Stock Shoot – Skiing & Snowboarding in Sun Valley, ID
The photographic world presents copious opportunities to shoot stills to pay the bills. Stock photography is one particular avenue that countless photographers pursue in a quest for their daily bread and butter. Steve Smith Photography (the company that I proudly work for), has made stock photography a pivotal piece of the business from day 1. However, we often put stock production on our back burner due to a plate chalked full of other impending photographic business. Back in December we decided to rekindle our stock production. Steve had recently been anxious to shoot video again and felt that our newest stock project should incorporate the medium. A few phone calls later and Steve had his former production partner and co-founder of Rocket Clips, Mark Adams on board for our adventure. A few weeks later and we were set and ready to produce a synergistic photo/video, skiing/snowboarding shoot.
Sun Valley has been a favorite spot for us for over twelve years. It’s 6,000′ elevation and close proximity to the Boulder/White Cloud/Sawtooth mountains makes it an epicenter for for mountain recreation activities, perfect for our skiing and snowboarding shoot.
Our first day had us starting from Willy and Louise Breen’s residence in Huelen Meadows. Just beyond their backyard was a great little slope for a few action shots. All of the athlete models ripped up the diverse terrain even with the crusty snow conditions.
With a successful morning under our belt and a hearty lunch in our stomachs we jetted out to our second location. North of Ketchum lies a limitless winter wonderland playground. A local favorite nicknamed “Bubble Land” was our second. Stop. We tore through another set of blue bird action shots just in ahead of the impending clouds. All in all it was an flawless first day back on the horse.
Our second and final action day came far too quickly as the 5:30 alarm blared on. This day was set to include another series of action shots, this time a bit further up the road towards Galena Summit. Softer snow and more sunny skies lit up the stage for these riders to shine.
The afternoon had us on Bald Mountain with some of the talented freestyle team members showing off their skills. The never ending energy and witty personalities made these guys a real treat to shoot. After all was said and done, we walked away with more than a handful of great video clips and still shots.
I can’t wait to get on board for the next winter action stock shoot.
All images copyright of Ray J. Gadd and Steve Smith Photography.
BEAUTIFUL !!!!