I film skiers doing tricks. Here's how I taught myself to shoot and landed gigs that let me travel the world.

A still from one of the Gavin Rudy's films.

Gavin Rudy

• Gavin Rudy films professional skiers performing tricks.
• He grew up skiing in Colorado and started out filming his friends as a hobby.
• This winter, he plans to film in Austria and Japan. He works for the US Forest Service in summer.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Gavin Rudy, a self-employed cinematographer, about making ski films. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a self-employed cinematographer, editor, and artist. I primarily make ski films — action-sports movies that feature professional skiers doing tricks on mountains and in urban settings.

I grew up skiing in Colorado. I loved skiing when I was younger and wanted to get out there and ski with my friends. I also liked making videos as a hobby, so I put the two together and started filming my friends doing ski tricks. I had fun doing it, even though we weren't pros.

I didn't go to school specifically for film – I studied mechanical engineering in college. Instead, I picked up a camera and learned as I went.

I was able to learn some things about camera work in a high-school class, but the most important thing was that I already knew how to ski. I don't have to think about my skiing when I'm filming, which makes it easier to focus on the shot I want to get.

I started out using an old Canon helmet camera in the early 2000s and got a GoPro when they came out. Now I mostly like to film with an old tape camcorder.

Even though camera technology has come a long way since I started, I'm not always inspired by the newest technology. I like the feel an old tape camcorder gives to the films; it's more grounded and looks less overproduced.

My career got started when I shot some professional skiers at resorts in Colorado. Eventually, I went to shoot at Windells, a summer training camp in Mount Hood, Oregon, for professional and up-and-coming skiers. I worked with Newschoolers, a prominent website in the free-skiing world.

Eventually, I began working on projects with a production company called Strictly. One of the coolest projects I got to work on was our film "Strictly Business." We shot professional freestyle skiers all over western North America.

I work full time as a freelancer, which means I have to actively seek out work throughout the season

I don't like to take on work that doesn't directly inspire me, like commercials. During the winter, I make some of my money by making ski films — as both a cinematographer and an editor.

I also make some money selling my art — woodblock prints, sketches, and digital works. The price depends on the piece, but my benchmark is 2 ½ times the cost it takes to make.

In the summer, I pick up other jobs, like working as a wilderness ranger for the US Forest Service. This means in the winter, I can take jobs that allow me to use my creativity with filming and editing.

"The films I make are the products of a lot of hard work from both the skiers and me. You're not just going out and skiing with your friends," Rudy said.

Gavin Rudy

I usually take on jobs filming professional skiers for wider brand projects. Both me and the skiers are paid by the sponsors. I'm normally paid a flat rate on a per-project basis, but sometimes I'm paid an hourly rate.

What I make from a single project varies, though it's often about $5,000 with all my travel expenses covered. I live frugally so I can afford to capitalize on projects that I'm excited about.

Making ski films for a living has taken me to some exciting destinations. This winter, my two main jobs will be in Austria and Japan.

To get the footage, we often have to follow the forecast. We keep an eye on where it's snowing and follow big storms whenever possible.

Other times, with bigger international trips, we have to make plans and hope that the conditions are good for skiing and filming. If a storm rolls in or lighting is bad for filming, we might have to wait for things to clear up or get creative with filming tactics. We can usually make it work.

The skiers and I normally plan every part of the trip together

We have to use our budget from the sponsors to pay for expenses like transportation and lodging. Usually, the leftover money at the end of this is what I get paid.

Skiing powder — where you ski on lighter, fluffier snow — and doing tricks looks like a lot of fun on the screen, and it is. But the films I make are the products of a lot of hard work from both the skiers and me. You're not just going out and skiing with your friends.

If we're filming tricks in urban areas, it requires a bigger team to get everything set up. We have to build the jumps and make sure the features are good to go. This might mean packing snow to make a ramp for a jump or moving snow onto pavement to create a landing at the end of a rail.

On top of that, we have to help direct the shots and make sure the lighting is right. Sometimes we have to set up a generator for light if we're filming at night. When we're filming powder skiing and backcountry skiing, we have to be aware of avalanche conditions and carry extra gear for safety.

At the end of a shooting day, the work isn't over for me

I usually spend the rest of my day uploading footage to my computer — and ensuring it's well organized and backed up on hard drives so that I don't lose any of it.

At the end of the winter season, after we've finished filming, I spend part of the summer editing the footage.

This work gives me the freedom to work creatively and travel to interesting places.

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