The Snowboarder's Journal - frequency 17.2
MUNDANE/MAGIC: Andrew Miller’s Subjective Guidelines
Words: Nick Russell, Photos and Captions: Andrew Miller 2019-10-21 19:32:47
“These days we all have so much visual imagery pushed in front of us from all angles,” Andrew Miller says. “I don’t think there has ever been a time in history that people have had so much access and exposure to photography at their fingertips. The number of pictures you scroll, flip and click through each day is pretty wild.”
Miller recognizes that a surplus of disposable content requires a truly powerful image to make a viewer stop and consider it at a deeper level. Those photos in which time ceases to exist. Your eyes become fixated on every fine-tuned detail, magically and delicately woven together creating a thing of beauty. The guidelines are subjective, but to Andrew it is the “use of natural light, unique angles, layering, minimal editing and overall vibe,” that contribute to the end product.
If you’ve been even remotely following snowboard media over the last half decade, you’ve seen Andrew’s work. His resume spans all major endemic publications, a plethora of ad campaigns and the Instagram accounts of every rider that has ever worked with him. Currently a staff photographer for Jones Snowboards as well as a top choice for snow brands, magazines and riders looking to put together a shoot, the demand for his high-caliber imagery and work ethic is on a constant rise.
Born to Wayne and Dana Miller in the Southern California foothills, Andrew discovered snowboarding on the modest slopes of Snow Valley. In 2005, he migrated to Mammoth with his high school sweetheart and future wife, Ali, which sealed the deal. The early to mid-2000s was a golden era for the Mammoth park scene and Andrew was in the queue for the Main Park jump line with the best of them. A blown knee forced him to take a step back and pick up a camera. With no shortage of talent to document, Andrew began to dial in his skills behind the lens while shooting his friends and passing professionals, taking contest assignments to pay the bills. A few years later, Andrew followed his better half to Salt Lake City to support her goal of going to nursing school and slowly began to immerse himself in the Wasatch.
Andrew was the first person I shot with when I moved to Utah more than a decade ago. Together we would seek out fresh patches of snow under the lifts at Brighton, airs in the Park City halfpipe and explore the contours of Grizzly Gulch. No matter the conditions, we would somehow leave with shots that made the day look way better than it actually was. The following season Andrew and Ali bought a house together in Millcreek and I moved into their basement for the next five years. Andrew’s drive and professionalism from the start inspired me to take things more seriously, despite the fact that I was eating burritos and hot-boxing my room downstairs every night while he and his wife cooked healthy organic meals and did their taxes.
Both chasing professional careers on two different sides of the camera, we gradually expanded our knowledge of the backcountry with the help of local staples like Neil Provo and Forrest Shearer. “Andrew’s photography is a breath of fresh air,” Forrest says. “He sees things most don’t, and the images he captures really bring you into the landscape and get you thinking. It’s visual art in my mind, tasteful and timeless.”
With a growing portfolio, soon enough his feet were dangling next to Justin Hostynek’s outside of a helicopter in Haines, AK. Those few sessions shooting with Absinthe Films documented some of the most progressive heli-accessed Alaskan riding ever done by the likes of Lucas DeBari, Manuel Diaz, Jason Robinson and Nicolas Müller.
Shooting doors off in Alaska is one thing, but it was a call from Jeremy Jones in the summer of 2013 asking if he wanted to go to Nepal later that fall that took Andrew well beyond his comfort zone. Jeremy was in the middle of filming Higher and in need of a trusted photographer to shoot a six-week expedition to attempt to ride a spine face at 21,000 feet in the Himalaya. Andrew captured every step of the way and was rewarded with a cover of TransWorld Snowboarding, which led to a senior photographer position at the now-defunct magazine.
That trip to the Himalaya also displayed his talent for capturing the less-obvious moments that tell a story. “Andrew has the ability to make the mundane magical,” Jones says. “He seems to get off on the windy, whiteout days more than the perfect sunny pow days. This is why he is perfect for trips. He doesn’t care about conditions; he’s just glad to be out there.”
Austin Smith can attest, tracing his stoke to the fact that, “Andrew is a snowboarder first. He wants to get his runs in as well during the day, which is warranted and appreciated.”
“Other than Guch [Bryan Iguchi], I don’t know anyone with more childlike excitement for snowboarding. Andrew probably gets more days on his board than a lot of pros. He’s one of the few photographers you can always trust to accurately capture the feeling of the moment,” says Alex Yoder, one of the most photogenic riders out there.
Before a session is about to kick off, Andrew flips a switch. He will go from stoic to animated in matter of seconds as the zone comes into view or the sun illuminates a section of terrain. I’ve come to learn to take note of these signs and strike when the iron’s hot. Andrew describes these moments as the “search and creative collaboration between the photographer and rider,” which is so crucial to making a timeless photograph. “Knowing each other’s style and capabilities when figuring out something to shoot is probably the biggest key factor in making a good snowboard image,” he says.
Andrew, Ali and their 4-year-old daughter, Ava, recently moved back to their roots in the Eastern Sierra, where Andrew rides Mammoth daily between trips. His passion is as strong as ever. He will either break out the camera when inspiration strikes, or simply go freeriding with the homies if not. It is spur-of-the-moment tactical precision that translates to productivity. “More often than not, we go out to shoot having no idea what we are going to get into or find,” Andrew says. “At the end of the day, some of the best shots happen very spontaneously by just being in the right place at the right time with perfect light.”
Nick Russell is a professional snowboarder based out of Truckee, CA who spends more nights under the stars than under a roof most winters.
Photo Caption: I shot this photo during my first trip to Chile in 2013. My mother is Chilean and immigrated to the United States when she was about 13 years old. I grew up hearing stories, learning about the culture and always envisioned what it would be like. I felt an instant connection to this beautiful country and it just so happens that this photo of Alex Yoder was taken at Nevados de Chillan, the resort 30 minutes from where my grandparents met and went to college.
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