How does a photographer who makes his living traveling the world and documenting far-flung scenes survive a pandemic that puts the kibosh on all travel? Like many of us, he picked up an old hobby again. Kari Medig, a professional photographer based in Canada, picked up his old Hasselblad film camera and got busy learning more about the art of photography. Here, Medig shares the inspiration behind his pandemic photo project.
SKI: Tell us a bit about your inspiration for this project.
Kari Medig: Leading up to the pandemic, I was busy traveling on ski-related assignments: Michigan, Afghanistan, Hungary, Spain. I was slated to head to Sweden next. But as everyone knows, in the span of a week everything shut down. I’ve been near home since, except for the occasional assignment within BC and Alberta.
Related: Otherworldly scenes from a ski area pandemic closure
At first I was at loose ends. But then I realized it was a great opportunity to take some time to get excited about photography again. I took some courses from photographers I really admired. I read a lot. And most importantly, I spent time looking at the work of some of my favorite photographers. This re-education time led me to this little project.
On the first day of 2021, I decided to get out every day to shoot at least one frame with my Hasselblad film camera. I live near a great ski hill, and spent much of my time wandering the parking lot for images. With strict rules in the lodges, it seemed like the parking lots came alive with interesting scenes: scenes that probably would only happen during these strange times.
Had you been making less time to shoot on film in recent years? Did the pandemic force you to slow down and pick that back up?
The Hasselblad has always been an important tool in my image making, regardless of the pandemic. Although I shoot digital out of necessity, especially for assignments, I’d say that around 90 percent of my site is shot with medium format film.
There’s a look to it I really love, the color and how it renders space. But mostly I like the creative process of shooting with it. Because of the expense of film and also not being able to see right away if you “have the shot,” the camera really forces me to be present and really think about what I’m after. I love the mental zone I get into while shooting it. Not to mention, since it’s not a typical looking camera, people are usually quite curious, which can help to break the ice.
