Christy Chaloux interview
HUCK speaks to photographer Christy Chaloux about her work and involvement in the Still Life with Snow exhibition - a celebration of those photographers who have helped shaped the industry into what it is today.
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HUCK: Could you tell us a little bit about your photos in the exhibition?
Christy Chaloux: The shots I put in the exhibition are pretty simple, they are mostly just a few of my favourite shots from the past couple of years and ones that I think others will hopefully enjoy and be able to relate to in some way.
What inspires you about photography?
The endless possibilities are what inspire me the most. There will always be more places to go, more things to shoot, more people to shoot and endless ways to see things.
How did you get into photography?
I got into photography while working at High Cascade Snowboard Camp. I worked on some marketing projects and was also the special programs manager so I organized the adult camp, women's camp and the photography camp. At the photography camp, I met Trevor Graves who is inspiring the most mellow and low key way. It was Trevor and also Kevin Zacher who encouraged me to pursue photography.
Did you make a conscious decision to photograph snowboarding?
My parents where big surfers and skated a little so those sports have always been a part of my life. And have been consumed by snowboarding for the past 17 years! Shooting was just natural, it's what I know, it's what I love.
Which is more important; technical skill or having an 'eye' for a shot?
I think both are important but you can have a lot of fun and make great photos with a natural eye. With snowboard photography specifically, you really need to know snowboarding in order to shoot it well. I see a lot of kids that spent tons of money on photography school and definitely know a ton of technical stuff, but can barely snowboard themselves. That doesn't really work if you want to shoot snowboarding.
Do you feel that people fully appreciate the work that goes into a shot?
I can't say that I think about that part much. The process is fun for me, sometimes it's a production, other times, it's a snap shot off the side of the road. I like giving the viewer a present. They don't have to worry about the hours driven, the heavy camera equipment carried through waist deep powder at 12,000 feet, the cheese wedge that took us 2 days to build or even the days of scoping it out. I don't expect the viewer to think about what went into making the photo; I just want them to enjoy what they see.
Does the rise of digital make photos more disposable?
More accessible, yes - more disposable, no. I love digital. My first season shooting I shot all on film. Tossing a slide on the floor vs. pushing the delete button has become a similar workflow during the editing process. As for perceived value in the market place, it's my job as a photographer to educate my clients to realize that the end product with digital is even better than it was when I shot film.
What do you do when the snow season is over? Is there anything that you photograph?
My snow season ends in late July because I live one and a half hours away from Mt. Hood where a bunch of summer snowboard camps take place. Each year during the fall I try to work on a non-profit project. I'm super thankful for my photographic abilities and love to serve God with photography. I work with a children's home in Nepal called Sunrise Children's Home, last summer I shot the action sports demo Livin' It for Louis Paula's City test in Portland, Oregon. This Fall I hope to go shoot some stuff in Africa for Open Arms International. I also skate a lot during the summer, so sometimes I shoot my friends skateboarding and hanging out, I've got some really good looking friends. Ha ha!
Christy's work appears at Still Life with Snow photography exhibition opening Saturday May 2nd in The Village at Mammoth, Mammoth Lakes, CA.
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Christy Chaloux interview (text) by Ed Andrews is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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