This image was created while backcountry skiing at Keefer Lake Lodge Catskiing in British Columbia, Canada, with the goal of producing a dramatic, high-impact portrait of a guest in a real mountain environment rather than a staged or studio-controlled scenario. I wanted to give the skier a powerful, cinematic look that stood apart from typical natural-light ski imagery—something bold and memorable they could take home from their trip and proudly share or print.

Artificial flash was essential to achieving this look. I used two Godox AD200 strobes, both running at full power in midday conditions. One strobe was mounted to a chest harness, while the second was rigged to the skier’s avalanche airbag pack. Shooting on a Nikon D850 in HSS, I underexposed the ambient light by approximately two stops to darken the scene and create separation from the background. Both strobes were aimed downward into the snow, using the snow itself as a massive natural reflector. This allowed me to wrap light upward onto the skier in a way that felt directional yet organic, while still clearly showcasing the benefits of flash in a harsh, high-contrast alpine environment.

Balancing ambient exposure with full-power strobes was the primary technical challenge. I was intentionally pushing the scene darker to help the skier pop, but still needed to maintain enough detail in the landscape to preserve the sense of place. Weather and temperature were constant variables—cold conditions affected both batteries and handling, and everything had to work reliably in a remote backcountry setting. Logistically, the shoot had to be fast and efficient. I was skiing with a group of 14 guests, and I only had time for a single lighting setup that could be deployed quickly without slowing down the day’s program. Despite those constraints, the final image delivered a unique, flash-driven look that stands apart from traditional ski photography and translates especially well to large-format metal prints.
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