Depth of Field – Oskar Enander

Oskar Enander’s style is easily recognizable for its deep-blue, contrasting shadows and distinctive use of back and side lighting—perhaps a result of Oskar being colorblind… He often asks the folks he’s shooting with to tell him the color of their jacket or pants. And he doesn’t know what purple is at all.

I first met Oskar in 2002 over coffee in the lobby of the Hotel Bellevue. He was shy and serious as he passed a few slide sheets across the table. Since then Oskar has racked up covers around the globe, gallery shots, add campaigns for some of the biggest outdoor brands, photography and journalism awards such as European Photographer of The Year by IF3 and the first photographer to be awarded the Photo of the Year Award from Powder Magazine three times.

A year after we first met, we shared a ratty truck camper for three nearly shower-less months traveling through the Yukon and Alaska, a trip that started seven years of snow-machine and touring-based ski adventures in Haines, AK. Those trips were marked by many back-breaking 14 hour days exploring mountains, with more climbing, lifting and digging out sleds than actual skiing. Days that speak to Oskar’s commitment to the bigger picture; the adventure and satisfaction that comes while enduring tortuous conditions in sublime, wild places, even at the expense of one’s work. But when the camera comes out, it’s “110 percent business time,” as he likes to say. He’s the most commanding force on any photo shoot; he leads line choice and coordinates guides, all while directing and teaching other filmers. — Stephan Drake

Here, Oskar presents what he considers the Top 5 photos of his career to date.