the salt

Bike Magazine Cover June 2011, Behind the Shot

2011-05-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

I was honored and amazed to have one of my images used as the cover of Bike Magazine's June 2011 issue. It has been a long term goal of mine to get an image on the cover of Bike Mag. Here is how it all went down...

As an outdoor photographer, I am constantly making mental notes in my head about locations. Anytime I happen upon a spot that I think may work for a photo, I file it away in my head as a possibility. Many of these spots I make a point to come back to during different times of the day and/or year to see them under different conditions. Morning, evening, summer, winter, fall, etc..

This shot had been filed away on the mental list for 3 years now.

I had ridden through this meadow a fews time before, and had always thought it would be a great spot to photograph. I took this photo with my phone in 2008, as a reference for a spot I wanted to come back to. This was in November, and although the light was flat, I think the meadow itself, the perfect single track, and the snowy peaks provide a great balance. I knew for sure I wanted to come back and capture it with snow on the mountains, clear blue skies, and golden grass in the field. However due to the high elevation there is only a very small window in the fall when that happens. 2 days after I took this shot this meadow was covered in snow, and was done for the year.

I was finally able to get this shot in Nov 2010. I had told Eric Porter about this location, and jokingly described the shot we could get here as "a cover shot". He had never ridden this trail, but was down to come shoot it. I had been watching the weather closely for just the right conditions, and the day finally came. We met up super early, not wanting to miss the morning light, and pedaled our bikes up the trail in the gray haze that is dawn. It was freezing cold, a storm had moved through the day before and gave way to crystal clear skies behind it. In Utah in late November this means cold.. We got to the spot with about 45 minutes to spare, and were riding up and down the meadow just to keep warm. The trail was frozen solid. As soon as the sun came over the hill, we snapped a handful of photos, and were on our way back to the truck. Mission accomplished.

When Dave Reddick, Photo Editor for Bike Magazine called me, he didn't give me the whole story right away. He said "I just wanted to let you know that we are 99% sure we are going to use your photo in the June Issue" I was super pumped just with that, I have had my photographs appear in Bike Magazine before in various advertisements, but never for actual editorial purposes. I told him thanks for considering my images, and that I had been trying to get a shot in Bike Mag for a while. Then he came back with "Well it is technically not going to be IN the magazine.... because we are going to be using it for the cover." I couldn't believe it, from never officially having a shot run to one being used as a cover was HUGE for me. I thanked him again and hung up the phone.

The point of all this is that these photographs don't just happen. Most people think of outdoor photographers as people who just "cruise" around and take photos of "whatever happens". It is true that on a rare occasion it may be a "right place, right time" shot but those are few and very far between. All the photographers I know who are shooting at the pro level work hard for their shots. Getting the shot is all about early mornings, late nights, freezing cold, blistering heat, rain, snow, ice, fog, dust, bad light, missed light, and 40 + pounds of gear to haul everywhere you go... and after all that you get some marketing guy asking you to give them a shot for "photo credit" because "they are a small company and can't afford it"... But I'm not gonna lie, it is a lot of fun, and seeing my photo on the cover of Bike Magazine for the first time is one of the small rewarding moments that make it all worthwhile.

Thanks Bike mag for picking my shot!

Slideshow Feature on Vital MTB

2011-04-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

I recently had a slideshow of images from last years bike season on VitalMTB.com. It is a site devoted to the downhil/freeride side of Mountain Biking, and I was super stoked to be featured. I am a big fan of the site, and view it almost every day. The slideshow I put together was made up of shots that never got picked up last year, so I thought it would be a good way to get them out there. You can view the feature HERE

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Oakley Progression Session

2011-03-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend shooting the Oakley Progression Session for Snowboarder magazine at Canyons. It was an all girl park progression event. Grete Eliasson and Marie France Roy were there coaching the riders and helping them push there skills in the park. To be honest I felt a little awkward being one of the only dudes there, but overall it was a really fun to be able to shoot it.

