7 Epic Snowboard Poses + Shooting Tips for Killer Action Shots

Snowboarding tricks and moves create some of the most dramatic action shots that a photographer will ever get the chance to take.

Aerial jumps, grabs, and turns are full of drama, with elements of danger, too. Photographing these moves is both highly challenging and extremely rewarding in equal measure.

From super-fast shutter speeds to deliberate overexposure for combating snow-glare, the technical challenges are considerable, and there’s a lot to think about at once.

With this in mind, read on to find out my favorite epic snowboard poses and shooting tips for killer action shots.

1. Nose Grab

First up is the classic Nose Grab, a basic move that sees the rider going off a jump, immediately pulling their front leg up, and bending the knee.

They then grab the nose of the board with their leading hand, extending the back leg to accentuate the angle for a dramatic pose.

I like to photograph this side-on, from a low angle, looking up towards the rider, and I’ll try to have them do the grab with trees and mountains in the background, to add context and interest to the shot.

I’ll use a fast shutter speed of at least 1/1000th of a second, and I’ll be sure to set the camera to continuous shooting or burst mode.

The moment I’m looking for is when the rider bends the knee sharply and first makes contact with the nose of the board with their hand.

The bent front knee, coupled with the extended back leg, creates great form, and the low angle of the camera accentuates this form and the height of the rider in relation to the scene.

2. Powder Spray or Slash

Next is a classic move used for slowing down or stopping at the end of a run.

Here, the rider turns the board sideways to create a large spray of snow. This is a stylized, dramatic way of coming to a standstill in the snow.

Speed is crucial for creating a large spray of powder, maximizing the action and drama of the shot.

As the photographer, you need to communicate well with the rider to understand the distance they need to gain enough speed, and the subsequent position within the run where they intend to execute the move.

You aim to capture peak spray; the more powder flying, the better the shot will be. You’ll need to consider shutter speed, exposure settings, and burst shooting to make sure you don’t miss the perfect frame.

I tend to position myself slightly below the agreed landing point, low to the ground, shooting slightly upwards for maximum drama.

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3. The Big Air

The big air jump uses a purpose-built ramp (known as a kicker) to gain maximum height for various moves and tricks.

For this pose, we are just focusing on a basic jump with the highest vertical gain.

This move is often one for the dry ski slopes, since it uses a purpose-built ramp, but any naturally occurring ramp in real snow will work too; it’s just a matter of trial and error, planning, and safety.

As the photographer, you’re aiming to capture the rider at the peak or apex of the jump, just before they begin descending.

As with the majority of these shots, I tend to position myself downhill and low to the ground, which maximizes the drama by exaggerating the height.

Likewise, it’s all about the continuous shooting burst mode, with fast shutter settings, and overexposure by +1 or +2 stops.

I like to position myself low enough that the upwards angle of the camera captures the backdrop. If I can get trees and mountains into the frame, then I know I’ve got a great photograph.

4. Rail or Box Slide

The rail slide is another move taken from the dry slopes and snow parks. It utilizes a rail or box, and the rider slides down it with their board horizontally opposed, ideally between the bindings.

The rider starts off jumping from a kick ramp, turning 90 degrees in the air, and landing on the box or rail. The key is even weight distribution, and the rider needs to lean forward over the rail.

Variations would include nose or tail slides, for more advanced riders. Also, protective pads are important for these sorts of tricks.

When it comes to photographing this move, there are a few things I do to make sure I capture the ultimate shot.

Firstly, I position myself diagonally off the end of the rail, on the side the rider turns toward when they do the 90-degree turn, so that I always have the rider’s face toward the camera.

Again, I use a low shooting angle with a fast shutter and burst mode.

This time, though, I’ll opt for a fisheye lens, which is highly effective for photographing snowboarding tricks like a box slide because it captures the surroundings, snowboarder, and board fully in what is a tight, dynamic environment.

I find this is the best way to communicate this kind of move to the viewer, and it’s a classic way of photographing and filming skateboarding or snowboarding.

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5. The Eurocarve or Trench

Next is a big, dramatic move that requires careful planning, but get it right, and you’ll have a fantastic shot.

It’s a dynamic, low-to-the-snow move, and the best way to capture it is with a wide-angle lens to cover the full body in its position close to the ground.

The move itself is a deep and somewhat aggressive carve into a well-groomed, untouched slope with deep powdery snow. It’s a big move that requires a lot of space.

The rider will begin down the slope and move into the carve, increasing the sweeps from left to right as they build speed, to the point where they will often be almost lying down, parallel to the snow.

The best way to capture this shot is from a side-on or slightly rear angle, to show the body’s full extension in the move.

Because of the low body position, I like to shoot close to the snow, as close to their eye level as possible, as this conveys the drama and action best.

6. Tree Run

The tree run is a great shot for drama with context, showing the rider navigating the trees as obstacles to slalom through as they descend the slopes to their chosen landing point.

The wooded terrain requires a good skill level and lots of planning to negotiate safely and effectively.

