Wednesday – April 12, 2023
Westin Ballroom
Doors @ 7PM | Show 8 PM – 10 PM
The Sea to Sky Photo Challenge is an awe-inspiring celebration of the craft of action sports photography; bringing together some of the best photographers from the Sea to Sky to share some of their all-time favourite images capturing sport, culture and the human spirit.
Prizes Up For Grabs
$3,000 for BEST IN SHOW
$500 per RUNNER UP
$250 Gibbons Gift Card for PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Meet The Photographers
Ben Girardi
Ben Girardi is a professional commercial and editorial photographer who tells stories in the outdoor space. Ben found his passion for photography in his high school dark room and began shooting snowboarding soon after.
He developed his technical photography skills in university and hasn’t stopped since. Following graduation he moved to Utah looking for bigger mountains and deeper snow. Ben’s work has taken him to mountain ranges around the world. After meeting his Canadian wife in the Argentine Andes he
moved to the Sea to Sky.
His images capture the raw power and beauty of nature with the aim to inspire others to get outside and explore. His passion is the mountains, and if he isn’t shooting, he can most likely still be found in the mountains boarding.
Ben is now a Canadian-American dual citizen and is based in Pemberton.
Jessica Braidwood
Settler situated on unceded Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh and Lil̓wat7úl territory. Raised and based in Whistler BC, mountains and ocean are my biggest sources of inspiration in my life. So too are the people who spend time in them. Photography allows more intimate connection to both. Currently seeking imperfect and
unplanned moments.
Rob Perry
Rob is a Whistler-based U.K. born photographer whose main focus is the outdoors. You will recognize his body of work by his signature tones, high contrast images and, dynamic subjects – athletes and sometimes himself. His ideas come to him when he immerses himself in his surroundings, often going on hearsay or simply getting lost in nature, to find new areas with the potential to shoot from. He loves to experiment with old and new techniques to capture truly unique images. Rob offers his photography services to a variety of brands, never compromising his vision or creative identity.
Spencer Watson
Spencer Watson is a passionate adventure photographer who seeks to capture the moments that surround us. With five years of experience in the field, Spencer has honed a unique style that expertly blends creativity and technical skill.
Throughout his career, Spencer has collaborated with an impressive range of clients, from small businesses to international brands. His portfolio showcases stunning landscape shots, captivating portraits, and beautiful still-life photography. He is dedicated to using his images to tell stories, ensuring that each photograph serves a purpose.
When Spencer isn’t behind the camera, he can be found hiking and exploring new places, always on the lookout for new perspectives to capture. He currently resides in Squamish, BC, where he is surrounded by a supportive community of fellow photographers and friends.
Tyler Ravelle
A 12 year local, Tyler Ravelle grew his career from chasing the professional snowboarder dream, just like all photographers around here. Over time he realized while he may be good at riding, he’s not making the next Olympic team. During this time of chasing snowboard stardom, he always had his camera in hand, documenting all the adventures a life strapped in would take him on.
Overtime it became apparent that he could start making a little money from camera in hand, and he hasn’t let off the gas since. Focusing his energy on action sports and adventure photography, he spends most of his days in the backcountry and is almost always late in responding to emails.
Jeremy Allen
Visual storyteller living in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), BC. Jeremy specializes in action sports photography but is always up for a creative challenge. From the sea, to the sky, capturing moments and creating visual stories that inspire others is his passion. When he’s not shooting, you’ll find him skiing, climbing, and enjoying everything the West Coast has to offer.
Meet The Judges
Abby Cooper
Abby Cooper has over 14 years of experience as a professional photographer specializing in the outdoor industry – specifically remote backcountry locations.
No stranger to judging photos, Abby has previously worn the title of Editor in Cheif at both Snowboard Canada Magazine and SBC Skier. Most recently she has pursued working with her long-standing clients as a creative director producing and shooting brand campaigns.
A big believer in community Abby hosts backcountry connection events with Arc’teryx and Avalanche Canada and has mentored many in the local creative space. Those that know her personally are familiar with Abby’s zest for connecting, creating and uniting both creatives and backcountry users.
In Abby’s simple words, “I’m most alive and creative in the fresh air. I’m a pursuer of too many cups of coffee, big camera packs, dog-friendly outings, and getting off the grid for remote obscure objectives. With over a decade of experience in the outdoor industry, I’ve carved out a career doing what I love – creating, networking, and exploring as a photographer and creative director.”
Anastasia Chomlack
I fell instantly in love with photographing people: their character, expressions and interactions. It opened a whole new world for me of beauty, truth and reflection. When photography started to become a career I waded through the creative confusion of who I thought I had to be as a photographer- and who I actually wanted to be…. I found my way. Telling stories.
Photographing real people in authentic moments, and forgoing overly posed or trendy shots, defined my photography style and ushered in a decade of personal and professional fulfillment.
I live in the mountains with my snow obsessed family. I take photos every day. And I am so grateful for all that this career has offered to me.
