Before things went viral, we had Kodak moments, snapshots of laughs, tears, triumphs and defeats. Like butterfly nets, we lugged cameras and rolls of film staring behind a lens hoping to capture a single photo worthy of framing on the mantel or featuring on the holiday card. Some just hired professionals to insure success. But as everything evolves, decades of photos are now in our pockets or our feeds. Powerful cameras are now contained in phones…or the other way around. Developing film — once the most expensive part of photography — is part of Buzzfeed’s latest list of things people used to do. Digital cameras and camera phones with seemingly endless storage, allowing professional photographers and proud parents to take an infinite number of pictures at no additional cost, have transformed how we take pictures of people, places and ourselves.
Props that Almost Demand You to Point & Shoot
Photography style has evolved, as well, and at Utah resorts, guests are using their digital cameras to capture the action and emotion behind the moment. The resorts themselves have set up backdrops and props to encourage people to stop and take selfies. If you see a random chairlift (multiple resorts), highchair (Sterling Express at Deer Valley Resort), metal gnomes (throughout Park City Mountain), bench with a bear (historic Main Street in Park City), giant piece of granite (Snowbird Plaza), unusual tree (Strawberry Express at Snowbasin Resort) exceptionally gorgeous wood bridge over a tree-lined stream (base of Sundance Mountain Resort) or any other items that distract you from the snow, STOP! Grab your friends and family, and take some photos.
Colorful Kits are Not Just Click Bait.
Ski photography suffers from the fact that much of canvas consists of a bunch of white space that gets pretty boring after the fifth or fiftieth shot…or post (a note to friends of the Gram). Wearing colorful ski outfits or even costumes or sequins brightens things up.
More importantly, they tell a story. Beaver Mountain is flooded with Snoopys every March, one of several events that have become a multi-generational tradition for some families. Several resorts encourage (and sometimes reward) shredding Santas and Grinches during the holiday season. One local celebrates her Cinco de Mayo birthday each year skiing Snowbird with girlfriends wearing everything from disco outfits to prom dresses. Check resort websites for events and Instagram galleries for ideas, but feel free to get creative.
Adding brightly colored kits or costumes to your ski photos does even more; they express joy. Alone or with a group, a skiing Chewbacca (a Snowbird regular) is having the time of his life. It’s also a terrific way to make friends on a lift, because over a seven-minute ride on Gadzoom, someone will ask whether the fur keeps him warm and, of course, whether they can have a selfie.
Nature Provides Great Backdrops
No matter the ski conditions, stop and take some photos to remember the powder or posse. One of the best natural backdrops is along the cat track at the top ofDeer Valley Resort’s Wasatch Express above Perseverance Bowl. On a sunny day, the Jordanelle Reservoir fills the background encapsulating a #deervalleymoment. You can also get nice action shots with the reservoir behind the skier on the aptly named (and often empty) Jordanelle run off Mountaineer.
Another fantastic location, especially a wide-angle shot, is at the top of Gutsy off Summit lift at Cherry Peak, which showcases the endless expanse of Cache Valley. 
Finally, in a state known for its national parks and monuments, there’s a spot off the #7 The Dunes lift at Brian Head Ski Resort that has skiers appear to drop into the red rocks and hoodoos at Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Natural foregrounds in ski photography are also underutilized by amateurs. First, snowballs are cool to shoot. Use burst or, for some real fun, slow-motion modes on your camera to capture the best shot. Portrait mode focusing on the subject’s expression is a particularly good way to capture the joy or the spray as it hits their face. Include shots of snow angels, especially the big, burley, dad-sized ones.
Remember the People You Were With…Including You
Utah’s mountains are stunningly beautiful, but the photos of the people you share them with are always the most memorable. No one likes the person who stops for photos on every run, but take a few photos every ski day. At the end of a vacation, season or lifetime, you — and everyone else — will be happy you did.
Don’t think of shooting magazine covers; think of smiles and silhouettes, shadows and sunbeams, silly poses and “Show her that you love her!” kisses. Yeah, the “kiss cam” always turns out the best, because it’s candid and unexpected and, even if you just yelled at each other for that last run through tight trees, just a little passionate, an incredible contrast against the cold surroundings.
Trying to get a group shot? Find a spot at the top of a lift (particularly where mountain peaks are often visible, such as Alta Ski Area Supreme Lift at the top of Challenger or Snowbird’s Baldy Lift looking across Mineral Basin) but away from unloading skiers. Put a few people on the ground to break up the line of toy soldiers carrying equipment to battle or, better yet, gather everyone in a circle of love and put the camera face up on the snow in the middle for something fun and unique.
Use Your Ski Photos to Tell a Story
Whether posting to social media or creating a holiday card collage, avoid the “photo dump.” Instead, use photos from your ski trip to tell a story. What’s the first thing you remember about your vacation (or ski day)? Extract the theme, i.e, deep powder, laughter from falling, après with friends, and select a few photos that show the beginning, middle and end of that story. At Eagle Point, this might be standing in a line at The Lookout lift with just 20 other people at 9:30 am on a Friday (only open on weekends) staring up at untouched snow on Delano Drop. This is followed by a quick shot of your partner surfing down thigh-deep powder on the fourth run of the morning…or another fresh tracks pic timestamped at 2 pm. The story of empty and untracked runs is a Utah favorite and not a myth.
Each resort has a place where memories can be made and preserved. Many are listed above, but every tree, every turn on every mountain tells a story, one that you and others will remember for years to come.
