Before taking photos, Mason Mashon was into mountain bike competition. But he switched his focus from being in front of the lens to behind it—a change that, he says, allows him to understand the athlete’s perspective when shooting.
We caught up with the Whistler, B.C. based photographer to talk about his pivot from athlete to cameraman and his need to pack everything but the kitchen sink when he goes to shoots.
Mason Mashon poses for a self-portrait. Photo: Mason Mashon
Backcountry Magazine: What drew you to photography as a profession?
Mason Mashon: Well, I have always been doing sports, and as a young person I raced mountain bikes, and was basically on the verge of going into professional racing, but I decided to go to University instead. I didn’t actually study photography there. I studied geography and met a couple people who were getting into film making. I ended up linking up with those guys and they became known as Voleurz, which is a clothing brand that has now since ended. I have always had an interest in photography, and it was a natural outlet for me to start taking pictures.
BCM: Do you think starting out as an athlete has helped you in any way?
MM: I think starting out as an athlete has definitely helped—having the knowledge of both sides of the lens, knowing what looks good. I also feel like good form is what makes a good action sport photo, and because I have worked on both side of the lens, I feel like having that athlete knowledge base has really helped me in working with other people to come up with really cool looking photos.
“I’ve always been drawn to the colors and shapes that glacial ice provides. KC Deane finds a nice little pow stash tucked away on this calving glacier in Pemberton, B.C.” Photo: Mason Mashon
BCM: Where is your favorite place to work? Why?
MM: I always like working close to home. When it’s firing in Whistler, there’s some pretty amazing terrain to get into. But these last couple of years have not been good for that, unfortunately. I have had to travel around a lot and I actually made it up to Alaska this year. I think that’s probably one of my new favorite places to work, but I definitely like staying close to home.
BCM: What is the best part of being an action sports photographer?
MM: The best part of being an action sports photographer is being outside and spending quality time with people in beautiful places and always searching for those beautiful moments. It’s a privilege to be able to do something like that—with good friends being an added bonus. Kind of a cliché answer, but if you can combine it as work, is that living the dream?
“The forecast for the Selkirk Wilderness was calling for a modest 20 cm of snowfall the night before, but we were surprised to find 70 cm of fresh once Mike Hopkins and I dropped into our first run.” Photo: Mason Mashon
BCM: What is the funniest thing that has happened to you while shooting?
MM: I was shooting with Graham Agassiz for his new mountain bike movie, Ashes to Agassiz. I was shooting photos while they were filming a sequence of him being chased by a balaclava-wearing man in a helmet who had horns and fireworks strapped to his body.
And so there’s fireworks shooting off and they’re riding toward me and a whistling rocket landed right under my ass and exploded. So, I am trying to stay concentrated on getting the shot of this guy riding, and it’s just a hilarious scene unfolding. That’s probably one of the funnier things, I guess. I didn’t expect that when I decided to go and spend a week with those guys.
“KC Deane traversing into the Japanese wonderland.” Photo: Mason Mashon
BCM: What is your least favorite part of being an action sports photographer?
MM: The worst part of being a photographer is being attached at the hip to a heavy-ass camera bag. Because I have come from an athlete background, when you are shredding with a bag it’s not as enjoyable as you know it can be. I guess there’s a sense of jealousy when I am carrying a bag and others aren’t. Like anything, there are downsides, but at the end of the day when you come home and you have cool pictures and good memories, it is all worthwhile. My burden is that I tend to bring too much stuff. I end up carrying a lot more than I should—it’s a work in progress.
BCM: What defines your style as a photographer?
MM: I don’t feel like I am attached to any equipment related stylings. I run a Cannon kit and most of my lenses are F4, so there is nothing really that special about them—prosumer lenses. I choose them based on what works and just having the variety, shooting video or photos. In terms of the actual stylings of my photography, I think most of my recent stuff is based around natural light settings and trying to capture that in a way that satisfies my creative instincts.
I tend to carry two cameras all the time so that I can run multiple angles and shoot two different frame ups of the same thing simultaneously. If it is a one-time deal and you want to get that first track, that is the moment when I try to maximize my effort, getting to those places and locations to shoot by carrying a ton of gear and using it. One of my rules is “if you bring it, use it.” You get a variety of different images at the end of the day. You come home and it’s not just same same.
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See more of Mason Mashon’s work at www.masonmashon.com
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