Check the snowboarder magazine post here, and all the photos on the official OPS site here

2011 Snowboard Cross Grand Prix at Canyons

2011-03-11T10:52:00.001-08:00

The 2011 SBX Grand Prix came to Canyons Resort this year, and I was able to shoot photo and video of the event for the mountain. I also provided NBC with some B roll footage that was used in the Televison Broadcast. Watching this type of riding on TV does not do it justice at all, being there on the sidelines gives you a whole different perspective of this sport. These riders were charging! You can see my still photos from the event HERE.

This was the web video I did for the resort-

Park Videos for Canyons

2011-03-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Haven't posted in a while, but here are a couple of Terrain park edits I did for Canyons. The first one was for the Canyons website, and was meant as more of an informative piece. The second one was a longer video that was posted on third party sites like Transworld Snowboarding and Snowboardmag

Canyons Footage on EXTRA!

2011-02-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Extra! TV was filming at Canyons Resort during the Sundance Film Festival a few weeks ago. I was asked to provide some B roll for the production. I also edited this highlight reel for Canyons website. This is a bit out of the ordinary for this blog, but I have to admit it is really cool to see my footage appearing on National TV, even if it is just B roll. Here is the highlight reel, my footage is the non interview stuff. Establishing/scenic/mountain/hotel/etc...

Spark R&D splitboard bindings

2011-02-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

The splitboard... The hippie shred's answer to a chairlift. For most riders, the splitboard has never really been an attractive alternative to snow shoes. There have always been 2 main problems, and they are pretty big ones... the board and bindings.

The boards have come a long way. Over the last few years many companies have started making twin tip and reverse camber splits (you know, the kind of board you would actually want to ride). Every year more companies are making split boards, and it is looking like in 2011/2012 there are going to be a ton of new options. Splitboarding is coming into it's own.

The binding interface has always been a major downfall. Using the Voile system has always been the most readily available option. The first problem, weight; the second problem, with that system you have a huge gap between the board and binding. This creates flex problems, stance issues, and an overall awkward feeling while riding. It seems this has always just been "accepted" as part of splitboarding... Not anymore.

Enter Spark R and D. This small company out of Montana has changed the game. They have created a binding that solves all the classic problems. When I saw these bindings I had two reactions, first, why didn't I think of that? Second, how can I get a set? When I finally got my hands on a pair I was blown away. They were so much lighter than my old setup! I am not just talking a few grams, holding them hand in hand there was a huge difference. My first time out on them I almost forgot I was on a split. Riding down felt like... actual snowboarding! No weird flex, no huge gap, no "it's part of splitboarding" excuses.

If your into splitboarding you should get a pair of these. If you are not into splitboarding now is a good time to take a serious look at it... then again, what am I saying? There is nothing more fun than paying top dollar to sit in a lift line and fight with a bunch of tourists for a few pow turns...

-Red Bull Rampage 2010- A Look Back

2011-01-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

I have been going through some old photos from last season recently, and realized that I have a ton of shots that have not seen the light of day. I was very lucky to cover multiple events last year for Decline Mag, but unfortunately there is never enough room in a magazine to run them all.. So I have decided to take "a look back" at last years events, and post up some photos that haven't been seen yet.

Red Bull Rampage 2010-

I had my first rampage experience as a spectator in 2003. At the time, I was just getting into the whole freeride side of MTB. I had seen clips of Bender hucking cliffs in southern utah, and was amazed at what he was doing. Being from the Salt Lake area, I took full advantage of the chance to witness this go down firsthand... Fast forward to 2010, and I am back at Rampage, only this time I am here to document what is going down..

Being a photographer at Rampage is definitely the easiest job there. Compared to what the athletes are doing, it is a cakewalk. I won't say it is "difficult" but it can be a bit challenging at times... Yeah, your dealing with extreme temps and terrain, dust clouds for days, scrambling up and down cliffs with multiple cameras and bags; all to get the right angle. But so what? The challenge is not the terrain; after all we are MTB photographer, the challenge is to create a unique image with so many other cameras around.

