Shop Talk: Ski Photography Gear and Tips From the Pros

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Shooting photos of your friends is all fun and games until you get home, load your memory card into the computer, and realize all your photos turned out trash because you got moisture in your lens. That’s the unfortunate reality of photographing in a harsh winter environment in the mountains. It snows, things get wet, and shots get ruined. As someone who’s been shooting in the snow for the better part of a decade, I’ve learned a few things to keep my gear in working condition, plus a few other things to share that might help when you are on-slope trying to get the shot. I also reached out to a few established and award-winning ski photographers about what they had to share on the same topic. So here’s a few tips and tricks about making the most of your day skiing with a camera.

Gear Management

One of the hardest things about shooting skiing is basic gear management. Whether you're shooting on groomers in the resort, or deep in the backcountry, figuring out a good way to carry your gear is essential. Choosing a pack system definitely comes with a lot of personal preference, but a good rule of thumb is you’ll want something with a volume larger than 35 liters, ideally with some sort of padded internal camera compartment. Whether it’s a dedicated camera pack with built-in storage, a ski pack with an internal camera cube, or a chest carry system, there’s a ton of options out there.

Dave Reddick, Powder’s Director of Photography, says, “A top load chest pack is pretty essential for me for moving quickly and efficiently. I typically use Lowe’s chest pack with a custom harness so it stays snug to the chest, and combine that with the F-Stop Tilopa 50L backpack on my back. That chest pack acts as a cantilever to the weight of the backpack, which I've always liked. Even with heavier gear on big shoots, I still try to travel as light as possible.”

Get The F-Stop Tilopa 50L pack here.

Get Lowe's Toploader Chest Pack here.

Professional ski and commercial photographer Stephen Shelesky shares another tip, “Find a bag that really works for you. Since I shoot in the backcountry often, it feels important to have one that allows for proper and quick access to all safety equipment while also not compromising easy camera access.”

As a self-professed pack nerd, I’ve personally never loved any options from dedicated photo brands since they tend to actually be a little too overbuilt and heavy. One pack I’ve found and actually liked is Shimoda Design’s Action X40, which I’ll bring if I’m not moving very far and carrying multiple bodies and lenses.

Otherwise, I’ll typically stick with a weatherproof lightweight ski pack that has a back panel zipper like the Hyperlite Crux 40 or Raide Research LF40 , and either pop a camera cube inside, or just shove my body and lens inside a puffy jacket and be diligent about keeping the pack closed. That allows my safety equipment to be readily accessible, and the pack isn’t so big and bulky that it prevents me from skiing normally.

When shooting in steep terrain where taking a pack on and off could be challenging, I’ll either opt for a top load chest pack, or use a shoulder strap clip like Peak Design’s Capture Clip. That gives me access to my camera very quickly, but does make skiing a bit more challenging since the camera will bounce around on my chest.

Get the Shimoda Designs X40 pack here.

Get the Peak Design Capture Clip here.

How to Keep Your Camera and Lens Dry

There’s no doubt ski photography is tough on equipment, even with weather-sealed modern cameras that are designed to operate in tough conditions.

One thing I’m always thinking about is where my extra batteries and memory cards live. It’s cold out there, so I like to keep my batteries as close to my body as possible, usually putting them in an inside pocket of my mid-layer to keep them warm from body heat. Memory cards need to stay dry, so those go into a small waterproof carrying case in the inside pocket of my pack.

Another lesson I’ve learned the hard way is that every time I take my pack off and put it in the snow, it needs to always stay closed! There’s nothing worse than getting a cover-worthy shot of your friend spraying you with pow, only to look down and realize your pack was wide open and is now filled with snow. That’s a quick way to ruin a shoot, so close your pack, every time!

Shelesky adds, “Lens hoods are crucial in the winter, especially on storm days. While it’s inevitable that I frequently find myself wiping my lens, having a hood on buys a lot of time. As for the body, it’s weather-sealed so I usually let it take the snow and give it a good dry out session once back home.”

On-Mountain Safety and Communication

Any ski day that involves shooting photos quickly complicates logistics, especially if you’re shooting in the backcountry or anywhere with deep-snow hazards. On a powder day, everyone’s frothing to ski their favorite line or stash, but it’s important to take a quick step back and make a plan before diving into the day. Having dialed-in safety protocols and good communication with your athletes will bring the fun factor up immensely by making the day more efficient and safe. That means working with a crew you trust, and also spending time practicing these things on your own time!

If we’re shooting in the backcountry, I need to know everyone in my party is trained in avalanche rescue and is carrying the necessary equipment including a beacon, shovel, and probe. If that’s not the case, we simply don’t leave the resort boundary and we’ll make a different plan. I never place myself on the same slope as a skier if there’s any chance of moving snow, instead using a telephoto lens to zoom in on my subject from a safe spot further away.

When shooting inbounds, I try to avoid crowded slopes-it's both a safety hazard, and you're dealing with unwanted subjects in your shots. Try to find runs with fewer people, or just wait for folks to pass before shooting. Also, DON'T STAND IN THE LANDING OF A JUMP! If you're shooting a park jump, stay to the side of the knuckle. Your skier will thank you when they don't have to land on top of you.

I like to make sure everyone in the crew also has a working radio, especially when shooting inbounds, so we can clearly communicate about conditions, and details on setting up a shot. Yelling is fun and all, but that’s a quick way to miss details and annoy everyone else on the hill. I'm a big fan of Rocky Talkie's 5-Watt GMRS Radio for these purposes.

Get Rocky Talkie's 5-Watt Radio here.

Reddick says, “We shoot skiing because we love to ski and the goal is to travel as lightly and efficiently as possible to not compromise the skiing itself. Having good systems in place allows me to work as quickly as possible for your crew's sake as well.”

Shelesky adds, “In the backcountry I take all of the same safety measures into account as if I were just out skiing with friends and will completely avoid being on slope in avalanche terrain if risk is elevated. In resort, the biggest thing is remaining in line of sight of other skiers when on busier trails, especially since I’m often perched for a good bit of time.”

What Camera Gear Should You Use?

That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Choosing a camera body and lens system is an entirely different topic that I'm not going to breach in this article, but the two general pointers I like to think about when choosing gear for the day are what am I going to be shooting, and how do I want to capture it?

I'll almost never carry more than two lenses and a single body on a day, unless I'm shooting a competition or know there's a specific shot I want that requires a special lens, like a fish-eye or specialty lens of some sort. Typically, I'll carry a single body (I'm a fan of Nikon's mirrorless Z series for their weight, form factor, and image quality), and a telephoto and wide-angle zoom lens.

Shelesky adds, "I always carry my 70-200 lens, it's by far my favorite for snowsports photography, you've gotta have a good telephoto in the bag!"