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over the United states and the rest of the In the 21st century, there are obvi-
world. do you think there is a common ously many outlets for photography. It’s a REHAB

theme to your work?
beautiful thing, really, because you have
websites, social media, and you still have
blotto: I just find the beauty in everything print. so there’s a place for all this work
around me wherever I go. that’s why I you do to build up. It’s all about being your gear.
love travel, whether it’s man-made like with it and doing it. that’s speaking for

cities, or nature and the mountains. It bike, skateboarding, anything. you’ve
goes on and on.
just got to be in it.
right now I’m in san Fran, and I’ve
been going out at midnight each night VS: another challenge, I suppose, is that

documenting the city and the bridges, everybody has a camera on their phone,
particularly Golden Gate Bridge and the and they can take pretty good pictures BEFORE
AFTER
Bay Bridge. I just love taking pictures so and share them immediately. doesn’t that
whether it’s a hobbyist routine, like these crowd the playing field and make it hard-
midnight shootings of the city, or I’m on er to rise above the rest?
Dirt and soaked Clean and

the job with Burton, I find equal thrill. I in water ruin waterproofed
think it’s just nice to keep the camera in blotto: I certainly agree with you there. the insulation down keeps
my hand so I can constantly learn and But that just means you have to work
constantly keep myself occupied being harder, be more creative, and, like I said, properties of water out and
creative.
being a team player goes a long, long way down.
body heat in.

– especially in snowboarding.
VS: When you’re out at night in san Fran
or on assignment for Burton, what are VS: do you look at any other snowboard
some of the things you look for to rec- photography? do you have any favorite
ognize that beauty? What makes a good photographers?

picture?
blotto: I don’t go out of my way to check
blotto: you can find beauty in anything, out other stuff. I’m a little bit preoccu-
even the most mundane, but there are pied with the tasks at hand. With the as-

some things out there that you see, like signments at Burton, I don’t have a lot of
on these midnight missions in san Fran, extra time to branch out and look at ev-
when you see the Bay Bridge lit up at erything, but I receive the snowboarding
night, you’re just, like, “Whoa.” It kind publications on a monthly basis so I look
of makes you want to take a picture of it through and I see that some of my favorite

because it is a beautiful structure.
dudes are always killing it. adam moran,
In snowboarding, when we’re out my co-worker at Burton; Cole Barash;
there with the fresh snow and the light there’s a French guy name matt Georges,
and the shadows, that’s just begging for but that’s just a couple.
you to pull up a composition and figure

out the light and make it as dreamy as VS: so what’s the next thing we can expect
possible.
to see from you or your work at Burton?
In the streets, driving around in a
car, you’ve got so much equipment, you’re blotto: We just finished up our summer Nikwax
Nikwax

allowed to use a lot of flashes, etcetera, shooting down in New Zealand and our Down Wash
Down Proof
or in the sequence with jeremy, it’s just so viewbook catalog comes out, so that’s a Cleans effectively Adds safe, high
gnarly you want to see it from start to fin- big step for us every december.
ish, nothing too fancy, just showing the then we’re coming back to Ver- while preserving performance water
rawness of it.
mont to view all the products for next the insulating repellency to
properties of down.
down garments.
year. that’s the big thing on the table.
VS: It seems like you have a pretty unique after that, we’re opening two Burton
story, with your origins teaching yourself snowboarding flagship stores in the san
the photography, composition, and edit- Francisco–Berkeley area, I’ll be around
ing skills, and going all the way to where for those.

you are now at Burton. For someone who We’re in the midst of season plan-
is an aspiring photographer, especially in ning what we’re going to do this winter so NIKWAX
the area you are, what does it take to get we all just got together at the Burton so- GEAR REHAB
recognized?
Cal offices, all the team and media. this
means the team managers, the photogra- 3 step program

blotto: Basically, you need to live and phers, the filmers. We all sat down and 1. Admit your gear has a problem.
breathe that lifestyle. I have kids write to made the plan of what we’re going to do 2. Clean it!
me on a weekly basis, saying they’d love this winter.
#gearrehab
to become a snowboarding photographer. 3. Waterproof it!

I say, get with your crew, and you got to VS: sounds like you don’t get back to the www.nikwaxna.com/gearrehab
move to a mountain where there’s snow. Burton HQ in Burlington often.
you have to run with your crew and learn
while they’re learning—and this has to be blotto: [laughs] No, but I go whenever I
your life. What happens when you start can.

running with and learning is that it leads At Nikwax we do all we can to minimize our impact on
to travel, and travel leads to connections.
the environment and people’s health. We are the only e
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But what it all comes down to is Evan Johnson is a writer and journalist established outdoor aftercare company to have a completely r
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you’ve got to be positive, you’ve got to who lives in Cornwall. He enjoys climb- WaterBased, non-flammable and fluorocarbon (PFC) free a
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be a team player, and you’ve got to work range. We have always avoided using PFCs as we believe they r
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ing, cross-country running, and the com- are a risk to consumer health and the environment.
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pany of a yellow lab named Winnie.

December 2013
VtSportS.com 21