much more.

##### 


## More ski articles
- [Ski touring checklist](/en/explore/ski-touring-checklist)
- [What to wear when you go skiing](/en)
- [How to wash and re-waterproof your ski jacket](/en/explore/caring-for-a-waterproof-jacket)



10 tips for great ski photos | MEC Blog

10 tips for great ski photos

Most people think about tents when they think about camping, only a few hardcore minimalists picture a tarp hung over a bivy sack. But a tent combined with a tarp can revolutionize your camping experience

## Kitchen and assembly zone
At the end of a long hiking or paddling day, you might find yourself in heavy rain, wet and chilled. In this case, the first thing to do is set up a tarp. Once up, you change into your dry clothes and pitch the tent underneath it while you stay dry. Once the tent is set up, you can move it to another spot if you don’t plan to sleep under the tarp.

While you’re dry and warm (and assured of staying that way), you can contemplate supper or start getting warmed with a mug of hot soup. Rain isn’t the only reason to put up the tarp. If you rig end one low to the ground or a windbreak, it can block gusts and make it much easier to cook and more pleasant to hang out.



## Living room and porch
If you wake to bad weather or you’re taking a day off, you have a spacious refuge where you can hang out, sip coffee and observe changing weather, light and tides. You can even bask in the warmth of a wood stove or a small fire. Just try that in a tent.



## Which tarp?
A light, practical option is a lightweight nylon tarp impregnated with silicone. Water beads and runs off and they can be rigged in a variety of ways. An excellent option is the [MEC Silicone Guides Tarp](/en/product/5027-716/Silicone-Guides-Tarp). It fits into a small stuff sack that’s hardly bigger than a 1L water bottle will provide a 4 x 3-meter space, big enough for two people to sit and relax.

Once you get used to adding a tarp to your camp setup, it will become as essential as hot soup or fine chocolate to your camping weekends and multi-day adventures.



Tarp + tent = the ultimate camp set-up | MEC Blog

Tarp + tent = the ultimate camp set-up

You might not guess it from looking at serene paddlers, casually gliding along, but stand up paddleboarding is a workout. Like, a full body “burn up to 500 calories in an hour” kind of workout.

To give you some moves you can add to your everyday paddling, we asked Emily Hinton (certified SUP instructor, avid yogi and MEC staffer) to share her favourite exercises to build strength, burn calories and mix up your SUP routine.



## Things to keep in mind before you start
- The best part of incorporating exercises into paddleboarding is the built-in warm up. A quick paddle on the water gets your blood moving to warm up your core, legs and body.
- SUP is all about balance. So to give yourself an even workout, be sure to paddle and do every exercise on both sides of your body.
- Your [paddle](/en/ideal-for/watersports+paddleboarding/products/gear/paddles/c/1363?q=%3Asales-rank) can float beside you in the water, you can loop your leash around it to tether it to your board, or you can set it next to you if there’s space on your board.
- You can do exercises on any board, but wider or [yoga-specific boards](/en/ideal-for/sup-yoga/products/gear/c/gear?q=%3Asales-rank) are more stable and offer more displacement to make your paddling more efficient. Plus they often have space to store your [PFD](/en/ideal-for/watersports+paddleboarding/products/gear/safety-equipment/pfds/c/1398?q=%3Asales-rank), props and any other items you might need (like a [water bottle](/en/products/gear/hydration/water-bottles/bottles/c/1235) or [sunscreen](/en/ideal-for/watersports/products/gear/health-and-safety/sun-protection/sunscreen/c/1219?q=%3Asales-rank&text=)).
- Whether or not you anchor your board while you perform these exercises depends on the water conditions, the moves you want to do, and any hazards that might exist around you. If you want to focus on your workout without worrying about drifting off, then anchoring is a good way to secure peace of mind. Also, if there’s traffic or a strong current, it’s a really good idea to anchor your board or attach some kind of leash rope to a deck or buoy.

### Core
“One of my favourite poses to do with a paddle is the classic – and thematic – boat pose,” says Emily. “Depending on the level of difficulty you want, there are a number of ways to do boat pose. But no matter the level, your core will feel the burn – especially when it’s done on water.”

- Keeping your shins parallel to the ground (bent at the knees, as Emily demos in the photo) is easier than having them straight out.
- To include the paddle in your pose, keep your shins parallel to the ground, and hold the paddle perpendicular to your arms and legs.
- If you want a little extra core work, add movement. Keep your paddle stretched out, perpendicular to your legs, and pulse the paddle up and down. This helps strengthen your core, especially your psoas muscles. These deep core muscles connect all the way to your hip flexors, and help support your posture and provide more stability in balancing poses.

**Bonus:** Incorporating your paddle to an exercise adds an element of balance (which means more core work!). Plus, it solves the problem of where to put your paddle when you’re performing an on-SUP exercise.



### Squats
Chair pose is a great way to get the movement of squats on your board, and is much more challenging than it looks,” says Emily. “Playing around with how far apart your feet are will change the level of difficulty.”

- It’s very important to always keep your weight balanced behind your knees, and to keep your back as straight as possible. Try tucking your tailbone to maintain a neutral spine and discourage your back from arching.
- An option is to raise your paddle above your shoulders at the same time as you lower back into your chair pose, and hold the pose until your legs start to burn.

**Bonus:** To add more shoulder burn, come in and out of your squatting position, lowering and raising your paddle with every up and down.