These are not all unique..You have probably seen different angles of most of these images. But there is one shot, one angle, that has not been seen by anyone... yet. Here are a few of my favorite photos from this years event.

^^^ Steve Romaniuk.. Period. Who else would guinea pig this type of setup? This photo does not do this justice. I have not seen an image yet that does. This was flat out insane. This is Rampage. Big props to Romo for taking the risk so that others would realize it was "possible"

^^^ Tyler McCaul was killing it all weekend. For a first time rider at Rampage, he was not hesitating. In my opinion, he has one of the most stylish whips in the game. There are tons of photos from Rampage to prove it. I got this shot almost by accident. I turned around just in time to see this happen. I like it because it really illustrates the conditions these guys are riding in. They wreck, roll, slide and disappear in a cloud of dust.. and when it settles get up and do it all over again.

^^^ Cam Zink. What can I say about this that hasn't been said. Having been at a lot of competitions last season, I was glad to see Zink put it all together and take the win at Rampage. He deserved every second of it. This shot was used as a 2 page spread in Jan/Feb issue of Decline Magazine

^^^ Darren Berrecloth's line was arguably the gnarliest one on course. Watching the footage of him riding it doesn't do it justice at all. I walked his entire line during practice (which is when I snapped this shot) and the technicality of it was next level. Multiple huge drops in a row at the beginning, with super small, tight landings. It was sick to see him dial it in, and ride top to bottom.

^^^ This is the shot that no one has seen. This was Berrecloth's final run, which he dropped into after waiting a couple hrs for weather delays. I was attracted to this angle because of the background, and shot a sequence of it as he dropped in. I was in shock after watching him go over the edge, thinking that he had just face planted a 20ft+ drop.. But somehow he rode away from this, shook it off, and cleaned the rest of the line.

Website Updated!

2011-01-28T19:15:00.001-08:00

If you frequent this blog (which I don't think anyone does) you have probably noticed some changes to it's appearance. I have also been working on updating the images and information on my actual website head on over to it and have a look! I also added a "video" button, which is currently pointed at my Vimeo page. I am working on trying to embed video on the site itself... hopefully soon.
Here is a screen shot of it-

Canyons 2010/2011

2011-01-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

I am back at Canyons Ski Resort this winter as the staff photographer/videographer. It has been an epic year so far. We had storm after storm around the holidays, which made for some great pow days, and has now left the mountain with a solid base. Here are some of the videos that I have done for the mountain so far this season..

Update long overdue...

2010-12-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

I have really been lagging on this blog.. So I will try to bring it up to speed as quickly and painlessly as possible. So here goes,

I just wrapped up my summer shooting a couple weeks ago. I traveled all over the place this summer shooting photos/writing stories for DECLINE MAGAZINE. I also have been working with Haro Bikes, Camelbak, Lizard Skins, Mountain Bike Action, and others. I already posted about shooting at the Ranchstyle, but I also shot at Teva Mtn Games, Crankworx Colorado, Red Bull Final Descent, and Red Bull Rampage.. If you didn't catch any of the issues you can still order them at this link. These are the issues I had stories in this year-

The current issue has the coverage from red bull rampage and red bull burner. It just came out, and I actually haven't seen it yet myself.. Maybe I will put up a post with some Rampage shots that didn't get used after I see the mag..

I went up to Jackson Hole in early October to ride/film the trails on Teton Pass. I was riding/shooting a web video with Eric Porter for Haro Bikes. Even though it was late in the season we lucked out with conditions, the day after we left it snowed 2 feet on the trails. Here is the finished video-

Eric Porter's road trip to Jackson WY from Haro Bikes MTB on Vimeo.

It was a great summer to say the least, and event with all of the traveling I was able to get in a ton of riding myself.

