Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race

I found out two days ago that I will be the official photographer for the Wengen Patagonian Expedition Race in the southern most part of Chilé, IE only about a two hour flight from Antarctica! I entered a photo contest put on by Wenger and National Geographic kind of on a whim. I did not expect to win. But when I landed in Salt Lake City on Thursday, I received a voicemail by a lady named Ann that I could barely hear. Something about, "Congratulations," and "You're going to Chilé." She called me back and let me know what was going on. I am in Utah for the Outdoor Retailer Tradeshow, and she told me to find Denis at the Wenger booth. Denis explained the race to me a bit better and connected me with Michael Clark, who has photographed the race for the last three years. You can read his account of the 2009 race here.

I am super excited to go to Chilé and photograph this race, but nervous for the toll it will take on my equipment. (Michael related some horror stories about the environment he's endured, and the gear he has ruined.) This is a great opportunity, and I cannot wait to take off. 

Breckenridge Portfolio Shoot

I've heard it said, "You will never get hired for the type of work you want to shoot. Shoot the type of work for which you want to get hired." Basically, you can't wait for clients to go out on a limb and hire you to do a project that you have no proof you can complete.

At the end of this week I am going to the Outdoor Retailer Tradeshow in Salt Lake City to show my outdoor adventure portfolio to potential clients. When I made the decision at the end of December to go I had nothing to show in the "Snow" area of my portfolio. I couldn't assume that winter sports companies would hire me based on my rock climbing portfolio, so I headed to Colorado. I contacted several resorts outside of Denver, and Breckenridge responded positively. They allowed me to shoot and even got me in contact with several skiing and snowboarding professionals to use as models. I cannot thank Austyn and Missy enough for all the help they provided me.


Jake Black hitting the terrain park at Breck

Don't stop there! More Photos After the Break!