Powder Mountain Private Lessons

We love Powder Mountain and the fun, laid back vibe that is prevalent at this Northern Wasatch gem.  With a new expansion into Mary's Bowl this resort now has even more terrain to match the desires and skill levels of every skier and boarder.  Powder Mountain Snowsports asked me to create this video to promote their private lessons which features touring skiers and boarders around the 9000+ acres of terrain.  Thanks to the skiers and staff who helped make this video.

GIVING BACK: SCOTT HOFFMAN

An Ogden local and a well known name in the ski racing community, Scott Hoffman, ex-US ski team member and NCAA National Champion, enjoyed a long ski racing career that included years as a successful pro ski racer. After retiring from racing, Scott struggled against his addictions, and his life spiraled down a path from which he thought he could never escape. After spending a year in prison, Scott emerged sober and with a new inner peace. He has dedicated his life to giving back to society, the skiing community, and people who are currently fighting to overcome their own addictions.

Scott and I worked on this video over the past nine months and hope you enjoy the video as much as we did making it. Please share it with others who you think would be inspired by Scott's short story of finding his way.

MOAB: A FAMILY, A VAN & A DRONE

After our recent wave of snow storms, it seems like last week happened so very long ago with its brown landscapes, warm temperatures, and noticeable lack of snow.  We had just cancelled our reservations in Sun Valley for Thanksgiving and quickly pondered our options.  It didn't take us long to realize all our collective thoughts lead us to the same conclusion; a van trip to Moab.

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner at home in the Wasatch, then set off early the next day. Putting our lives in the hands of our teenaged daughter, she steered Miss BAV'y southward, but her awesome mix tape kept our nerves calm (distracted?) and our spirits high.  In less than 5 hours we were on a hike to see an arch.  The trip ended up being a quick whirlwind of fun times (despite being woken up by a highway patrol officer and told we had to move to a campground...is sleeping in a big white van actually camping?, I ask).

The trip also allowed me to test a few settings on my drone.  The Phantom 4 is so much better than previous models with its biggest advantages over older models being ease of use, reliability, and an integrated camera without the distortion of a GoPro.  The MOAB video is nothing more than a fun excuse to practice my drone "flying" skills and my drone editing skills.  All footage was shot in 4K at 24fps.  In hindsight I should have shot it in 30p for smoother pans.  In the future I want to test the 1080p60 and 1080p120 modes, but the draw to shoot 4K all the time is just so darned appealing I don't know how soon I'll get to those modes.

ZEAL OPTICS: Skier Dave Rosen

Despite losing his way during his 20s, Dave Rosen never lost his love for skiing. Sober and motivated, Dave is determined to make up for lost time. 

Dave reached out to me a couple years ago, and we agreed to meet at Powder Mountain, Utah one day to see if we had the chemistry to make a good working team.  I was blown away by Dave's abilities as a skier, especially his eagerness to hit big jumps off piste, but even more so I was impressed by his professionalism and desire for perfection. That first day of skiing together went so well that we're been working together regularly to create photo and video media.

Over time Dave told me how his addiction to alcohol had taken over his life, but how he'd been sober for several years after seeking help through Alcoholics Anonymous.  I thought he had a story worth sharing, but I didn't want to simply shoot a "talking head" documentary.  I approached him with the idea of this video with a voiceover, no obvious interview, and the video stylistically being divided into two parts.  

Dave embraced the concept and over several days we were able to get a lot of great shots in the park and off piste at Powder Mountain.  I don't normally shoot in the park, so it was a fun challenge doing multiple laps shooting various angles in slow motion and with the camera stabilizer in an effort to best show Dave doing his thing.

We're looking forward to this season, and we already have plans to shoot throughout Northern Utah.

Thanks to ZEAL Optics, Powder Mountain, and Grass Sticks for their support.

Snowbasin Avy Dogs

Dogs on snow in slow motion!...who doesn't love that?  On the same day they announced their opening day for the 2016-17 season, Snowbasin Resort also officially released this video we created featuring "The Avy Dogs of Snowbasin."  Thanks to the Snowbasin Ski Patrol for all their help putting this together.  They're a great team who works really hard to keep us safe, and they'd love it if you said "hi" next time you see them up on the mountain. It's officially time to start getting excited for winter!

SKILOGIK RIP

Sadly, SKILOGIK has closed its doors. We were happy to partner with this company over the past several seasons to help promote their gorgeously designed wood inlay skis. Their products were works of art and skied like a dream.  We'll miss their company, their products, and the people who worked so hard to promote such a well made, independent brand.  We hope everyone involved with the company finds an equally fulfilling, creative outlet to work at within the outdoor industry.  Thanks for the years of excellence!

Summer Travels

During the last months of freezing temperatures, when the mountains are still sheathed in white, my mind wanders about imagining the upcoming summer with its excursions deep into the same mountains free of snow, accessible along dry trails, and cut by clear waters full of hungry trout.  Well, summer is here and it has been another one full of adventures and wanderings - Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.  

The season is fleeting and the focus is on fun, family, and friends...and a Sprinter van conversion, but that's a story for another day.  This summer I scaled back the amount of video I shot and have been working on taking better photos.  Whether that happens, I don't know, but in the meantime, this summer has been a fun one.

Now it's time to get in one or two more backpacking trips, start dreaming of winter, and finish editing the various projects that need to be done before the start of the 2016-17 ski season!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Deer Valley Summer 2016

Thanks again to Deer Valley Resort for their trust in me to create two graphics based ads for their national online ad campaign for #deervalleysummer.  This one is the fifteen second ad.  The thirty second ad can be viewed HERE.  Both ads were created in After Effects CC.