The winter has already come on strong here, and I am super pumped to start shooting snow stuff. I will be working with The Canyons ski resort this year again, creating photo/video content for them to be used in a variety of marketing purposes. I am stoked to be involved with them, and looking forward to this season. They are also holding a contest right now for the Ultimate Mountain Gig which is basically a job blogging about the mountain that pays 40,000 dollars.. pretty wild. I put in an entry for the position, since I will already be up there shooting all the time anyway. If felt a little awkward being on the opposite side of the camera.. This is my entry vid-

They will announce the winner for the position on Dec 15th. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I am sure I am forgetting some of the stuff that has happened over the last few months, so when I remember I will try to post it up.. LET IT SNOW!

In Print Atom Lab Advertisment

2010-08-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything for a while on this blog, but I have been really busy all summer. I shot Crankworx Co for Decline last weekend, I will post more on that soon.. In the meantime, this is an ad the Atom Lab has been running in various mags over the summer, I saw it in the Aug issue of Decline. It is a shot I took this year at Sea Otter. Glad to see that it got put to use.. Thanks Atom Lab!

I scanned this in from the mag, but due to the size a little bit got cut off the end...

Haro Bikes web edit, Teva Games 2010

2010-07-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

I shot this web vid for Haro bikes while I was out at the Teva Games this year. It is basically just a course overview and some riding from the Haro Team, Eric Porter, Greg Watts and Brian Miller. You can see the edit on the Haro website as well.

src="http://play.freecaster.com/player/FCPlayer.swf?id=Y0lEPTEwMTI0NjEmYXBJRD0xMDA1MDcy" width="320" height="180" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"

Ellsworth Road Bike Shoot

2010-06-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

I did a road shoot for Ellsworth Bikes a few weeks ago, and now that they have made their selection of photos I though I would post a few. This is a prototype Ellsworth Coefficient, and it is quite the ride. I don't know all of the details on this bike, but I do know that it has been hush hush... and if it says Ellsworth on it you can bet there were no shortcuts in building it. Ellsworth Bicyces are handmade in the USA, and built with pride.

The athlete pictured is James Lawrence, and he is riding in 30 triathlons this year. He is riding to help raise money to build earthen dams in africa to store rainwater, and provide clean drinking water for the people. You can read more about him here

The day the shoot was scheduled it turned out to be really grey and gloomy.. We had planned on shooting at sunset to get good light, and although we didn't get a sunset, we did end up getting some pretty dynamic looking clouds. In the end I was happy with how the shots turned out.

3 weekends 3600 miles

2010-05-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

I spent the last 3 weekends shooting on the road.. California, Colorado, and Oregon.. It is good to be busy for sure, but it is also nice to be home. The Ranch Style comp in Grand Junction was killer. The course was super dialed this year. It is always a good event to be at, chill vibe, cool location and good crowd. I got some sick shots of the event, including a sunset photo session with Graham Aggasiz and Eric Lawernuk... look for the shots in and upcoming issue of DECLINE mag. Also I shot a web edit for vitalMTB-

Ranchstyle Slopestyle 2010 - More Mountain Bike Videos

Last weekend was spent shooting in Bend, Oregon and Jamie Goldman's "Upside Down and Under Ground Invitational" His yard is so epic. Huge jumps, multiple lines, drops, berms, all kinds of rad features. We also sessioned the Slalom Course and DJ's in Bend which were super fun too.. Bend is definitely MTB friendly. The comp was rad, the level of riding was unreal. Mike Montgomery was throwing down huge.. look for photos of the event in DECLINE soon.

