Media jobs in the ski industry?

[.Steezy-McGee.]

I've just been wondering what the competition is for media jobs within skiing, specifically photography. If anyone has any personal experience in photographing for a ski magazine or something alike then it'd be awesome if you could reply with any bit of information. Thanks!

 

[ascent_studios]

My experience so far and what I have heard from many others:

You have to work your ass off. Often times working a full time job to keep you afloat while you take trips to photograph skiing while you can. Its pretty much non-stop work all the time to get that one shot that maybe might possibly make it into the magazine.

Or you save up for a while and then bum, living in your car while you photograph skiing

Good luck if you take that route op!

 

[cydwhit]

-Get a job that makes it so that you can afford to eat

-Shoot your butt off and self promote really hard

-Develop more skills than just pushing buttons on your camera at the right time

-Hustle harder than you imagined was possible

-Work to create strong relationships with athletes and brands and media outlets

Do all that really well and maybe get payed enough to put hot dogs in your ramen

 

[eheath]

It's all about connections and relationships. Network with people, work for free, let people know you're a hard worker.

 

[chris.goodhue]

From what I have seen

- lots of work (shooting/ filming) and self promotion

- the right connections

- really tough to make it a full time gig

- a bit of luck

 

[WPoch]

BS in cine + photography here OP. I go to a school that basically makes connections for me, but like everyone else said, even if you do go to a good school, you have to work hard af and be FULLY committed into going into that career. I know I won't be making huge money when I get out of school, but you will still have to grind hard, look for internships, market yourself, and make connections with the right people who could get you into the job.

 

[.Steezy-McGee.]

Thanks for all the responses. Im doing all I can to learn as much in possible in school right now, along with shooting daily (or nearly every day). Also may have just picked up a first gig for filming so we'll see how it goes. Not for skiing but at this point that doesnt even matter.

Does anyone have personal experience stories? Like how you got to where you may be now? Or what you're doing now to reach a goal on filming/photographing?

Responses so far have been a lot of help, thanks!

 

[grantwhitty]

Honestly working for free is huge, it doesn't sounds appetizing, but it is well worth it.

 

[cultrara]

Does anyone have personal experience stories? Like how you got to where you may be now? Or what you're doing now to reach a goal on filming/photographing?

I'm a graphic designer, so its definitely a different path than film/photo, but the concepts of getting inside the industry are the same.

I knew I wanted to do design in the ski industry when I was in high school, so I had plenty of time to aim myself in that direction.

The first design stuff I did was for contests, which overall are bad for designers, but are good for practicing and improving.

In college I started animating Mashed Potatoes, which was a huge help when I started looking for internships because I had work online that people were familiar with. I highly recommend working on a passion project because it makes you better at your craft and gets your name out there.

I also started freelancing in college. Freelancing is just about the best way to start out because you meet a ton of people and you are forced to sink or swim. You'll learn about getting screwed, how to prevent that, and the importance of good communication.

Each summer I did design internships in or closely related to the ski industry. 90% of these internships were not advertised. I looked up cool places and gave them a call asking to be an intern. Get comfortable reaching out to people, the worst they can say is no.

Most of these internships were also unpaid. I absolutely hate unpaid internships because they are unethical and usually illegal. However, the money I would have made doesn't compare to the experience and connections I gained. Unpaid work blows, but sticking through it is worth it. If you feel like you're being taken advantage of, you probably are. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask for payment, I've had 50/50 success on this.

When I started applying for jobs I realized it was a numbers game. Designers, photographers, and videographers are a dime a dozen, and many are way better than you/me. With jobs being posted online, there can be hundreds of applicants. 70% of the time you'll never get an email back. This sucks, but don't let it dissuade you. Apply to as many jobs as you can.

For job applications, its important to have a cohesive resume, cover letter, and portfolio package. Brand yourself but don't go overboard. I once got an interview simply because the business was impressed by the organization and consistency of my application. If you want help formatting your resume, feel free to hit me up.

One last note: Never, ever, burn a bridge. The ski industry is incestuous. Everyone knows everyone. You may think you'll never see someone again and you'll end up working with them years later. There have been times where I was screwed over and was tempted to let my anger get the best of me. Refrain, your connections are your strongest assets for surviving in this industry.

 

[ascent_studios]

Does anyone have personal experience stories? Like how you got to where you may be now? Or what you're doing now to reach a goal on filming/photographing?

thought I'd share my story.

