The Funemployed...

So with this cutthroat world of photography there is a lot of competition for original ideas, especially those that can be translated to a large audience of viewers and readers. I had one such experience working with TIME magazine and a project that I had dubbed "The Funemployed." Spoke with a photo editor there about the idea and she seemed to really be into it. I also went as far as to conduct the shoot on my own for them and hopefully they would print it or at least allow me to consult. The shoot went off without a hitch and the art was exactly what I had envisioned. I was told to hold onto the photos for the next issue, but when the next issue came... I saw that it was the exact idea that I had presented to TIME earlier in the year. At least i know that I can think on the same levels as the big guys... perhaps next time they'll give a young gun a shot before just stealing his idea, maybe.

- JD

Here are a few from the shoot...

 

 

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The Oakley Test...

Got a call from my agent saying that Oakley might be interested in me to shoot some of their winter lifestyle stuff. They hire guys to shoot all manner of winter activities from drinking PBRs around a bonfire to hucking cliffs in the Andes. But they also do this for every season and they were curious to see if I can do any summer stuff. So I called up a friend of mine Will Konczynin who I know to be quite the wakeboarder and we went on a little excursion this past weekend. 

- JD

Here's a few from that.

 

 

As always you guys can check out the WEBSITE here... www.JamesDouglasStudio.com

Follow me on TWITTER here... www.twitter.com/TheJamesDouglas

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Shootin with Shields...

With the new studio in tow I've had a bunch of my friends and friends of friends contact me to help them with their photo needs... its been an incredible time having all of you guys come by so here's a couple of my favorites from the last few weeks.

- JD

 

 

As always you guys can check out the WEBSITE here... www.JamesDouglasStudio.com

Follow me on TWITTER here... www.twitter.com/TheJamesDouglas

And LIKE something decent for once...  www.Facebook.com/TheJamesDouglasStudio

The James Douglas Studio

So many of you have been made aware of the fact that I've been talking about getting my new photography studio for years now... I've been looking and looking and found nothing that even peeked my interest until I found this place. Studio work has its ups and downs but as you can see, the new space is really doing wonders for my work and my sanity. Thanks so much to everyone who helped me out and come on by to visit. Here's a couple shots from Kate Powell's photo shoot we did just yesterday.

- JD

 

 

 

As always you guys can check out the WEBSITE here... www.JamesDouglasStudio.com

Follow me on TWITTER here... www.twitter.com/TheJamesDouglas

And LIKE something decent for once...  www.Facebook.com/TheJamesDouglasStudio

New Diggs...

As some of you may know, I have been looking for a new space to call my own and I'm proud to say that I have found it!! Its a 1600sf studio in downtown NYC. I'll be uploading pics and new work in there this August. My collaborative nature is giving me the urge to work with other artists and have the space be communal as much as possible. With the connections I have made so far here in New York I can't imagine it being difficult to fill the space with creative minds. Here's a pic I took with the handy dandy iPhone... more details to come soon.

James

The Skydiving Shoot

I'm always asked "How the hell do you get to where your photos are taken??" Most of the time my response is exactly the same... 'its all about who you know'. In this case it was my friend and fellow ski bum Adam Teel who brought me to his brother's drop zone, The Freefall Loft in PA. Having friends in such extreme places can help you get those unique shots that others simply don't have access to. With that said, here are a couple of the shots from that time I fell outta an airplane, for the second time. Thanks so much to Adam and Aaron Teel (both shown below) for allowing me to ride along and take these amazing photos.

- JD

 

 

As always you guys can check out the WEBSITE here... www.JamesDouglasStudio.com

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Livin' Your Dream

Visitors come to Solitude, walk through this village and often think to themselves “How cool it would be to live here!!” Well folks I’m here to answer that question for you and the answer is… just as cool as you think it would be. I’ve been a resident here in the Solitude Village for two winters now and can tell you without a doubt that living here is everything you hoped it would be and more. The people are so incredible and accepting that all it might take is one lift ride to make a new friend for life. My family has owned a condo here in Powderhorn Lodge for about 8 years. But only recently have I begun taking full advantage of this opportunity. I’ve been a photographer for 5 years now and been skiing for 22 of my 24. Naturally I decided to put these two together, and Solitude Mtn. Resort has been the perfect setting to do so. There are the obvious plusses that come from being able to ski for an entire season. Watching my pass cross the 100-day threshold is very exciting and a milestone in this Skibum’s heart. There are the joys of getting that first chair on a fresh powder day and every subsequent face shot. I sometimes like to take a day off to simply relax around the village and grab a leisurely lunch, dip in the hot tub or shoot some pool over at the club. Being able to take a day off is a luxury that most people don’t get on a four-day ski vacation. Not to mention that all the hiking and powder turns definitely have a positive and exciting effect on certain parts of the human form. You want to talk about getting in shape… try hiking between 8,000 and 10,000 feet for 5 months. Although there are many more reasons why living here in the village is so special, these are two main bonuses to living on this mountain that I have personally experienced.

1) You get to know the people.

We all see the Hosts in front of the Stone House, the liftie that bumps your chair, and even the occasional ski patroller making the mountain safer for all. But what you may not notice are the other hardworking individuals that don’t stick out so much. The guy loading up a snowmobile for the Yurt, the cat drivers who provide you with corduroy each and every morning, or those wonderful and quirky locals, some of which live closer to the mountain than I do!! I even had the privilege of hosting the Canyon Poker Tour in my Condo just last week. You may not recognize most of these fine folks but they’re out there. And if you really want to get to know some of them, pop into the Thirsty Squirrel and look for the Jameson, it’s a dead giveaway.

2) You get to know the mountain.

I know each of you reading this remembers a time when you watched someone ski down some slope that you thought was unreachable, that was me. Or those crazy guys you saw hiking up Fantasy Ridge (look up from the top of summit chair), that was me, and some of my friends. These friends of mine are the locals here and often work at the resort… see above. Solitude is full of little hikes and traverses that lead to all things powder. There’s the Gild Line, Shot 22.5, Davenport or Flannigans. If you can manage to befriend one or two of these locals, you’re in. Being able to call/text a certain group of people to know exactly when a rope is going to drop is an invaluable resource. Being able to get the skinny on what’s going on in the backcountry from people who have actually been there, means safer skiing for all. You’ll get to know what EGP means, how to safely find the “Cathedral”… or someone might even let you know where the “Who nose” is, but then again who knows? I’m not telling.

- JD

 

 

As always you guys can check out the WEBSITE here... www.JamesDouglasStudio.com

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The Real Skibum...

Its come to a point in this world where most of us have "seen it all" but there are a select few of us that have been trying to show you something new. Even if its been done, we're trying to view it from a new perspective. I have found a niche in which I have immersed myself into the mountain/canyon lifestyle. What exactly that lifestyle entails I'm not sure yet but I'll definitely let you know when I figure it out. There is a lot of PBR being drank and poker being played to be sure. There is also the neverending search for an open hot tub to poach. So I've been living up here with the hopes of getting a larger perspective and more encompassing view of this life than just the simple "pow shot" or "cliff huck". After a while you start to hear whispers of that guy who camps at the bottom of USA Bowl in an attempt to forgo rent for a season, or the ski patrol who I've only recently discovered living in his van on a local resort parking lot. These are the people I'm interested in and the photos I want to make. Maybe there are shots of Tanner Hall and Jon Olssen that grace the cover of magazines the world over, but I want to photograph the guy who could care less who's on the cover of what so long as the snow continues to fall along the Wasatch. These are my people. So here's to you guys!! The true Skibums of this world, may your snow be deep, your turns be many, and your PBR never run dry.