Read more about Vance & his shop in an editorial written by Paul Bickford of the NNSL

Be sure also to check out my facebook group for more pictures.

I only met Vance not long ago, at a friend’s after-party who held a large fine art photography exhibit at the Northern Life Museum. Vance turns out to be a painter, and a pretty good one at that. He is currently holding an exhibition of his own work at the museum which will run until the end of February, 2011. Mine turned out to be right after his and it will start from March 1-31.

When not painting or working Vance can be found on the hills (for a predominately flat region in the south slave that can take quite a bit of creativity all on its own). He makes his own coffee and brings it out in thermoses for all to enjoy, we try to invite out as many people as possible. Myself without a board, am left to do the photographing and video of the gathering. The most interesting shots in this high speed sport are the stunts, with particular emphasis on catching the guys doing grabs or completing good landings.

Although the hills are small the speeds these guys had me stopping down all the way to 1/2500 shutter speed just to capture tack sharp images, and in the constantly fading light of the sub-arctic winter I found myself wishing I had taken along a monopod or at least a lens with IS. The only lenses I have access to with IS is the 24-105 f4L and for this type of work it’s Autofocus was simply too slow. I found myself going to the 70-200 2.8L and, when appropriate, balancing the lens in the nooks of tree branches.

We talked about how to bring more people out boarding, about the shop, about photography.  After all that running up and down the hill, diving out of the way before he plowed into me, sweating and gasping for air climbing back up the hill..At the end of the day there’s nothing like sitting back and watching the rushing clouds and listening to the roar of the river (not to mention the hot blood behind our ears surging from climbing up and down the hill).  The hot coffee Vance brings along is scalding even left in thermoses for hours but some of the best I’ve ever had.

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