Here is a shot of the riders-

and another VitalMTB vid I shot from the event-

Jamie Goldman's Invitational 2010 - More Mountain Bike Videos

Next stop TEVA GAMES

Sea Otter 2010

2010-04-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend in Monterey, California shooting the Sea Otter Classic. The weather was perfect this year, no rain, not to dusty. It was probably the best conditions for otter that I have ever seen. I shot the Dual Slalom and downhill events. The courses at sea otter are short, and they never really change, so it is difficult to get fresh shots. I ended up shooting berms on both courses, the one I shot on the DH course was one I have been eyeing for the last couple years. I was shooting tight, and following the rider/blurring the background, which can be tough especially with flashes.. I was stoked on how the shots turned out though. Here is one of many, this is George Stephenson (Yeti/Fox) shredding the berm-

On Monday the post office session when off in Aptos, with Semenuk basically inventing tricks... I decided to shoot some video of the jam and it ended up being featured on VitalMTB.com

Aptos after the Otter - More Mountain Bike Videos

In Print DECLINE Mag March 2010

2010-02-23T21:52:00.000-08:00

The March issue of DECLINE magazine is out. If you haven't seen it yet make sure to pick up a copy. The Red Bull Burner article that I shot/wrote a few months back is in this issue. They actually ran 6 pages in the mag and featured it on the cover!

In Print Never Summer Ad Mar 2010

2010-02-08T16:43:00.003-08:00

I posted this shot a while ago in a slideshow of shots that I thought were not getting used.. (see below) I just found it it is running in the March issue of all major snowboard mags. I am really glad this shot ran, I though it was one of the better ones I had of this rider. Thanks to Ben, Coop and Jason for making this session happen-

Grand Prix at PCMR

2010-01-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

So this post is a bit late, but I shot the Grand Prix Half Pipe comp at Park City last weekend for Snow Board Mag. This was the event that determined the US olympic snowboard team. It was sick to stand on the deck and watch it all go down. Here are a few images from the weekend-

broc waring

shaun white

danny kass

More Dew Tour, Snowboard Mag

2010-01-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

Slideshows from the Dew Tour are up on the Snowboard Magazine website.
You can see the links on the homepage, or for the halfpipe coverage click here and for the slopestyle coverage click here It was super fun to shoot the event, and to see the stuff that kids are pulling these days.. I am not good enough at math to keep up with the tricks..1440?

Winter Dew Tour

2010-01-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

I am shooting the dew tour at snowbasin all weekend. Today was the first day, and I shot at the super pipe prelims.. here is a little preview. I will post more soon-

steve fisher

elijah teter

broc waring

Respect Terrain Park Opening Vid

2010-01-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

I shot this over the weekend at The Canyons. Check out the gong in this vid-

Holiday videos

2010-01-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

I have been busy producing/shooting/editing web videos for The Canyons. Here are some of the videos I have shot over the last few weeks.. All of these were shot with the canon 7d. You can watch them in a larger size here

Leftovers

2009-12-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Here is are 2 of my favorite shots from last season.. that most likely won't show up anywhere. So I thought I would at least put them up on this blog for your enjoyment. Also, you can see more of the goods from last year here

cooper hoffmeister pow aftermath

ben milsaps front 9 tail

The Canyons, Opening day video

2009-12-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

I shot/edit an opening day video for The Canyons ski resort last weekend with the Canon 7d. It was my first "real" gig with the camera and I think it went pretty well. The photo below is just a screen grab of the video, you can see the full video here

The video will not play until it loads all the way so please be patient.. if you like it, please comment! It is getting lonely on this blog!

Last day at Tanner

2009-12-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here are a some photos from the last session at Tanner Park, you can see snow on the sides of the jumps. Thanks to derek and colin for doing so much work just to get it rideable-

Riders- colin lund, jess pederson, derek thomson, eric porter

Bluehouse Skis Homepage

2009-11-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

Bluehouse skis is using this shot of Weston Deutschlander on their homepage. Bluehouse has got some great skis coming out this year.. lots of hype around the Maestros. If your in the market check them out, they are homegrown right here in the Wasatch.
Check out there website here

Eric Porter at Tanner, Canon 7d

2009-11-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

I just picked up a Canon 7d, and wanted to test it out. Porter and I shot this at Tanner park last week in about an hour. I think the footage is pretty amazing for a digital slr. This was shot in 60p, so it looks super crisp when you slow it down. The 360 he does is slowed down by reconforming to 30p in cinema tools, the tailwhip is slowed down by retiming in final cut. Can anyone see a difference? The pic below is just a framegrab from the vid-

See the full vid HERE

Camera Bags/Burton F stop

2009-10-28T09:21:00.001-07:00

So as I am out shooting people always ask about my camera backpacks. What kind of bag is that? Is that made for a camera? How much gear can you hold? etc etc. For the record I have been through about every kind of camera bag out there. Some are designed by people who actually have to use them and haul camera gear around, some are obviously not.