The key technique here for the rider is to maintain a straight line through the deep powder to maintain enough speed and momentum, using light toe-slide to heel-slide leans in order to carve through the obstacles without risking a fall.

When I’m photographing a tree run, I start by positioning myself at the landing zone, slightly off to one side. This provides me with a mostly head-on view of the rider, giving me a lot of scope to capture shots throughout the whole run.

I’ll tend to go for a telephoto lens, but that does actually depend on the length of the run. If it’s a shorter run, I might choose a wide-angle lens, capturing the rider mid-flow along the run, which emphasizes the tightness of the run and gets the trees into the frame well.

In terms of framing, I avoid centering the rider or the horizon, as this can be a bit boring. Instead, I’ll take leading lines from tree trunks and use those as the central point of the shot.

If possible, I like to shoot through branches to frame the shot, allowing them to be out of focus, creating context and interest.

Bottom line: The angle of the shot ultimately depends on the terrain itself, and you should look around and plan these aspects before starting your shoot.

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7. The Drop-In

Finally, we have the drop-in, a shot I really like taking that involves the rider dropping in from a ridge onto the slope below.

I always try to make this a scenic shot, and include trees and mountains if possible, adding context and drama to the image.

It requires careful preparation from the rider, adequate skill, and knowledge of the terrain. A proper, safe landing is vital to avoid injury. A steep landing is best, as it disperses the force, safely absorbing the impact.

To capture this, I’ll position myself slightly downhill of the landing zone, angling my camera upwards, and stand slightly to the side

I’ll once again go for a fast shutter speed of around 1/1000th of a second, or faster, and I’ll use a wide-angle lens to emphasize and exaggerate the scale of the drop, as well as include the scenery, such as trees and mountains.

Essential Shooting Tips for Snow

Now that you’ve read my favorite poses, let’s look at my top shooting tips for snowy action shots.

Apart from some of the angles, most rules apply to any of the above poses, but I’ll be sure to highlight the specifics where they come up.

Freeze the Action

Because we’re dealing with action and movement, with jumps and grabs, it’s essential to freeze that movement by using a fast shutter speed. You want to avoid motion blur and reproduce crisp details in your shots.

My approach is to start with a minimum speed of 1/1000th of a second as a base point, but I’ll go to 1/1600th for jumps and high-speed action shots. Snowboarding is fast, and so I need those sorts of shutter settings to capture it properly.

I often use a tripod and a remote shutter cable if I can, as this further reduces the chances of camera blur and shake.

Counter Snow Glare

One of the biggest technical challenges to photographing in snow is the issue of glare. Your camera’s light metering sees a vast, bright white scene and tries to make that middle-gray, which results in underexposed images where the snow looks a dirty gray.

My solution for this is to use exposure compensation on my camera, or else set my camera to manual and override the exposure altogether.

I start with a compensation of +1 to +2 stops, which ensures the snow is rendered correctly in white and the rider is lit and exposed properly.

It can pay to visit the site early and do some experimenting with the exposure before the shoot, so that there aren’t any mistakes when the action starts.

Peak Moments

To get the most out of all your shots, you’ll want to capture the peak moment, peak height, velocity, or powder spray. The only way to do this is with continuous burst-mode shooting.

In snowboarding, the peak moment of the action lasts only a fraction of a second. With burst-mode shooting, you’ll get multiple frames to choose from in post-processing, ensuring you have the perfect shot.

Use Dynamic Angles

I generally stick with going low. I position myself downhill from the action and low to the ground, often crouching or even lying down.

This works for a number of reasons; it makes the rider look bigger, includes more of the dramatic backdrops in the shots, and exaggerates the height of jumps or the depth of carves.

Lenses

When it comes to lenses, I’ll use a wide-angle lens for close, immersive shots and a telephoto lens (70-200mm) to capture the full action from further away. I’ll also sometimes use a fish-eye lens for shots like the rail slide one above.

I always use a UV or polarizing filter over my lenses when shooting in snow to help manage the harsh glare and reflections, common in these conditions.

Communication and Planning

Communication is the most important thing; the photographer and snowboarder must be perfectly in sync, understanding where each will be positioned and when.

Not only is the aim to get the best action shots possible, but also to remain safe throughout the process.

Planning out shots from a technical and safety point of view is essential to ensure you get the shots you need, but also that everything is done as safely as possible for both rider and photographer.

Talking to your rider to make sure they understand where you are going to be and what move you want them to do is a vital step for an action shoot like this.

The Rider

It goes without saying that the rider needs to be a competent enough snowboarder to pull off the moves required for your shoot.

They also need to have all necessary safety equipment, a board, and bindings in good condition.

Aesthetically, you’ll want your rider to wear highly contrasting colors that will pop against the white background. This will help your camera’s focusing system, as well as create great, high-contrast images.

Final Thoughts

Photographing the action in the snow is no mean feat. It takes a lot of preparation, planning, and communication.

Now that you’ve read my guide on the best poses, along with my top tips and best practices for capturing them, you should be able to recreate the drama in all its glory, with photographs worthy of hanging on any wall.