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NEWS
RELEASES - 2006 | 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRO PHOTOGRAPHER SHOWDOWN FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
BY WHISTLER’S TELUS WORLD SKI & SNOWBOARD
FESTIVAL
Action Sport/Lifestyle
Competition Features World’s Best Shooters in Showdown
for $10,000 Purse
WHISTLER, BC , March 7 2007 – Whistler
is gearing up for a clash of the titans, when five of the world’s
best lifestyle and action sports photographers compete in the tenth
annual Pro Photographer Showdown at the TELUS
World Ski & Snowboard Festival, April 18 2007.
Chosen from a stellar showing of international submissions, the finalists for
the tenth annual Showdown, hailing from Norway, Colorado, California, and Vancouver
BC, were announced today.
The five selected photographers will be flown to Whistler for a gala presentation
on April 18, 2007, lured by the bright lights of the Festival, the industry’s
preeminent celebration of action and lifestyle photography and a $10,000 prize
purse.
At the Pro Photographer Showdown, the most dynamic moments in action sports
are captured and mounted, trophy-style, for an appreciative 2000-strong crowd
in a series of self-curated 9 minute multimedia presentations.
The “Best of Show” designation conferred at the renowned photography
expose will see the winner join an alumni that includes Kevin Zacher, Eric
Berger and Aaron Chang, who will judge the Showdown alongside Whistler’s “King
of Light” Paul Morrison, and long-time host of the Pro Photographer Search,
writer and creative mastermind Leslie Anthony.
“The early years of the Showdown were simply our best friends shooting
skiing and snowboarding. Now it's morphed into an iconic and unique celebration
of action sports - surf, skate, bike, AND snow," says Jack Turner, Commissioner
of the Pro Photographer Showdown. "The night of the Showdown is all about
the passion and commitment to the culture of action sports whether you're a photographer,
an athlete, or someone lucky enough to have a ticket to the show."
Throughout its ten year history, the Pro Photographer Showdown has featured
stunning photography from renowned surf photographers Aaron Chang, Jason Childs,
Jeff Divine and Warren Bolster; skateboard gurus J. Grant Brittain and Jon
Humphries; acclaimed mountain bike photographer Sterling Lorence; ski & snowboard
legends Kevin Zacher, Eric Berger, Paul Morrison, Blake Jorgenson, Mark Gallup,
Scott Markewitz, Dave Heath, Vianney Tisseau and Mattias Fredriksson, among
others.
Tickets for the gala event are $20 and available online at www.whistler2007.com/2007/estore
The five finalists are:
Peter Taras – San Clemente based Taras comes by his
boho-creative blood legitimately. His grandfather was a revolutionist photographer
who fought the reds and was hung by Stalin. Having worked as Photo Editor for
Transworld Surf Magazine since he was 24 means Taras spends more time in the
editing suite than out shooting, and his brain is full of shot-lists still
to be captured. Prior to his reign at Surf, he was the youngest photo editor
Surfing Magazine had ever hired, and managed the mag’s photo agency.
He’s been recognized as one of the West Coast’s best water photographers.
Endre Løvaas – This 36 year old Norwegian says he has
no plans to quit his day job as Marketing Manager and Senior Photographer at
Fri Flyt, Norway’s biggest ski and snowboard mag to focus solely on photography. “Shooting
action sports is a small world with many photographers competing for a few
pages of space, so you either have to be really dedicated or really talented.” He
claims he’s neither, but just likes capturing the action with good friends.
He’s shot with Matchstick Productions and produced images that have been
published all over the world.
Nick Hamilton – He’s got the mongrel accent
of a half Finnish, half British, half American guy, with multiple seasons
in the French Alps under his belt. Currently photo editor at TransWorld SNOWboarding
magazine, the 29 year old shutter-veteran edited British snowboard mag White
Lines before moving to Cardiff, SoCal to take up his current role. There,
he earned TransWord a Henry R Luce Cover of the Year special citation. And
still can’t surf worth a damn.
Jeff Curtes – Boulder-based Curtes is the Principal Photographer
for Burton Snowboards, and has been tripping around the world shooting for
Burton since his big break in 1994. He has a degree in political science from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a single credit in photojournalism from
the Agricultural Journalism department and a stash of childhood memories of
snowboarding with his brother Joe in the backwoods of the Wisconsin countryside.
Jody Morris – Before Jody Morris took up photography,
Canadian skateboarders were rarely represented in the major magazines. Vancouver-bred
Morris, who lives more out of a suitcase these days, changed that. He spent
a 10 year stint as senior photographer for Transworld Skateboarding magazine,
and has freelanced for almost every major skateboard magazine in the world,
as well as Men’s Fitness, Transworld Snowboarding and shooting a host
of skateboarding's most iconic and influential ad campaigns, such as DC Shoes,
Etnies, Adio Footwear, Quicksilver, Nixon, World Industries, Dakine, and Tony
Hawk Inc. These days he is the in-house photographer and media director for
the newly revived Plan B skateboards.
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For more information about the featured photographers, visit www.whistler2007.com/2007/photo
Media Notes:
Photos: The attached low-resolution photos are available
for editorial use. If you need publication-ready versions, please contact Lisa
Richardson.
The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival is produced by Watermark
Communications, a Whistler sports & entertainment marketing company, and
presented in partnership with Tourism Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb. Founded
by W1’s Doug Perry twelve years ago, and now the largest annual winter
sports and music festival in North America, the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard
Festival is a high-octane 10 day and night showcase of the best of snowsports,
music, arts and mountain life. Featuring major professional ski and snowboarding
competitions, the largest free outdoor concert series in Canada, the legendary
Pro Photographer and Filmmaker Showdowns, and many more unique art and cultural
showcases, the Festival is the ultimate wrap party. For information on the 2007
TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival , this year from April 13-22, visit
whistler2007.com < http://www.whistler2006.com/ >
Contact:
Lisa Richardson
Communications Manager
Tel: 604 938 3399 x21
Email: lrichardson@watermarkinc.ca
Watermark Communications Inc
10-1006 Lynham Road
Whistler, BC V0N 1B1
whistler2007.com
Fax: 604 938 3398
Endree Lovaas
Jeff Curtes
Jody Morris
Nick Hamilton
Pete Taras
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