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For more than 15 years, Flathead photographer Scott Spiker has followed his passion as a professional photographer, shooting everything from kayaking in Alaska to backcountry skiing in Wyoming. Spiker dedicated his life to finding the perfect shot — and sometimes even risking it.
“Sometimes you put yourself in a dangerous position,” said Spiker, who spoke April 6th to FHS students. “Even when you don’t know about the danger.”
Two years ago, after about an hour of skiing in Cody Bowl, a back-country ski access near Jackson Hole, Wyo., Spiker prepared to shoot yet another picture.
As a friend reached the point where Spiker wanted to take his picture, a co-worker began yelling at him from above. When Spiker finally looked up, what he saw was mind-numbing: rushing toward him at freight-train speed was a wall of white, 30 feet high and 70 yards wide. Scott pointed his skis down the mountain, leaving his ski poles, and raced out of the way of the avalanche. According to his co-workers, the avalanche trailed him by about only five feet.
“You draw a complete and total blank when you see something like that coming after you,” said Spiker. “Even when things are safe, there’s always some aspect of risk.”
For the past 15 years Spiker has followed his passion of photography all over the country. For about eight years he has shot mostly outdoor recreation and travel photos in the Flathead Valley, and worked with large corporations such The North Face, REI, K2 Bikes, and Outside, Ski and Skiing magazines, and one of his photographs has even been selected for a U.S. postage stamp. According to Spiker, the job requires a person to be “on their toes” at all times, but for the most part, he said, his job isn’t as complicated as most think — he said it’s mostly a matter of motivation.
“Being a photographer isn’t just a ‘9 to 5’ job,” said Spiker. “ It takes a lot of energy to be ready to shoot at any time, all the time.” |
