The Cole Barash Photography Collection

Tanya Schmid

• January 21 2009
• 17,197 views
• 18 comments

“The images in here show my journey of 2008. In between all of the crazy action, I hope to bring ya stories, vibes, personalities, a few laughs and connections. Hopefully, in some of the images, you are brought behind the camera, and into the life of pro shreds, ie snow nomads. Enjoi.”

- Cole Barash

Bio: Cole Barash

Age: 21
Homebase: Oceanside, CA
Equipment: Canon bodies and lenses, leica m7, and hasselblad 501.
Lighting: Profoto 7b2, 2 acute 600r, sunpak 555

Do you still shoot film, why?:

Yeah, for sure. More for personal stuff, as most companies and magazines are heavily reliant on digital these days. The main thing about shooting film is, IT SLOWS ME DOWN. You focus much more on your composition, getting your lighting completely dialed and waiting patiently for that moment. Instead of rapid fire with digital, which is easy to do, this can ruin a portrait session.

What companies are you shooting for:

NIKE SNOW, Oakley and Billabong. I no longer shoot for Forum, although those guys are my homies, I’ve had some of the craziest times with them. I will always be tight with that crew. Forum is a solid program, I learned a lot coming up with them and will always respect my roots.

Photographers who influence you:

I would say original big influences for me were Zacher, Skoglund and Mathis. There shit was so ill! So different; Zacher would shoot it all, showing how it is beyond the action; real stories. He doesn’t care, he just shoots! Skoglund is just gnarly, so tech, always experimenting. And mathis, all his urban stuff in True Life days was real inspiring; always switching up crazy films, and such strong compositions.

What photographers are you hyped on in snowboarding today:

Frode, Blom and Blotto. Frode gets it done in Europe, love his work recently. Blom is coming out with some rad material as well, inspiring for sure. Blotto is the road warrior, always coming back with the goods. AND there is this new guy, Carlos Blanchard, SUPER stoked on his black and white stuff.

What is up with the NIKE SNOWBOARDING ads? And are they the same as NIKE 6.0?

No NIKE SNOWBOARDING is a separate core brand similar to NIKE SB. NIKE 6.0 is mainstream action sports. For the NIKE boot ads, we just wanted to do something different. They are weird, and some people probably dont understand them. We chose environments true to each rider (ie, Benne’s was mocha salsa in SLC) , all shot at night, moody and contrasty, and we spot lit the boots to add mystery.

What feature or cover in Transworld Snowboarding were you most stoked on this year and why?

The Transworld Photo Annual cover. Curtes slaughtered that shot, the light and angle for the turn was so sick. Not to mention its Terje, such insane style, looks like hes surfing. And the fact his signature is on every copy, it looks rad, shows he was stoked on it and it was an original idea to have him sign it. Its refreshing to see a legit pow turn on a cover in a new way, they are hard to shoot.

What advice do you have for any upcoming photographers:

Keep shooting, and shooting. Always try, reinvent yourself, and experiment. If you really want to be a snowboard photographer, your gonna have to pay your dues, and put in a lot of long days, so get ready. Also, always be scanning through as much eye candy (good imagery) as possible via websites, mags, photo books, blogs whatever, develop your eye and expose it to all. And keep asking questions….

Check out more of Cole’s photography at www.colebarash.com. You can also check out his blog at www.ColeBarash.Blogspot.com.