Caption:

Vars Skier: A skier at Vars in the French Alps catches some air.

Commentary:

After a life-time of denial I eventually gave in and strapped a pair of planks to my feet a couple of years ago and pushed off down the slope straight into another totally addictive sport – alpine skiing.

It ain’t easy learning a new skill – especially one that is counter-initiative like skiing, but when it clicks man, is it a blast! And where better to go skiing, especially if you are a Franco-phile, than La Floret Blanc (a.k.a. Vars/Risoul) in the southern French Alps. For me, skiing has all the advantages of mountaineering but without any of the grief (and effort).

You can be the best photog in the business but if you haven’t a camera with you than you are going to fail; Rule #1 of photography therefore, always pack a camera! However, carrying a DSLR with you when you’re out on the pistes isn’t easy but it is possible with bags like LowePro’s Slingshot series.

The featured shot is totally opportunistic; a grab shot. I saw a group of skiers heading off-piste at Vars and then line up on above a wee small drop. I’d little or no time to get set up before they dropped back onto the pistes so I fired off a series of grab shots with the camera as it was. That’s Rule #2 of photography, always pre-set your camera to suit your likely environment so that you’ll be ready to capture any action at the drop of a hat – or skier for that matter!

Capture Notes:

Nikon D300, 18-200mmAFS f3.5-5.6G, 1/500secs @ f11, ISO 200

Keywords:

Vars, France, alpine skiing, action photography, LowePro camera bags