Behind the Photo Annual: Doug LePage

Published August 17, 2001 07:08PM

Are you a good skier?
I’d like to think so. I get myself into some tight spots to get the images I want. If I were a complete hack, I probably wouldn’t be answering this.

What kind of skiing do you most like to do?
POWDER! And backcountry and sledskiing.

Who’s your favorite skier to shoot?
Moss Patterson, Kirk Jensen, or my son Stu. They always work hard and do the right thing in the right spot for the shot. They almost always see what I’m looking for, even before I ask.

What’s your favorite resort to shoot at?
Whitewater, B.C., because it has such great backcountry that lends itself well to photos. Oh, and one other important ingredient…SNOW, and lots of it!

How did you get into photography?
I started shooting my friends back in the ’80s (brutally, I might add), got addicted, and just can’t seem to kick the habit. I’m self-taught (the film companies loved me for that) and I now seem to have it figured out well enough.

Talk about your photo shown above in SKIING’s 2001 Photo Annual.
There’s a tight little pass on a touring route not far from Whitewater that has neat little cliffs on either side of the draw that the trail passes. You can climb up one side and shoot straight across at the other. It gives a bit of a different perspective than the normal side or underneath angle.

What do you look for in shooting skiing action shots?
Light, angles, background, and something pleasing to the eye.

Do you shoot photos with the intent of capturing something in particular or do you go through your slides afterwards and try to fit what you’ve done into the parameter of a magazine?
I generally try to capture the moment or beauty of whatever action is going on. Unless I’m on assignment, I rarely try to shoot just to fit a format.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had in your photo career?
It was March of 1994 at Prospector Cornice in Whitewater, B.C. It was bluebird. I was with Kirk Jensen, Heath Lockhurst and our now-deceased bud Eazy Engleman. Jensen was going massive, Lockhurst gave himself a huge black eye, and Engleman flashed the face in two turns. It was magical!

Describe your craziest photography experience.
It was this past winter at Kicking Horse Resort, B.C. — it was the scariest snowpack I’ve ever seen! We would shoot only on the slopes that the locals had settled out (read: ripped to the ground) a couple of weeks earlier. It was an adventure, for sure!

What other equipment do you bring with you?
Just lenses and occasionally a monopod or tripod.

What do you see yourself shooting in the future? Is there anything else you’d like to do?
That’s a hard one, I like doing this photography, but I could see myself shooting moving pictures.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know? This is your opportunity to tell us anything.
Yeah…I’m always available for assignment…wink, wink, nudge, nudge.