Lens Masters

Pascal Boulgakow - Pro

Pascal BoulgakowINTRO - Pascal is Ozone's chief photographer. He's had a rich history in snowboarding photography and through working with Guillaume Chastagnol had his eyes opened to the thrill of the kite! His snowkiting photography is some of the most jaw dropping in the field, combining stunning scenery with the most cutting-edge riding styles. Here, he presents his gallery for our Lens Masters' gallery, but first, we get a quick low-down on this super-sharp shooter

View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://www.kiteworldmag.com/lens-master-galleries/boulgakow/?phpMyAdmin=6739c474b2256385cfb63d9e3ce4a203#sigProGalleria6bc22cc037

Where are you from?
I was born in Africa, grew up in Ivory Coast and now live in France.

Where do you live?
I live in the Alps near Grenoble,  in the southeast of France.

How old are you?
I'm 51-years-old. I have three daughters and two grandsons.

How did you get into photography?
I was a teacher for 25 years, but I always wanted to do something different. I got into photography because the lifestyle seemed very appealing after meeting an Australian surfing photographer on our west coast. I've been very fond of creating images all my life.

When did you become a professional photographer?
In 1995, five years after getting into photography. I started teaching only part-time for two years, then I stopped for good!

When did you get into shooting kiting?
I spent 12 years as an international snowboarding photographer but then I got into kiting. I loved it from the start so I started to move my work to become more and more exclusively directed to snowkiting. It was hard in the beginning because I earned lots of money as a snowboarding photographer, and the kiting world doesn't provide as much money, but I'm in it for the lifestyle and I'm very lucky to be able to manage living as a full-time kiting photographer.

What was your first camera?
A normal Minolta reflex camera with a 28-105mm zoom.

What is your current camera set-up?
I try to have as little equipment as possible. I like to travel light all the time. I have a Canon EOS 1 D mark II with 17-35mm and 70-200mm zoom lenses. I would be much happier with a smaller camera and only one lens.

Can you remember the first shot you got published?
Yes, of course. It was a paragliding shot, taken while flying above a friend of mine here in the Alps. It was a cover shot but it was published with the name of another photographer as copyright...and of course, I've still not been paid for this front cover.

Which is your favourite ever shot?
Don't think that I'm pretentious with my answer, but so many shots have given me lots of wonderful memories, in paragliding, surfing, snowboarding, snowkiting and kitesurfing. So I will have to say that my favourite ever image is the one I'm preparing to shoot during my next session.

Who is your favourite rider to shoot with and why?
All the riders who spend some of their time helping me get the shots. A photo shoot is so hard for the kiters and the photographers. I know that they would much prefer to be kiting for fun, as do I!

Where is your favourite place to shoot and why?
Action on its own is not enough for a good shot. I need a nice landscape, too. My goal is to catch the action at the right place set within the landscape. My favourite place is everywhere a kiter can make huge action with a wonderful background.

What do you do in the summer when there is no snow?
Now that I'm Ozone's full-time photographer, I work with their kitesurfing and landkiting teams as well, so I'm lucky that I have endless work and I'm happy about that.

Do you have any advice for aspiring sports photographers?
Yes, in each sport you have to know what sort of angles and view have been already published in recent years. Look at the images in favour now and then create your own images one step ahead of everybody else. And of course, never give up !

Click here to watch Endless Snowpark Part 1

 

 

Click here to watch Endless Snowpark Part 2

 

 

Click here to watch Endless Snowpark Part 3

 

 

Click here to watch Endless Snowpark Part 4

 

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