For me there are 2 main things that a camera bag must have. 1- A comfortable harness system. Having a bag with a poorly designed harness system is no fun. If you are carrying 40+ lbs of gear around to shoot, it has to rest on your back properly. Having a good waist belt with multiple adjustment points is key. 2- A bomber zipper with backup straps. If you are like me you don't want to be worried about your zipper failing and all of your gear spilling out of your pack while you are shredding 2 feet of fresh. I have had zippers fail in the past!!! So this is a big deal to me-

This is the bag I have been using lately, and is by far the best bag I have had to date. The harness system is unbelievable, it is fully adjustable, and it has great padding and support in all the right places. When I first put this on I felt like I was wearing a real backcountry pack. You can tighten up the waist and loosen the shoulders and vice versa while carrying it to reduce fatigue. When you are ready to descend you can snug it up to your body and not worry about it flopping around. It is super low profile at the top near the shoulders so you don't have to worry about it catching on stuff (trees, branches, other dudes) while you ride. It can hold a ridiculous amount of gear and has an oversize pocket on the top for goggles, hat, gloves, flashes, etc.

If you are in the market for a new camera bag, look no further than the Burton F stop

In Print

2009-10-19T11:16:00.001-07:00

Just got this from Never Summer snowboards, they will be running this ad in the Dec issue of various snowboard magazines. The rider is Cooper Hoffmeister, we shot this at jump spot up Parleys Canyon
Check it out-

Red Bull Burner

2009-10-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend in Angel Fire NM shooting the Red Bull Burner for Vitalmtb.com and DECLINE mag. It was a super gnar 12 hr downhill race. Lots of fun to shoot, brutal to ride. Here are a couple photos-

The Vital coverage is up here, and the article will be in DECLINE in the next couple months

Fuzzy's Re-Session Jam

2009-09-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last wed, the night before the Dew Tour started in SLC, Tim "Fuzzy" Hall had a big jam in his back yard. Talk about a sick setup! Someday I hope my backyard will be this cool. Anyway I shot some photos at the event, here is the link for the full slideshow-

http://www.justinolsen.com/slideshows/fuzzyjam/

Snowboard Mag Buyers Guide

2009-09-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, check out the latest issue of SnowBoard magazine, they ran used one of my shots in this issue.. stoked. PS if you don't know yet this is the best snowboard mag out there, so you should be a subscriber!

Oh yeah I am also in the process of updating my website so check it out- www.justinolsen.com

this is the shot, coop hoffmeister pow slash

this is the mag

Whistler 09

2009-08-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well this is a bit late, but I thought I might put up some shots from our whistler trip. We went up there with a bunch of friends from july 24- aug 2nd. It was a blast. We all drove up in my van, with a trailer full of bikes. We rode the North Shore for 2 days Whistler for 3 days, and Hood River Oregon for 3 days. If you have never ridden there your missing out. Here are a few shots from the trip.

the crew at whistler

tyler sending cbc trail, mt seymor

brad rallying cbc, mt seymor

brad and jt flowing

represent

me and steph

me in post canyon, fmx

Decline Article

2009-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

I shot an article for Decline mag that is running in the current issue (august). It was a slopestyle comp in grand junction colorado. Pick up the mag and check it out if you get a chance. Here is a link to all the photos that I sent them for the article. They used 30 photos, but there are more to see in this slideshow

http://www.justinolsen.com/slideshows/ranchcomp09/

Lizard Skins Ad

2009-06-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted for a while, but don't give up on this blog. I have a bunch of stuff that should be running in various mags this summer. This ad is running in Mountain Bike Action right now (July Issue), it is the inside back cover. Check it out if you get a chance. Also look for some stuff in Decline next month..

