A young skiing and snowboarding photographer has been working hard to perfect his skills in this emerging profession as he bids to capture the best action shots of the sport while striving for the best version of himself.
At a ski resort in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 20-year-old photographer Xiong Jiawei bravely follows a fellow snowboarder down the slopes while using a camera to record the highlights of his movement.
For many people, skiing itself is not an easy activity, let alone skiing down a mountain while filming with a camera at the same time, making Xiong's work all the more impressive.
Xiong was a snowboarding student in sports school and has chosen to pursue this profession out of his love for the sport. He said he wants to capture the thrilling and memorable moments of the high-speed slide on the snow lanes. But to be really good at it, he knows a lot of effort is required.
"When you are attentive to the camera screen and thinking about composing, you crossed into an ice block and lost balance. I would fall down sometimes too, like tumbling down from a very steep slope together with my camera. Compared with normal skiing or snowboarding, it's very different to glide on snow as a photographer since we need to carry a heavy bag, hold a stabilizer and a single-lens reflex camera. I myself tried over and over again to find the balance and figure out how to film better footage while skateboarding," he said.
Since starting out in the photography business, Xiong has worked for more than 200 clients each year, and has also met many excellent skiers and snowboarders, including 19-year-old Li Haolun.
"It was the first time that someone took such a video for me. I felt it was really good, since I couldn't see what I was like when I was snowboarding in the past," Li said.
Xiong says he is living his best life and hopes to keep on honing his skills while allowing others to fully enjoy their skiing experience.
"I think it's very good and cool to hold a camera to record such beautiful moments during skiing. In the future, I want to become an extreme sports photographer, be my bravest self, record the best footage with camera and live the life I love the most," he said.
Daring young ski photographer bravely captures best action shots on slopes
