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Scott Serfas: Lessons learned from a career in photography
A window into the journey of a multi-decade passion for documenting action sports.
As far as photographers go, Scott Serfas has remained in lockstep with the evolution of the action sports industry. What first started out as an interest in documenting his friends has led to a career where he has had the opportunity to capture the progression and forefront of the sport. With decades of traveling to remote areas around the world and working under high-pressure situations, Scott has amassed a wealth of experience behind the camera.
Below, he unpacks the factors behind his motivation that has led to his success, and how others can follow in his footsteps.
What drew you to photography as a creative form? Was it a conscious decision you made to pursue it as a career, or did it come together organically?
Everything I shoot is something I like to do. At first, it was just fun stuff I was doing with my friends. I like taking pictures and looking back at them when I had captured the right moment -- documenting the tricks and how high in the air they were going. Then I would give them the camera to get shots of me. Beginning from a point in high school when I was shooting on a point and shoot, I was just capturing that experience. There was never a moment where I thought it would become a career, I was just shooting my friends.
There was this magazine called Concrete Powder, and I saw some of my friends getting in there because somebody had submitted a photo, so I submitted photos and a couple got printed. It was cool to see, and then it evolved. More shots, writing stories, here is $50, here is some film, we can go on a trip and get lift tickets out of it. I had my first published shot in 1992, and still held a full time job until 1994. People say “you made it” but I never really feel that way, I never consciously made that decision.
I didn’t do it for money, I just submerged myself in the lifestyle because I loved it.
As a photographer, there's no such thing as a typical week. How does your preparation for an event like Crankworx compare to a backcountry film trip?
When it comes to events, there's not as much preparation aside from the day before. I will walk the course and scope out all the angles. For Crankworx, I will also rent a 100-400mm lens, as so many people attend the event and you can’t move around as quickly. You can find a few spots where you can shoot multiple angles with a single lens from one location. You’re trying to show the audience what happened that day. You’re going to do your best to make all those shots great, but you need as much variety in there as possible.
Scott Serfas captures Nicholi Rogatkin on course at Red Bull Joyride, 2019
© Scott Serfas
Capturing the moment of victory for Emil Johansson in 2019
© Scott Serfas
Showcasing size and scale with Lucas Huppert on course in Whistler, BC
© Scott Serfas
When it comes to the backcountry, I’ll pack a lunch, fuel up and bring the gear that I need, which includes avalanche equipment along with my go-to camera equipment. For lenses I will take a 15 mm fisheye lens, 24-70 mm, 70-200mm telephoto and 300 mm. I’ll also bring along two different camera bodies, a 1DX and a 5D. Once I get to the location, I will look around and see a potential shot and ask the riders to trust me on something, as opposed to just seeing where they go. I’ll find terrain that the riders don’t necessarily see and ask them what they think about it, sometimes taking a shot to explain what I’m thinking. There have been times when I’ve been on a shoot with multiple photographers, and some will just stand there and wait. I take initiative and make suggestions and it has worked out in the past. That comes from trial and error in addition to experience, that is the way I learned. If you shoot enough, you figure out what works and how to make it happen.
How much of the time do you spend behind the camera versus other aspects of the job?
For every hour I shoot, I spend twice as much time editing. On top of that there is backup and organization, which can include downloading, adding metadata and colour correcting. You’re the lab that has to process things. It might be that only 10 percent of the time you are actually shooting photos -- between questions, invoicing and other tasks. That time spent is worth it though in order to get to ride the best snow and travel to different countries around the world.
After 25 years in the industry, how do you stay inspired to produce cutting-edge work year after year?
I feel like I struggle with the consistent expectation to produce cutting edge work sometimes -- I tell myself not to shoot the same way I did the previous year. I’m looking at different angles and lenses -- there is no formula though, I do what I do and try to do the athletes justice with the shot. I don’t try to make it something it's not, I don’t want to put too much ‘art’ on it and take away from the fact that they are risking their lives. I love making the sport look good, and that might come from shooting when it was more of a fringe sport with less respect. I wasn’t doing it for anyone else at that time but myself and the people I was working with. My goal is for a rider to say that it's their favourite shot they have ever had, that is the moment where I feel like I did my job.
Travis Rice at the top of his line during the making of The Fourth Phase
© Scott Serfas
Travis Rice mid-air in Alaska during the filming for The Art of Flight
© Scott Serfas
Mark Landvik, Eric Jackson and Travis Rice admiring the scenery in Russia
© Scott Serfas
What is your advice for those who are passionate about the action sports community and want to pursue a career as a photographer in this industry?
If they’re passionate about it, then they are probably on their way. Move to where the action is happening -- if you’re in Canada, move to Whistler. If you’re a skateboarder, go to where the industry is in California. If you want to surf, go to Hawaii. You need to immerse yourself in that lifestyle and be around the people that have the same passions as you in order to go for it. For me, it was nearby and I didn’t have to move too far, but you really need to go for it and live it. If you love something enough, you’ll find a way to do it one way or another. Just going out and doing things brings opportunity. Not necessarily worrying about where it will take you, but just making things happen.
Follow Scott Serfas on Instagram to keep up with his photography and check out the link below for 5 tips on improving your own:
