The votes are in and the winner is ready to roll—or shoot as the case may be.
Whistler's Chris Pilling is the 2016 Wildcard photographer for Crankworx Whistler's
Samsung Deep Summer Photo Challenge. Pitted against five other outstanding photographers, Pilling's video slideshow of three days shooting in the Whistler area will be up against some big talent and he couldn't be more excited.
"
It’s been on my mind for the past four years. Every time it comes up, I’ve been scheming and planning and I’m just really excited to finally put it out in the open and show everybody in this community, and the industry, what I am capable of," said
Pilling, who works as an electrician's apprentice by day.
Pilling has been shooting at a semi-professional level for five years and describes one of the three photos he submitted for Pinkbike viewers to gauge his work as his most amazing photo to date. Shot from The Malamute, in Squamish, B.C., it shows rider Dylan Forbes rolling out over a 15-foot shelf, a 200-foot drop to the forestry yard below leaving no room for error.
"He had to do the transition and make a hard left-hand turn immediately after," said Pilling, who positioned himself in front of the drop, so he could push Forbes from his bike should he come too close to the edge.
Shown from two angles below, it's the kind of evocative style Pilling is hoping will earn him a top spot in the competition come Wednesday, August 17. The Samsung Deep Summer Photo Challenge is based in Whistler Olympic Plaza and begins at 8:30 p.m., dusk. From August 13 to 16 the six photographers featured will work with a team of hand-selected riders to build their perfect showcase of the region's gnarly trails and the talented riders whose creativity never ceases to find lines.
Tickets can be purchased for $8 online at Crankworx.com, as can tickets for the video competition,
Dirt Diaries, which will take place the evening prior. Dirt Diaries showcases videos of six mountain bike athletes, whereas Deep Summer highlights the talents of the many still photographers, which keep mountain biking on the cover of magazines the world over.
The five other photographers featured for the Samsung Deep Summer Photo Challenge this year are
Simeon Patience,
Ben Haggar,
Tommy Wilkinson,
Baxter Redfern and
Ashley Barker. Each will be competing to secure either the judge's first pick or the favour of online voters. For 24 hours following the show, fans will be able to log onto Crankworx.com and vote for their favourite show; the shows will all be embedded on the website and featured on the
Crankworx YouTube account.
The athletes featured for Dirt Diaries include the rider Pilling used for his Malamute shot, Dylan Forbes, NSMB.com photographer and filmmaker Ollie Jones, Josh Lewis, Enduro World Series videographer Richard Cunynghame, Mike Gamble and Kiwi enduro pro, Eddie Masters.
The photos Pilling submitted to win the wildcard are:
Dylan Forbes rolling a climbing route in Squamish. 15ft after the transition is a 200ft drop into the logging yard below. No fall zone is an understatement here.
Another angle on Pilling's favourite shot.
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Either way, sweet shots, good to see Chris getting a chance this year.