When Homer, Alaska-based photographer Scott Dickerson was contacted by Patagonia’s Kiting Ambassador Jason Slezak (yes, this is a real job), he was more than excited to document some new kitesurfing products Patagonia has developed for cold water.
Scott was born and raised in Alaska and remains there to this day, and he loves all the extreme sports and weather conditions that come with it. He photographs a lot of aerial, aviation and surfing, and was happy to combine these things for the Patagonia project. For this project, he worked with Jason and local kiter Tom Fredericks.
Of course, the logistics were complicated, as the team was at the mercy of the crazy Alaska weather conditions. Because of this, Scott explained how the team was prepared to adjust to anything:
“Most outdoor action sports are conditions-dependent. You can’t shoot powder skiing without powder, surf without waves, or kiting without just the right kind of wind. Knowing this, we kept our pre-production pretty simple and loose with the main emphasis on flexibility to adapt to conditions on scene. We opted for a motorhome to keep our location open to last minute changes and provide some comforts between shoots on the road system. With feedback from local kiting experts, we had identified a handful of possible locations that we closely monitored the conditions at and adjusted our plan accordingly.”
For example, when the most accessible glacial lake didn’t have enough icebergs to demonstrate the warmth of the suit, the team had to find a pilot to fly them to a remote glacial lake at the very last minute.
Because of Scott’s connections and local resources, the team pulled it off, landing the seaplane amongst the icebergs to get the shots they needed.
The team woke up early each day to begin checking with local weather stations to find the best wind for kiting. Once these conditions were located, they worked quickly to seize the opportunity.
Patagonia was happy with the photos, and for Scott, it was just another day to do what he loves:
“I was just reminded of what a pleasure it is to be there when someone is living out lifetime dreams and being totally blown away by the beautiful wilderness of Alaska. The smiles on their faces when they each crawled out of my friends little bush plane will stay with me. It was also a good reminder to make a plan and then be ready to completely rethink it based on conditions. This flexibility is what made the production such a success.”
For more of Scott’s work, visit his website.