### Chest stretch
“Paddling is a great way to strengthen your arms and shoulders, so it’s a good idea to balance out all that muscle work with a good stretch,” says Emily. “Bow pose is a great way to open up your chest and is especially fun to do while bobbing around on the waves.”

- Start on your stomach and breathe as you gently lift your chest up with your hands under your armpits. After coming in and out of this gentle warm-up pose a few times, reach behind you and grab your feet with your hands. You will feel yourself naturally rock backwards and forwards with your breath.
- Try not to rely too much on your arms in this pose – pushing your feet against your hands creates a great resistance and helps to work your legs a little more too.

**Bonus:** Because of the rocking that occurs in this pose, it’s also a great way to stimulate your organs, helping to increase their efficiency and flush out toxins.



### Plank
“Plank is one of the all-around best strengthening poses, on and off the water,” says Emily. “These variations allow you to ‘test the water,’ while also challenging your balance.”

- From plank pose (either full plank or plank on your forearms, as shown below), breathe out and lift one leg, moving it off the side of your board. This weight shift will mean your board will be slightly tilted – don’t panic, this instability is great for your core. Dip your toe just over the edge of the board into the water. Breathe out, and return your foot to its original position. As with all exercises, repeat on other side.
- Another plank variation is to reach your leg to the opposite side of the board. Stretch your right leg under your left leg to “test the water” on the left side of the board. Alternate legs and repeat.

**Bonus:**Dolphin plank is a variation where you place your forearms on the board and lift your hips up in the air (almost like a half-plank/half-down dog). The change in angle demands a lot from your core, and it works as a great shoulder opener, which your body will like after all of the paddling.



### Straight up cardio
“In addition to a vigorous paddling session, there are a lot of exercises you can do on a SUP to get your cardio fix,” says Emily.

- **Jump to it**. Instead of just standing up and down as you’re coming in and out of your squat, try adding a jump – it’ll get your heart going and really challenges your balance!
- **Go with the flow**. Move through a fluid sequence of downward dog, plank and dolphin (and repeat) to get your heart pumping and your mind calm.
- **Add a burst.**Interval training is easy to do on a board by repeating short bursts of fast paddling (say 30 seconds), followed by long, strong strokes for two minutes. Do a few repeats of this interval to get your heart going and build your endurance.

**Bonus:**Working out on a moving board helps engage your entire body. The water’s waves and currents add an element of playfulness and extra element to your workout. Not only does it challenge your core, but there’s also the chance of falling out of a pose and into the water. Just think of it as *really* getting to tune into nature.



5 great SUP exercises | MEC Blog

5 great SUP exercises

Years ago, when the MEC spring catalogue arrived in my mailbox, the cover immediately caught my eye. It showed a young woman wading the chest-deep Homathko River, with a mountain bike hoisted overhead. Half the image was taken above the water and half below.



### 

Known in the photographic world as “*under overs,”* I instantly knew I wanted to shoot something similar myself. It just looked so cool!

But how? My first guess was Steve Ogle, the photographer who took the cover shot, had used a waterproof point-n-shoot camera, carefully aligning the small lens with the surface of the river. So I borrowed a buddy’s waterproof camera for a kayak trip and gave it a shot, but no luck. Those early attempts all appeared blurred, and either showed everything above surface, or below – but never a mix.



Next I investigated waterproof housings. Not wanting to invest the thousands required to buy a proper diving case for my DSLR, I decided to risk one of the cheaper ($120) plastic bag-like solutions. (*Note: my camera survived this ‘plastic bag’ experiment, but you must be VERY careful any time you mix cameras and water, for potential disaster is always lurking*!) During a trip to the Hakai on BC’s central coast I captured a few so-so images of friends diving for crabs and starfish, but was ultimately disappointed with the results. I knew something was missing.



Later that year, *Canadian Geographic* assigned me a story on the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s new flagship property, [The Darkwoods](http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/saving-darkwoods). When I heard rumours of streams clogged with bull trout during the autumn spawning run, it provided motivation to explore under-over imagery more thoroughly.

Research revealed under overs require specialized equipment: specifically an oversized dome port, measuring 9in. or more in diameter. Unfortunately, such things don’t come cheap. The housing would cost more than my entire assignment fee, and represent several months of work.  But wanted to nail a great story – it was my first time shooting for the magazine – so I went ahead I ordered an under over dome port from SPL Surf Housings in California.

Weeks later, on the edge of a chilly mountain stream in BC’s southern Selkirk Mountains, I pulled on a damp [neoprene wetsuit](/en/ideal-for/watersports/products/clothing/wetsuits-and-neoprene-clothing/c/1058?q=%3Asales-rank) and then carefully licked my new dome port to prevent it from fogging. Then I slipped in.

Pool after pool I found large bull trout, displaying full fall colours, most 70cm in length or more. How glorious! One apparently fell in love with its reflection, returning again and again to rub against the domeport as I shot! I later described the magic of that day in a column for the [Globe and Mail](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/travel-news/a-wild-chase-for-bull-trout-in-my-own-backyard/article4199332/).



I remain a big fan of under over images. They offer a unique glimpse of the world; one we could never see with our eyes alone, but a vision that feels natural and true. I continue to use my dome port – from travels to the Caribbean island of Saba to sea kayaking in Kyuquot Sound – and anytime I’m near water, I find myself seeking new and inventive under over opportunities.



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MEC Blog

10 tips for great ski photos

Tarp + tent = the ultimate camp set-up

5 great SUP exercises

The world of under over photography