“Through the Lens”

“Through the Lens” Photos by Mary Toft

ABOVE: This view through my bedroom window promised a frigid morning. The thought of it had me wishing to remain under the covers. But sunlight peeking through the peaks foreshadowed warmth. It was the motivation I needed to scrape the frost off my car and face the day.

LEFT: I captured cowgirl Hannah Joyce on a spring afternoon that masqueraded as a morning in fall — that is the power of editing. The original shot was strongly backlit, but by bringing out the shadows and adding warmth, we see this effect of glowing morning. The way it’s lit changes our focus-suddenly the photo isn’t all about the girl but about the horses and the girl, and a feeling of unity between them. These horses belong to the Woolstenhume family.

Midnight at the crossroads; here I employed a long exposure (30 seconds) and just stood back and let it happen. A solitary car drove-by and I was very pleased because I wanted the streak of light it would cause. The sun flares of the traffic light remind me of a festive party. Even though Driggs is a small town, there is a lot of excitement here - you just have to know where to look.

Meet Scoop, a cat-skiing guide very much in his element. What I remember most of this January day is how lucky we were to bag perfect photo weather. Shots of the guests were absolutely gorgeous and I was so happy. Granted, we do love and need storms, but it’s really hard to complain about a brilliant blue sky and glittering snow.

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ABOVE: Wanting to grow my ‘lifestyle’ portfolio, I schemed to stage a few shots using a crew of visiting friends. But it had been a couple years since these characters had seen each other, so the shot was posed in one sense but also natural in a far deeper way. We rode powder bell-to-bell on an amazing day. And I just stood back and let them do their thing. Its days like this and people like these that make me denounce the maxim “no friends on a powder day.”

LEFT: My friend, photographer Greg Heide captured here mid-mission to the A-chutes of Peaked Mountain. Greg and I had headed toward Mary’s before continuing up its neighbor. This was one of those warm, but not too warm days in late March. The kind that allow hiking without a coat — I love that. Greg is awesome and always full of stoke, a great friend to have.

This pic feels like the wild wild west to me. It was probably 7:30 or 8 at night, the sun had gone down - it was a bright night and with the little help from my car headlights I got the capture. The swirling clouds give it a moody uninviting feel, which is ironic if you know the Tetonia Club. Had the neon had been lit this would have been an entirely different image - once again illustrating the fact that timing and lighting are everything.