Rosa's Cafe

Rosa's Cafe is one of the most recent additions to Ogden's thriving culinary scene.  This tiny restaurant on Washington Avenue opened last year, and since then Momma Rosa and family have delighted guests with their homemade recipes made with only the freshest ingredients.  Chile Verde burrito, Chile Colorado smothered, the weekly Mole Special...it's all delicious.  It's no secret among my family and friends that this is my absolute favorite place to eat.  

I love this hard working family, and yesterday I shot the first footage for a video telling the story of how Rosa's Cafe came to be.  Look forward to the finished video in the months ahead.  In the meantime, head down to 2660 Washington Boulevard, ask Ida what she recommends, and enjoy the best Mexican food in Northern Utah.

DEER VALLEY 2015-16 SKI SEASON

The 2015-16 ski season is drawing to a close at Deer Valley Resort, and it was a memorable season in many ways.  I feel fortunate to be a part of promoting this superior resort through video, and I've had a fun season getting to know a wide cross section of the staff; they truly are the heart of the operation and the real reason why Deer Valley has been voted as one of the top ski destinations in the world.  

Winter is Ending?

2015-16 has been a great winter and I'm sad to see it ending so soon.  I've been busy doing a lot of work, not all of it is "ready for primetime" quite yet.  Since I haven't posted in over a month, I thought I'd post this quick trailer for a short film I'm making with Dave Rosen.  Since the New Year I've been primarily with my new Sony FS5, and while I miss great auto-focus for use with the Ronin stabilizer, I'm loving the camera in every other way -- the quality 10-bit 422 picture in 1080p, the 240 fps slow motion, and the well designed ergonomics of the camera are just a few of the reasons I love it.  All in all, I'm very happy with the investment.

I was fortunate enough to create a short video for the Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports non-profit.  What a great group of people and what an inspiring program!

I've been fortunate enough to continue my relationship with Deer Valley Resort.  I've been shooting quite a lot of video for Deer Valley Resort (and a little at Solitude, too) this season, adn the following video is one I put together for the Deer Valley sales team.  The other two videos, edited by The Ski Channel, feature a lot of the b-roll I shot this season.

NUDOWN

While videography is my primary focus, over the past few weeks I've been shooting photos for the Reno-based brand NUDOWN.  The company makes upscale outerwear with an internal air baffle system.  This system allows the wearer to completely control their warmth on the fly by adjusting the amount of air in the insulating baffles.  Here in Utah you can find these jackets for sale at JANS in Park City.

Snowbasin Powder Alert

Here's a short video I created for Snowbasin Resort to announce when powder skiing is in the forecast at the mountain.

Skiing Shots Using Sony FS5 and DJI Ronin Stabilizer

I've been learning how to use my new Sony FS5 camera, and this week I built up the confidence to put it on the Ronin stabilizer.  My goal was to get moving shots of a skier as I skied around them down the same slope.  Some shots worked out perfectly, others not so well. Overall, the combination is a perfect one for what I'm looking for in a camera setup.  I made this edit for Powder Mountain ski area and it consists of just one uncut shot of skier Jim Forster descending off of Lightning Ridge and me traversing, panning, and then skiing after him.  I liked how the shot started looking up hill, then turned to reveal the ski area at the base of the hill.  I look forward to capturing more shots like this in the coming weeks.

The video below is from a test shooting at 240fps with the Sony FS5 camera. 

A Great Wasatch Winter

While I've been focusing on shooting video, it has still been fun to capture some photos of everyone enjoying the wonderful snowstorms we've enjoying along the Wasatch this season.  I have quite a few video projects at various levels of completion, so I thought I'd post some sample photos to prove I've been outside "working" hard the past couple weeks.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

#DeerValleyMoment

I was fortunate enough to again team up with the marketing department at Deer Valley Resort to create a video kicking off their 2015-16 ski season.  Not only did I shoot video on their opening day, I also interviewed the General Manager, Bob Wheaton, who shared his own #DeerValleyMoment.  Thanks to Deer Valley for their support and professionalism.

SKILOGIK 2015 VIDEO

I just completed a compilation video for the SKILOGIK ski company.  Check it out to see some amazing athletes enjoying their SKILOGIK skis around the world.

A JUST FOR FUN VIDEO

There's no better way to express our excitement for the upcoming ski season than with sharing the words of our family's very own snow professional.  Lucy adopted us quite a few years back and our lives have never been the same since.  Her energy and enthusiasm is an inspiration to us all.  Pray for Snow!

photo credit: Richard Tilton (@richardtilton)

And She's Dope Too Kickstarter Campaign

Well, today was the start of the 30 day "And She's Dope Too" Kickstarter campaign.  The company creates fun, athletic clothing for women while supporting great causes to benefit the environment, as well as people in need worldwide.  For their latest project they teamed up with artist Rachel Pohl to design and sell shirts where all the proceeds went to support mothers in post-earthquake Nepal.

Jenn and Taylor Killian are the real deal -- fun, outgoing, socially conscious, and committed to creating a successful brand focused on encouraging women to get together and get outdoors.  Take a look at the video, and if you like what you see think of heading over to their Kickstarter page and donating (http://kck.st/1OGyt1O). 

Full Page Powder mountain photo

A photo I took of Dave Rosen on our first day skiing and shooting photos last season was selected by Powder Mountain for their full page ad in the SkiUtah magazine.  We're excited about the news and are already looking forward to another great season coming up soon.