season ender ender

2009-04-23T08:48:00.001-07:00

So I have been way to busy this last month to post anything.. The last few weeks of the season were great. I got to shoot at the Snowboarder mag super sessions up at The Canyons, a big private event with the Nitro team and a bunch of other shred dudes.. that was super sick. Look for a full story in an issue of Snowboarder mag next year. Then the last 3 days the Mtn was open it started dumping like crazy. I was finally able to get out and shred with Team Mcqueen..

eero ettala smooth style super sessions

jonah owen getting nutty at super sessions

yeah brad nice pink skis

tyler mcqueen full facial

Intelligent Design

2009-03-09T15:49:00.001-07:00

I was shooting on assignment last weekend at the Intelligent Design comp in Park City for Snow Board magazine. You can see the full post and article here.

Here are some more photos from the comp that they didn't end up using for the article-

shaun white

sebastien toutant

sage kotsenburg

jack mitrani

the burton riders cleaned up-charles reid, shaun white, luke mitrani

pow!

2009-02-18T21:58:00.001-08:00

this might be my favorite shot of the season so far... cooper hoffmeister laying down a soul turn..

Terrain Park Vid

2009-02-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

I've been staying busy shooting photos and vids up at The Canyons.. Here is the latest podcast I shot. The Canyons park is sick this year.

The Canyons Terrain Park 2009 from justin olsen on Vimeo.

Staff Photog

2009-01-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

I have been shooting photos non stop so far this winter. I landed a big contract with The Canyons ski resort, I am shooting all of their marketing material this season. So basically I go up, shoot powder, and give them the shots so they can use them for next years catalogs, brochures, trail maps, billboards, etc. I also do the "shot of the day" for them on the website. They use my shots for other media outlets like local newspapers, the weather channel, and SkiUtah.com. Its a pretty sweet job, being able to go up on first tracks and shred the pow at 7 am to get shots. I am also going to do a heli shoot for them this month. Here are a few shots from the season so far.. I will try to post new ones after every storm.

The Last Session..

2008-12-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Well I think winter has finally hit.. we had a great season for riding bikes though. Being able to ride until mid december in Utah is rare. We had a big session at the trails last saturday, everyone was throwing down. There was a ton of people there, Eric Porter and Blake Robinson from Haro Bikes even showed up to ride with us... pretty sick having them show up at the session. Two days later the snow finally fell.. Here are some shots from the session. Some of these shots may even show up on the Haro Bikes website.

Dirt Jump Session

2008-11-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

We have been riding the dirt jumps almost every night for the last week.. Trying to pack in as many sessions as possible before the snow falls. These are some shots from a recent session. Micha, Steve, and Rob are charging.

Ellsworth Shoot in Moab

2008-11-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

I spent last weekend in Moab shooting with Ellsworth Bikes. It was a ride/retreat for team riders/employees/and Ellsworth enthusiasts. We had a great trip, perfect weather for riding and shooting. Here are a few shots from the weekend. These are of Tyson and Merrick from Moab cyclery, the local Ellsworth dealer. Look for some of these photos on Ellsworths website and future marketing materials...

Hood River

2008-11-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

I had always heard how epic the riding was in Hood River Oregon, so last weekend me and a couple of buddies decided to make the ten hour drive to check it out.. and it was totally worth it. The riding there was unbelivable. Luckily right when we pulled into town we met up with this dude Miles, who I had talked with a couple of weeks earlier at Red Bull Rampage. He showed us around the jump lines in Post Canyon, and then took us over to the other side of the gorge to ride a rippin downhill trail called Syncline.
We also hooked up with some other riders from Portland, Idaho, and Oregon. The place has a killer freeride scene. Here are a few of the shots I took.. Thanks to everyone we rode with out there!

