Whitelines: What first got you into photography?

Daniel Bernstål: I always wanted to be a snowboard photographer, right from the first day I opened a snowboard magazine. Travelling the world and snowboarding with a camera in my hand seemed like a dream. So when I lost my day job back in 2009 I decided to pursue that dream, and today I can finally call it my job. It has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and it sure hasn’t been easy. But I guess nothing in life that’s really worth having comes easy.

WL: You’re one of those lucky people who’s turned something you love into your job. Does shooting snowboarding ever still feel like your hobby? Or does it always feel like work these days? 

DB: It’s a bit of both. If I’m on a paid assignment it definitely feels like work because the client expects me to come home with something good. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get the most unique photos, and that is something that gives me a lot of anxiety. Then it can be hard to enjoy the moment. But sometimes I do passion projects just for fun, and that’s when I really get to enjoy what I do.

WL: What is it that keeps you coming back to mountains, as a subject?  

DB: Hmm, that’s a good question. I guess I like the thrill of being out there. The mountains both scare me and fascinate me. And sitting on top of a mountain and watching the sun set is almost a religious experience. It sounds cliché, but it really is!

WL: Who or what are your biggest photographic influences?

DB: In snowboarding it was always Vincent Skoglund who inspired me the most. His style was unique, and he was one the first to really use flashes out in the backcountry in the 90s. I’ve always loved to shoot with external light and he’s definitely why I pursued that path. Today, I love to watch Lorenz Holder for his approach to shooting snowboarding, but also all action sports. He seems to see everything from a different perspective, which I really admire.

WL: If there’s one photo you wish you had taken – by anyone, of anything, from any era – which one would it be? 

DB: It would be the one of Ingemar Backman doing the record-breaking backside air at King Of The Hill in Riksgränsen back in 1996. That has to be one of the most iconic moments in snowboarding history. Just to witness it would have been epic!

WL: They say the camera never lies. Do you think that’s true?

DB: In my case I’d say it’s the other way around—I always try to make things look better or cooler than they are, so you could say the camera is always lying! Whether It’s using a fisheye to make a jump look bigger or using flashes to create something mysterious-looking, or just to light a scene and make it look way nicer. I consider my style more artistic than documentary. I love to create a scene at the place I’m shooting, instead of just documenting what’s happening.