Will Lavigne In Tow, Photo courtesy of Rome Snowboards.

‘First Photos’ is all about introducing the world to burgeoning photographers from across Canada. And now that you have seen some of their work, it’s time to meet our judges. No strangers to being in front of a camera, our judging panel consists of some of the most talented riders in the industry, the Quiksilver team. Today we speak to Will Lavigne.

Since joining the team earlier this season, Will has consistently proven why he stands shoulder to shoulder with teammates like Travis Rice, Chris Rasman and Matt Belzile. Read below to find out what makes a great photo in Will’s eyes.

Have you been involved in photo contests before?
No, I’ve never been involved in a photo contest. I feel a photo contest concerns more photographers than riders. There is photo contest section in the [TWS] Team Shoot Out, so I guess I’ve been part of that as a rider being photographed.

As a judge, what is it you are looking for in a ‘First Photo’?
Looking for a good photo, haha. I’m not a photographer myself but I think I have a good idea on what is a good photo or not. I like creativity; it’s important to focus on the trick but it’s also important to be creative with what is around the spot. The angle is important too. I’m looking for something that shows a proper trick with good color, a good angle…be creative.

Have you ever stood behind the lens and shot anything yourself?
I’ve never stood behind the lens with a proper camera. I film sometimes but it’s a different game. When I take photos with my little pocket camera I try to make things look good, it’s hard.

Is there one photographer that you particularly enjoy shooting with?
There are many good photographers, it’s hard to pick just one. Oli Gagnon is one of them for sure. I like shooting with Frode Sandbech; Scott Serfas is good too. Ashley Barker can make things look good. I went on trip with Matt George from France last year and pretty much anything he takes photos of turns out to be good.

What was your first published photo?
My first photo published was in SBC in 2005, I think. It was a ¼ page; I was boardsliding the s-rail at Stoneham. Renaud Gagnon took the photo. My very first full page was the year after. We made a photo story from Quebec to Whistler for Snowboarder and I ended up having a full page in it. I was doing a switch backside 5-0 on a steep rail in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Oli Gagnon took the photo.

Looking back on your career so far, do you have a favorite photo of yourself?
It’s hard to tell, in the end it a lot comes from the photographer. The one that comes to my head right now is a photo I had in the Snowboarder Photo Annual two years ago. Oli Gagnon took the photo, and did magic with the spot. We were in Park City riding park, shooting on the last jump of the park that you could see from the bottom of the mountain. Oli went to the bottom next to the chair lift and was shooting me from there. I was texting him when I was dropping in, saying something like ”dropping after the guy with the blue jacket.” Oli couldn’t see me coming so he had to be really on point to snap the shot. The photo ended up being really dope with a sick building at the bottom of the shot and me flying in the sky on top of the picture. The photo also ran as a spread in Method Mag in Europe. Oli is good.

When picking a location to shoot, what are some of the factors you look for?
To be honest, most of the time when I pick a spot to film on, I don’t really think about what the photo will look like; most of the time it’s the photographers job to figure out what do to with the spot. Sometimes they’re stoked and sometimes it’s harder. It can happen that some spots have better background so it makes it easier. I focus more on my trick than if the photographer will get a good shot. If it’s good, it’s good, if not, it’s not.

Any advice for the contestants of the ‘First Photos’ contest?
Do it for fun. It’s the best way to do anything I’d say.

Click here to learn how to submit photos and enter the First Photos contest.

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