[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The 8th Annual Ski City Shootout photo contest hoped to “spread the gospel of the Wasatch Mountains” to skiers and snowboarders everywhere.
YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: JANE GOODALL TO SPEAK IN UTAH
Shawn Stinson, spokesperson for Visit Salt Lake, a sponsor for the contest, said it accomplished that goal. The competition paired eight professional and amateur photographers with athletes at the four Cottonwood Canyon ski resorts. The contest combed through thousands of applicants from across North America. Six were chosen from outside of Utah and two from within — one of which was U student Wray Sinclair, a sophomore in business.
“I came in as the underdog,” he said. “I was by far the newest person there and probably the least experienced. I went in not expecting anything. It was just to get my foot in the door of ski photography.”
Sinclair is in his second season of ski shooting. But his inexperience didn’t stop Stinson from choosing him for the program.
“He was awesome to have,” Stinson said. “When we first informed him, it was pretty nerve-wracking for him. He’s new to the game, and he’s thrown into this competition with professional photographers who’ve made their living doing action and ski photography for a number of years. I hope he continues with it because he has some phenomenal photography.”
Sinclair said his lack of professional experience gave him a leg up on the competition.
“[Photography] has always been a way of expressing my vision of what I see,” he said.
Photographs for the contest were shot at the end of February, but the warm weather made things difficult.
“All I heard last week was conditions were challenging,” Stinson said. “We didn’t have that famous Utah powder.”
Although Sinclair didn’t win in any of the categories, he was excited to participate. The Shootouts Facebook photo contest is ongoing, and you can find Wray Sinclair’s photography at www.wraysinclair.com.
@SeymourSkimmer
WINNERS PER CATEGORY:
-Portfolio: Reuben Krabbe, 2nd Jay Dash, 3rd Bruno Long
-Best of Show: Ryan Thompson
-Athletes Choice: 1st McKenna Peterson, 2nd Tyler Peterson, 3rd Tess Goling
-Urban Meets Mountain: TBA on Wednesday
-Facebook Favorite: Voting continues on Ski City USA’s FB page[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]