Erin Hogue, we know that name, it’s a good one.
Recently a competitor and winner of Whistler’s new “Uprising” photo competition, we were stoked to catch up with her after the big win, so we did. But first, you should watch her epic slide show made with her up-and-comer partner and also excellent photog Vince Edmond. It’s conveniently right here like we planned it and everything.
INTERVIEW WITH ERIN HOGUE
How many years have you been shooting?
EH: I have been shooting since elementary school when I stole my Dad’s old 30mm film camera from his closet. I didn’t start shooting skiing and snowboarding in the mountain until I moved to Whistler nine years ago. I have been shooting full-time for about 6 years now.
Have you been in a photo comp before?
EH: I’ve competed in Snowboard Mag’s Exposure contest where I was a category winner one year and then next year I was the overall winner. I won an IPA (International Photography Award) this year. I also made it to the finals of X-Games Zoom contest twice, once with a photo of Chris Benchetler and the second time with a photo of boss, Charles Reid. The photo of Charles ended up winning an X-Games Gold Medal.
What are your thoughts on the mentor/mentee relationship with this competition?
EH: I loved the concept. Especially because it is something I would have really valued when I was starting out. As a photographer, you do not often have the opportunity to see first-hand, how others do what they do and what goes into their unique style and voice. Even now I am always fascinated by other photographers’ creative processes.
How did you choose your crew?
EH: The story we told is a story I am very passionate about. It started with asking friends, Sara Niblock, Kimmy Fasani, Amanda Maurant and then it snowballed and grew from there. I was really impressed with how into it all the mom’s were. They were available and completely open to showing every aspect of their lives. We also had some amazing up and comers eager to be involved. Then we had some epic assistants and a ton of people behind the scenes that contributed with babysitting, gear, extra hands, and even let us throw a mom jib party at their house! It was really amazing to see so many people get behind it.
Biggest highlight of shooting?
EH: Watching all the moms kill it! Especially the moms who had babies 3-4 months ago and were still breastfeeding/pumping. It was also amazing to see Sarah Frood dropping pillows four months pregnant!
Biggest challenge of shooting?
EH: There are so many challenges in a contest like this especially when telling a logistically heavy story like this one involving kids. Due to scheduling and the logistics required to include everything we wanted to, we were restricted to 3 specific days, no matter what the weather provided us with, and were limited to shooting on the resort. The biggest challenge though ended up being something I wasn’t even expecting. It was having to stand up for the concept and stick to my vision while it was being questioned and ultimately attacked.
Any funny stories or memorable stories you’d like to share?
EH: There were so many! The best though was when Sara’s backpack broke open on the chair and her breast milk fell down onto the run. I will never forget her yelling out “NO! Not my liquid gold” as it lay on the run being dodged by skiers.
