12th October 2006

QUICK FACTS:

Name: Phil Erickson
Occupation: Director of New Zealand Snowboarder Magazine
Home: Gisborne
Age: 41
Board Setup: Burton Vapour 160
Home Mountain: Treble Cone
Current Camera Setup: Canon EOS 1 D mark 2


1. Pros/Cons of running a magazine?
Pros - Getting to see all the photos of our riders ripping it up here and overseas
Cons - Paperwork

2. Best Photo ever run and why was it the best?
Thats a toughie....Everyone sees something different in a photo....There have been so many good shots, but you have put me on the spot, so here goes... Stan Hills cover shot of Devun Walsh up at TC... sick lighting, composure, and Devun going big while killing itstyle wise.


3. Best Mission?
Temple Basin trip in 95 with Trev Ponting, Victoria Newman, Matt Findlay and Browndog, We were the only snowboarders on the hill for 5 days, and if my memory serves me right there were only 3 other skiers total!...it started snowing the first day we arrived...it would clear up for a couple of hours, we would shred it, weather would come in a couple of hours later, snow another 10-20, then clear up again..it went on like that the whole trip...ground hog day...

One classic incident sticks out....Trev dropped a cliff into Bills basin, and put his knee into his lip... knocked himself out... There was blood everywhere . We got him down to the lodge and he had this 3 cm strip of flesh that was still attached to the inside of his mouth... Trev grabbed the scissors from the first aid kit and casually snipped it off...


4. Best Photo Session
Had to be the 3 days I got to spend with Travis Rice, Rich Goodwin, Dylan Butt, Jake Koia and Matty Swanson at Mt Cook Heli in 2004. It was a record year, and the snowline was nearly reaching the valley floors. Our guide was calling it the best 3 days in a row of snow and stable weather he had seen up there in decades. What blew me away about Rice was how hard out he went... he's a total machine.


5. Dream Camera Setup?
Just waiting for Canon to upgrade the 1DS mark 2 so it can shoot 20 raw images in a burst...15mm Fisheye ( on the 1 DS ) 24-70 2.8 lens, 70-200mm F2.8mm lens, 300mm f2.8mm lens, 600mm F4 lens..and after shooting with Tim Zimmerman over the last week, I want his Profoto 7b flash set up.. I could go on and on here...its a non stop exercise with upgrading camera gear.

6. Most foreign place you've snowboarded and where would you like to go?
Scuol, Switzerland, with Dani Kiwi Meier back in the day..

7. How is technology changing the media world of snowboard?
Everything is super instant now...everyone is rocking a 5 megapixel or better digital, which is all good. No sooner has it gone down, than its on the www. For us, its all about trying to keep the special stuff under wraps, until the mag hits the shelf..


8. For wanna-be camera shooters out there. What would be 5 quick tips to help them on their way?
Its like anything, if you wanna get good at something...practice practice, practice... try to learn off those that already know.. take a course or if thats not practical, read up on all the aspects of photography..Another good way is to really study good shots you see in mags, and try to figure out how the photographer went about it... and if you want to get the best action images, use the best equipment and work with the best riders...

9. Most influential person and how they changed your life?
There have been heaps of people that have helped me along the way, too many to single out...but possibly the one thing that had the most affect on me was reading Surfer magazine during my lunch break while locked into a dead end job when I was 17...Hating it... I ended up quitting, went to the States, and everything from that decision has led me to where I am now..

10. If you could take one photo of anything before you died, what would it be and why?
Theres no one photo, just so long as i am taking them..Its all about growing and learning as the journey unfolds... Working on the Hemisphere Challenge opened my eyes to how much there is still for me to learn about photography, and that experience has rejuvenated my enthusiasm to get better at taking snowboarding photos...thanks Tim!

11. I think the NZ Snowboard scene ......
Is the New Zealand Snowboard scene.. its unique, its us and lets hope it stays that way.....


Last words..............
Never be afraid to admit you don't know it all... learn from your mistakes, and be willing to share what you do know with those that want to listen.


Go check out the NZ Snowboarder Magazine Website RIGHT HERE