The advent of winter has come and gone, and with the Spring Equinox just around the corner, we’re already pining for powder white slopes; especially after taking a look at the new campaign Colorado-based photographer Andrew Maguire completed for The Colorado Tourism Office.
Salt Lake City production company Camp4 Collective brought on Andrew to collaborate with Denver-based ad agency Karsh Hagan for the two-day shoot in and around Winter Park Resort. The objective is to update the still photography and video assets. Moreover, to spotlight Colorado’s natural beauty, landscape, and winter activities through various active lifestyle shots.
Additionally, Karsh Hagan aimed to authentically portray a Colorado family enjoying the slopes.
I think my favorite part of the shoot was the overall purpose and direction behind the shoot…”go out and capture real Coloradans, in their backyard, doing what they love.” We really didn’t want to fake anything. We wanted real people, not models. These folks needed to be passionate and active with some sort of outdoor winter sport. Finding this perfect cast of characters really allowed us to capture some truly authentic moments and energy that clearly embody the ethos of being from Colorado.
With a creative concept set, then came the task of pre-production. Karsh Hagan and Camp4 Collective handled most of the planning for Andrew. His team, however, scouted a few locations for skiing. A fantastic team backed Andrew to pull off all the shots that the client desired. They had wanted to photograph right after a big storm to capture the newly fallen snow on the slopes and trees.
We initially were hoping to shoot in early March in Telluride but, due to a couple warm and dry (no snow) weeks in Colorado, Karsh made the call to pump the brake until the desired conditions came around. We ended up chasing a few storms around the state, which led us to changing locations from Telluride, to Aspen, to Breckenridge and then finally landed on Winter Park. The production team was basically on a 48 hour notice with each of the locations just mentioned.
One of the most adrenaline-pumping parts of the shoot ended up being for the crew instead of the talent. Andrew and the motion production DP/Operator had to shoot talent while riding an inner tube backward. The DP hit a small bump, launching him and his RED camera about four feet in the air, with him landing on his back. Luckily the footage was safe, and the DP only walked away with a few bruises.
Andrew, a snow enthusiast, eagerly hits up the resort or grabs his split board to explore his backyard in Blue River, Colorado. Situated there, he can indulge in eight months of winter each year. For Andrew, starting or ending the day involves leaving the stress of emails and edits behind. His preferred way to clear his mind is venturing into the backcountry. It’s especially rewarding when your office is in the snow and shared with a great group of people.
There were definitely lots of laughs throughout the shoot… For our snowshoeing and fat bike shots, we were shooting in a non-motorized vehicle section of national forest land, so that meant the entire crew was either accessing our location via snowshoe or AT-Ski or split-board setup. This was the first time some of these folks had ever snowshoed or ventured into the backcountry. It’s always cool to witness those sort of moments of discovery and joy.
This project has been extremely well received. The motion spot is featured on United Airlines in-flight TV, and broadcast and print materials are showcased at select airports. Though not fully aware of Colorado Tourism’s plans, Andrew knows they aim to use the images across billboards, buses, trains, airports, and other platforms for about three years.
See more of Andrew’s work on his website.
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