Blake Jorgenson
Based in Vancouver, BC, Blake Jorgenson has created still and motion work for many of North America’s leading outdoor, active, and automotive brands, including Acura, Adidas, Columbia Sports, Eddie Bauer, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Nike, Oakley, Patagonia, RAM Trucks, Red Bull, Specialized, The North Face, and Under Armour—clients who are looking for work that has power to inspire and stop people in their tracks. Blake’s background is action photography, and for his commercial work, he believes in meticulously constructing, styling and polishing his images in ways that give them the impact and visual edge of the best spontaneous action shots. For him, this process is a true collaboration between creative and production professionals. Brainstorming, problem-solving and a blue-sky spirit of imagination and adventure are the juice that continually fuels his creative drive.
Mason Mashon
Mason Mashon’s photography draws from a deep well of influence. Growing up in Vernon, BC, and having spent much of his adult life residing in Whistler, BC, he honed his craft in a location known worldwide as the holy grail of action sports. Pursuing the activities he loved, Mashon became one of the most prolific Whistler ski, snowboard and mountain bike photographers in an area saturated with camera talent. Surfing had always been an infatuation for Mason and it was only natural for him to shoot it. A professional mountain biker in his own right, he has often been the subject of others’ lenses and has appeared in magazines internationally. As a presenter Mashon hosted the largest mountain bike festival in the world, Crankworx Whistler, to a crowd of thousands. Starting in 2013 he began hosting an action sports TV show, UnderExposed, that followed his life as a freelance action sports photographer. It is now airing in Canada on APTN, and in the US on Outside TV.
Scott Serfas
Scott Serfas was born in the suburbs of Vancouver where nothing separated him from the North Pole but a stained wooden fence and crushed decretive rock. At age sixteen, he was abducted from high school by an unsuspecting church organization and forced to ski moguls and perform daffy’s off lemmings leap under the 7th heaven chairlift–the original stimulus for Scott’s interest in air time photography.
Overwhelmed by the vast terrain and deep powder of the two mega resorts, Scott escaped the grip of skiing church group to acquire his first snowboard. Later that year he moved into a friends VW van that they would park nightly underground, below the conference center, where they would steal power from the last stall of the third floor to heat the ’73 Westfalia. He subsisted on leftover food from the Rendezvous restaurant a top Blackcomb Mountain and wore clothing left in the lost and found. During the early 1990′s he acquired his first Canon camera when a drunk French-Canadian freestyle skier, being pursued by the RCMP, stashed it along with twenty rolls of unexposed Fuji Provia and a half bottle of
Rye Whiskey in stall number three of the Garfinkel’s washroom. Scott’s destiny was sealed. After exposing all the film shooting up-and-coming professional snowboarders like Devun Walsh, Kevin Sansalone and Rob Dow he mustered enough courage to submit the color slides to Concrete Powder Magazine.
From his first photo published in Concrete Powder his fame grew. He made a fortune and spent it on bottles of Royal Reserve whiskey for the Chesterfield House parties and Jager shots for friends at Tommy Africa’s. In 1998, the worlds largest and most prestigious snowboard magazine, Transworld SNOWboarding, recruited him as a senior photographer. Since that day he has had thousands of photos published for clients worldwide with more than 100 magazine covers to his name.
Today, Scott still shoots full time the sports he loves; Snowboarding, Skateboarding, Surfing and Biking but recently has shifted some focus towards commercial photography working for Clients such as Filson, Red Bull, Lululemon, Whistler-Blackcomb and GQ.
The Evening Will Be Hosted By
Chad Chomlack
Chad is a personable, relateable and down-to-earth guy. These characteristics flow into his work so effortlessly and honestly. The images Chad likes to shoot are often stark and emotional: simple elements held in perfect balance.
Chad lives for discovering other cultures and documenting the stories of strangers’ that soon become friends. He is at peace in the mountains and hopes to share the joy he finds in the back country with those around him.
His 25+ year love affair with snowboarding has seen Chad recently become King of the Storm in the 10th anniversary of Deep Winter. With this title under his belt he shows no signs of slowing down. Chad captures the essence of what it means to be a Whistler legend, including the families and loved once that are of continual support to these legends.
Chad catches honest moments as they unfold and knows that sometimes the best view of the action is from the edge. Never posed, always poised, Chad Chomlack quietly captures the images that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Produced By
Holly Fraser
Holly Fraser is the head, heart and soul of Execution Media Ltd,a Whistler-based boutique production co that works locally and beyond. Execution’s client list includes car companies, clothing lines and adventure gear brands, all of which benefit from Holly’s poise, professionalism and creative instincts that she’s been honing since her days studying photography and media at Ryerson University School of Image Arts.
This year marks Execution’s second time producing the WSSF Photographer Showdown, an event Holly has been drawn to since she moved to Whistler in 2006. Prior to founding Execution in 2011, Fraser worked in creative agencies, ran a photo/art gallery & event space, and traveled the world campaigning to raise awareness for animal rights.
Holly is also the co-founder and co-owner of the outdoor and diversity focused talent site Outsiders Network.
In her free time Holly is usually found playing outside at her home in Pemberton with her 3 year old daughter or out exploring the mountains on her dirt bike, mountain bike, snowmobile or snowboard.