It all began 6 years ago with my friends when I was in 6th grade. I had my GoPro Hero 2 and me and my friends would make ski edits (Pretty much just us skiing around). I thought it was a liability like I HAD to get the footage. A year later we started skiing park and I was always way to scared to do any tricks so my friends would give me their gopro to film them. I kind of hated it. I wanted to be on the other side of the lens but I didn't have the balls to do any tricks (Kind of glad about this now).

This next part is gonna sound really cheesy but it's true; we were skiing one day at Mt. Sunapee and we were in the main park. It was like 3:30 and we were all tired but we decided to take one more lap. My friend made me film him on the rail so I took the go pro and set up next to the rail. He skied over and I kind of got a low angle of the rail. The sun rays were shining around my friend while he was on the rail and that night when I watched the shot I thought it was so sick and filming immediately lodged itself into my heart.

That spring I had no money but I really really wanted a DSLR. Luckily my mom saw what I was doing as a really cool way to pass the time so she bought me my first DSLR, a Canon 100D. (I still have it for photography and a second camera). I began watching a shit ton of tutorial videos on youtube and made a ton of tramp edits with it that summer. I bought a shitty fake glidecam and a $30 tripod and I just made videos. That summer I watched Supervention and I became so hyped for the season. When ski season came around I didn't get to go skiing much at all. I only made 1 edit from that season on my dslr and that was it. That summer I bought a better mic, lens and lights. I made my first two paid films and began to really make a name for myself.

Last season was when I really really fell in love with skiing. Again I only got to film twice but one of them was at the Gathering at Loon. Filming skiers that are on another level compared to who I usually film with was awesome. I began to realize where I really needed work and I started to fix the problems with my filming and editing. Then come summer I went to Momentum during session 5 to film. I filmed with a bunch of the pros there and I made a ton of connections. I also hustled hard all summer and I reeled in about $3000 from my job as a lifeguard. I bought a Sony FS100, a new glidecam and a new tripod.

Fast foward to present day and now my connections from Momentum are helping a ton. I don't want to give too much away for this season but I have plans to film more than ever with pros and amateurs alike and I also have my first paid jobs in filming skiing coming my way from 3 separate companies. The point is to work your ass off and you'll see results. Don't be afraid to ask questions or talk to new people because you never know where you'll find yourself in a few months or years as happened to me this summer at Momentum

 

[jaylib]

I studied Graphic Design in school, and just landed a new job as a Content Manager for a resort in Colorado. I've done a lot of freelance work, as well as a good corporate job, and got lucky getting into the industry. I had ridden with a lot of this resort's athletes and took photos and videos that the resort has shared which helped!

 

[Sklar]

I don't think I've "made it" by any definition really, but I've definitely learned a lot about what it takes since I picked up a camera.

I got my first DSLR my junior or senior year of high school, and that's about when I decided that I wanted to be a photog. I'm going to jump straight from there to one of my biggest pieces of advice, you have to put yourself out there, period. You will fail, you will have angry clients, my first paid gig was a disaster, but you have to keep taking chances and learning.

My freshman year of college, I hit up Schmuck (who was still at NS at the time) and asked if I could get a credential for Dew Tour through NS. I had never really talked to him before, but here comes lesson #2, the answer is always no, unless you ask. From there I became involved in the first NS photo program, and I'm still working with NS now.

I'm super glad I went to college, and not for photography, I got a business degree. You can learn all of the technical skills you need through the internet, asking people who are better than you, and listening. College pretty much gives you four years to send it, and really push hard to take advantage of every opportunity you can outside of the classroom, assuming you have the ability to prioritize and take care of your shit. If you can't handle that, you're not going to make it far anyways.

I graduated a semester early from college. By that point I had realized that I was probably not going to be able to make it happen as a photog. I don't think I'm good enough to be one of those top 5-10 guys that actually make a decent living shooting skiing/action sports/adventure photos. Could I be there if I keep trying? Maybe.

That's where the business degree comes back in, as well as the experience I've gained along the way. I started my own business, I've made lots of contacts in the industry, I can produce content, I have a list of clients etc. Most kids straight out of college? Maybe they did an internship or two. At this point, I still love taking photos, but it's just another tool that I have. That along with my education and network has led me to a job copywriting at evo, and still freelancing.

Biggest lessons:

1) Put yourself out there, make mistakes, but LEARN from them. No one is going to hand you anything.

2) The answer is always no, unless you ask. Want to shoot X Games? Hit up every media outlet, apply for a credential under your own brand, don't get a credential and sneak in etc.

3) Seek out and embrace feedback. Take nothing personally and seek real, harsh criticism