Olympic Ski Monkey
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| © Joshua Paul |
SKI Magazine sent Joshua Paul to shoot an assignment at the ski resort Krasnaya Polyana in the Caucasus Mountains when it was mentioned as a prospective site for the 2014 Olympic Games. What he found was a desolate mountain lacking a village, snow, skiers or a proper chair lift. He explained, “As I wandered around day after day, the assignment became more and more difficult. The town was very poor and undeveloped, no one would agree to let me take a portrait, and I couldn’t find a place to eat, drink, or show what else this place had to offer. On the last day, after barely shooting 20 rolls of 120 film, a giant man walked over holding a vintage Russian version of a Speed Graphic camera and a little monkey on his shoulder. He asked, “Photo?” I asked back, “Photo?” The little monkey quickly jumped off his back, turned to me and I shot this frame. This single image saved my otherwise disastrous shoot, and helped win SKI Magazine, Time Inc.’s Magazine of the year.
Tags: Caucasus Mountains, Joshua Paul, Krasnaya Polyana, SKI Magazine
December 29th, 2011 at 10:32 am EEDT
That photo is really funny :). Many thanks for sharing and hope to see more similar photos.
January 14th, 2012 at 11:12 pm EEDT
Joshua,
Hard work, not giving up, and most importantly, keeping a good sense of humor rewards you with this awesomely funny and touching photo. Good luck, I hope you have a smoother time of it next assignment!
February 6th, 2012 at 5:09 pm EEDT
What’s he looking at?
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:14 pm EEDT
Thank you for posting your responses!
This was absolutely a lesson in not giving up, and having the imagination to tell a story in a completely different way.
The Monkey is looking directly into my camera! I shot exactly one frame like this, before he ran off. I shot about one roll, with him on my assistant’s head, then with a Russian couple. It was completely ridiculous!
I have an Animals Portfolio on my website under “Portraits.” http://www.joshuapaul.com
Thank you again!