Wheels & Wax

Introduce yourself: My name is Daniel Stephen Pendygrasse but the snowboard world knows me as Dano.

So what got you started into photography, did you have an end goal of becoming a full time professional photographer? I got into photography specifically to become a professional. I was looking for a way to stay in the Snowboard industry after realizing I wasn’t good enough to make it as a pro shred-dog.

What are you carrying around in your camera bag these days? Nikon stuff. My favourite lens is my 85mm. The D2x is an insane camera. I have used Nikon stuff from the beginning. I believe pretty strongly that people focus too much on their gear and not enough on their work.

You seem to be a pretty busy guy, how many days a year do you get out for some  riding without your camera? I used to get more before I started as a Photo Editor and am looking forward to getting back to that. We photogs get most of our days in before Christmas. Ideally I like to get at least 30 riding days without a camera.

What makes a great photo for you? A unique perspective. Creative approaches to typical subject matter get me stoked. An element of surprise.

Do you have any favourite people to ride with? I’m happiest riding with Warburton, my brother Garry, Morry and Rookie. I have a good time regardless.

Do you have any athletes that have stood out, or are favourites to shoot with? The hard working positive ones. Devun, Landvik, Ejack, Patrick McCarthy. Lukas Huffman was a favourite too. I miss shooting and hanging with him.

I’m sure you’ve seen your share of sketchy stuff while out shooting. I’ve seen way too much sketchy shit. Injuries are the worst. I’ve seen Devun and JP both fuck themselves up pretty bad over the years. I’ve seen some big slides. Been too close to them. I don’t really like to play that stuff up to make it seem like we’re living some Mountain Dew Extreme life, but the places we work are dangerous.

Do you have a favourite photo that you’ve shot? My tastes change and as they do my favourites change. I have classic shots that I would shoot differently today but are so loaded with memories that I still love them. I used to do the occasional Burton shoot where they would hire a bunch of the best photogs in the business and travel somewhere to shoot for a week or ten days. It was a great chance to work around other people and shoot the shit.

Best current trend in photography? The move away from sequences in action sports. Finding an epic moment as opposed to 29 average moments.

Worst current trend in photography? Indiscriminate use of strobes. Lens babies. I actually get really bored with a lot of these gear-based trends. People get a new toy and they think it is a substitute for good photography. Spend more time learning your craft and less time obsessing about your new gimmick.

People you’re inspired by? Positive people. Creative people. My friends who are making a go of it in a creative way. Whether it is on TV, or as an artist, or a small business owner. It’s difficult to make a creative living and I am amazed at how many of my friends do it.

Any up and coming photographers people should look out for? There are lots of kids who are taking good photos, but not that many who are blowing my mind. Cole was the last kid who made a really strong impression. Most kids take one or two good shots and think they are a photographer. The truth of the matter is that it takes a year of kicking ass and making dozens and dozens of “A grade” shots to really qualify. I haven’t seen much of that in snowboarding. Some of those Skate kids seem to get it a little more.

Your future plans with snowboarding / photography and life? Move back to BC. Get married. Get back to shooting full time. Continue to learn underwater photography. Continue to build on the Photo Summit we have in Whistler. Build a studio. Take care of business.

Could you explain what exactly the photo summit is, and when it happens? I started the Future Photographers Summit as a non competitive event to bring action sports photographers together to learn and network. It’s basically a chance for a bunch of dudes to ride together and geek out about camera shit. Tim Zimmerman has come to our event since the beginning to share his knowledge and give a seminar on digital workflow. I realized that with the change to digital photography there were a lot of people who had a lot of questions so I basically set out to answer them. This year I gave a seminar on making effective digital submissions to magazines. The Third Summit will be in Whistler in the Spring of 2008.

Thanks! No, thank you.

You can visit Dano’s website and blog at http://www.danopendygrasse.com/