Depth of Field – Sam Watson

My name’s Sam Watson and I’m from Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve skied in some amazing places but skiing at home is the best so I’ve chosen five favorite photos that I’ve shot close to where I live.

Each of these photographs has meaning for me but the two jump shots in this gallery are especially dear. Growing up skiing in Utah, I was constantly recognizing jump spots in ski movies that I had hiked past in the summer, or skied past in the winter. Utah’s mining history is partly to thank for that, as the two best known Utah gap jumps use tailing piles as the landings. The gap jump scene in Utah hit its highest point of popularity when I was really getting into skiing, and jumps like Pyramid and Chad’s were hallowed ground in my mind. I have been fortunate to shoot photos of these monster jumps, but building them and witnessing them in person is something special.

Trite though it might be, Utah does have the greatest snow on earth (at least while we still have a winter here). Skiing deep powder snow and photographing my friends skiing is one of my favorite things to do. I hope you like this gallery. May your seasons be safe and deep. — Sam Watson