BLAKE JORGENSON

Raised in Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario, Blake Jorgenson headed west to Whistler, BC in 1993 at the age of 18 in search of adventure. He immediately took to the outdoor-focused lifestyle of the famed resort town, working in a ski-tuning shop and doing various other jobs to pay the rent while skiing and mountain biking as much as he could. Having an artistic bent and an eye for photography, Jorgenson started taking pictures of the hardcore amateur and professional sponsored riders he associated with, documenting their various backcountry excursions and day trips. When he was 21 years old, his first ski photo was published in Powder Magazine. Before long, his byline was a regular feature in ski, bike and outdoor lifestyle magazines all over the world.

Known and respected for his dramatic composition and his ability to keep up with the riders he photographs, Jorgenson has worked his way to the top of his field. Now in his thirties, he has won several prestigious industry awards, including the Pro Photographer Showdown at Whistler’s World Ski and Snowboard Festival and Powder Magazine’s Photo of the Year and has shot photos in exotic locales such as the Gobi Desert in China, Mount Kenya in Africa, Nepal, Chile, the Australian Outback and Alaska as well as his home turf of Whistler and other parts of British Columbia. He is currently recognized as a senior photo editor by Powder and Skier magazines and his work is sought by heavyweight advertising clients such as Rossignol, Helly Hansen, Oakley, Salomon, Red Bull and Nike.

In 2008, Jorgenson’s career embarked on a new phase with the opening of the Blake Jorgenson Gallery in Whistler Village, where he showcases his own work and that of his peers, as well as international touring art shows and exhibits presented in partnership with his top advertising clients. More than just a space to display photos, the eponymous gallery is a symbol of Jorgenson’s dedication to both his craft and the Whistler community that has fostered his career. “Taking photos has become a way for me to do what I love, live in a place that I love,” says Jorgenson. “It’s a key that has allowed me into a world that I want to continue to be a part of for as long as possible.” A driven artist and professional, he continues to shoot action, landscape and lifestyle images, capturing a steeper, deeper and more breathtaking world through his eyes and bringing it down to earth.