More Rampage!!

2008-10-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some more shots from rampage.

Kelly Mcgarry sending the big double.

Mike Hopkins styling it out.

James Doerfling with a nice hip drop.

Mike Kinrade going huge!

Red Bull Rampage 2008

2008-10-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Red Bull Rampage!
I the spent weekend shooting at the Red Bull Rampage for Lizard Skins... it was so sick!! I will post more photos soon!

Matt Hunter sending it!

Classic hunter whip.

Here is a shot of Graham Agaszzi big no hander of one of the craziest features out there..

Thomas Vanderham going huge!!! Making a quick 5 grand for this no hander.

Jackson Hole

2008-09-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted forever but I am going to try to be more consistent with this... These are some shots I took in Jackson Hole over the summer. This is a freeride trail called Jimmies Mom.. JT working it for the camera..

Dirt Jumps!

2008-06-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

So we have a legit place to ride and build jumps this summer. The location is perfect, and we have a tractor and water access... The spot is coming along nicely, here is a shot from a recent session..

Sea Otter 2008

2008-04-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, Ca. We spent three days shooting and riding at the event. We also went out to the infamous dirt jumps in Aptos, and only ten minutes into the session my buddy phil broke his arm.. radial fracture.. sorry man. Other than that it was a pretty fun trip, and phil says it was still worth it. We went to the both, Seasons and Kranked 7 premiers Here are a few photos from the trip. Look for the shot of Nathan Rennie in the upcoming issue of Mountain Bike Action magazine.

2008-03-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a Backcountry trip in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho. Here are a few shots of the group, the hut we stayed in and the journey in and out. I shot a bunch of HD footage and will be putting together a video of the trip. Once I get it done I will put up a link.

2008-01-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

We just got back from NYC.. We spent three days out there. We went to Wicked on Broadway, saw Conan O Brien live, saw the original "Starry Night" at the Museum of Modern Art, and I got to go to B&H to buy some photo stuff.. It was fun to see New York but after 3 days I was ready to get out of there.. I don't know how people can live in those cities..
This is a shot of Steph and Parker in Times Square.

North Mountain

2007-12-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Winter is great for landscape shots, after a big storm the air is super clear. I took this the other night with my new camera, I am going to blow it up as a 36x12.. we'll see how it turns out.. By the way I updated some of the shots on my www.jsolsenphoto.com website if anybody is interested. Sometimes I wonder if anybody even looks at that.. Click the link to the right if you want to check it out.

2007-12-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

Well the snow is officially here and I am having mixed feelings about it.. I went snowboarding at Park City today and it was, well..pretty boring. To many fashionista jib kids and not enough powder hungry bearded seekers.. I think I am still in bike mode.. at least until we get some real snow. Here is a shot I took a few days ago, the night before the "big" storm..

chicks on bikes

2007-11-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

well we just got back from the third annual thanksgiving weekend bike trip.. it was a blast. we went down to virgin, utah, and rode at the redbull venue and grafton. we found a new section on the grafton mesa trail that makes the ride way better. if you have never ridden grafton you need to check it out.. anyways all in all it was a great trip. we had about 20 riders with us. thanks to mike and skyler for the epic meals! here are some shots of steph and whit going big!

web cam

2007-11-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

just got a new imac with sweet web cam... check it out.

biggest gap ever

2007-11-13T09:13:00.001-08:00

I had to post this picture, this was one of the craziest things I have ever seen! This is my budy Chase hitting a gap that is easily 50 feet on his bottlerocket. I posted the whole sequence on my website... gnarnia.
Since this photo chase broke his leg... on a different jump.. get well soon buddy!

2007-10-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

here is another shot I took a while ago on squaw peak

recent photos

2007-10-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

went to green river this weekend to ride, here is a shot of phil from the trip..