{"id":18255,"date":"2026-02-03T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T14:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tamron-americas.com\/?post_type=photo-tip&p=18255"},"modified":"2026-01-30T11:24:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T16:24:19","slug":"accion-invernal-28-75-christian-henkel","status":"publish","type":"photo-tip","link":"https:\/\/tamron-americas.com\/es\/foto-consejo\/accion-invernal-28-75-christian-henkel\/","title":{"rendered":"En busca del \u2018flujo\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Chasing \u2018Flow\u2019<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Christian Henkel heads to the slopes for winter action sports photos with the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 G2 lens<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>

Author:<\/strong> Jenn Gidman\u2028
Images:<\/strong> Christian Henkel<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Christian Henkel heads to the slopes for winter action sports photos with the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 G2 lens.<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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From rock climbing to snowboarding, Christian Henkel has long lived the adventurer\u2019s life. A few years back, he even morphed into a nomad for a bit, traveling up and down the West Coast in his van to document the landscapes he saw along the way. These days, Christian is a bit more stationary, settled in Bend, Oregon, where there are still plenty of adrenaline-inducing activities in the winter ready to unfold before his camera\u2014from deep in the backcountry to the popular Mt. Bachelor ski resort.<\/p>

\u201cShooting winter action sports hits on every level for me,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a snowboarder myself, there\u2019s an instant connection to what the athletes are feeling\u2014the commitment, the risk, and the reward. Anyone who participates in action sports understands the idea of \u2018flow state,\u2019 that feeling of being completely immersed and intensely focused, and where time almost stands still. Photographing someone doing the thing they\u2019re most passionate about puts me in that same headspace.\u201d<\/p>

To help him capture a series of recent photos in Central Oregon\u2014”an area I know extremely well, which allows me to focus less on logistics and more on timing, light, and creative angles when conditions line up\u201d\u2014Christian tapped into his Tamron 28-75mm F\/2.8 Di III<\/span> VXD G2 standard zoom<\/a>. \u201cThe 28-75mm F2.8 G2 has become one of my most used lenses for my action sports work,\u201d he says. \u201cThe focal range is wide enough at 28mm to establish environment and scale, but long enough at 75mm to isolate athletes and achieve nice compression. The constant F2.8 aperture is huge for winter shooting, whether I\u2019m dealing with flat light, heavy snowfall, or trying to separate a rider from a busy background. I also love how lightweight and compact it is. When you\u2019re hiking, riding snowmobiles, or moving fast around the mountain, every ounce matters.\u201d<\/p>

For Christian, creating these types of photos is equal parts meditative and adrenaline rush. \u201cYou\u2019re fully immersed in these beautiful environments, completely locked into the moment, while constantly adapting to fast-moving action and unpredictable conditions,\u201d he says. \u201cThe feeling I get capturing a perfect shot is very similar to the feeling I get when landing a trick I’ve been practicing for ages.\u201d<\/p>

CHRISTIAN\u2019S QUICK TIPS<\/strong><\/p>

Add in a human element.<\/strong>
That\u2019s essential in my work. Many of the landscapes I work in can be visually stunning on their own, but adding a person immediately introduces scale, story, and emotion. I\u2019m always thinking about how small we are compared to these environments, and I like showing that contrast\u2014a single rider or athlete moving through an otherwise massive, untouched space. It makes the scene feel more relatable and gives viewers a point of entry into the image.<\/p>

Incorporate white space.<\/strong><\/p>

Snow can naturally act\u00a0as negative space, and I like to lean into that for\u00a0certain shots. A clean, white background simplifies the frame and lets the subject really stand out, especially when they\u2019re wearing bold colors. That white space also helps guide the viewer\u2019s eye directly to the action without distractions.<\/p>

For the image you see here of local skier Miles Kemph riding down a near-vertical face, I shot it at 75mm from a high point across the way, almost perfectly at eye level. I love how the angle and the steepness of the face make it appear as if he\u2019s lying sideways\u2014almost like the photo was taken straight down from a drone. It\u2019s also a great example of how the snow can act as negative space. The blank white background naturally pulls your eye straight to the subject.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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28-75mm (75mm), F8, 1\/1600 sec, ISO 250<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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28-75mm (75mm), F8, 1\/1600 sec, ISO 200<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Be cognizant of your angles.<\/strong><\/p>

Angle choice is huge in action sports photography. Shooting close with a wide focal length puts the viewer right in the action and helps emphasize speed and power. Shooting from above can highlight lines and terrain, while shooting from below exaggerates height and airtime. I try to mix all of those perspectives throughout a shoot so the final set feels dynamic and immersive rather than repetitive.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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28-75mm (29mm), F10, 1\/2000 sec, ISO 320<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Aim for the right light.<\/strong><\/p>

Early morning and late afternoon are ideal for these kind of shots. Low-angle light helps add texture to the snow, creates longer shadows, and gives everything more depth. Midday light can also work, but it\u2019s usually harsher and flatter, so I have to be more intentional with angles and composition to keep the images from feeling one dimensional.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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28-75mm (52mm), F9, 1\/2000 sec, ISO 100<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Nail that exposure.<\/strong><\/p>

Shooting in the snow can make proper exposure tricky. I usually underexpose slightly. If light conditions are changing quickly during a shoot, I\u2019ll often use auto ISO and adjust the exposure compensation dial to \u20130.3 to \u20130.7 EV. It\u2019s much easier to pull detail out of shadows than to recover blown highlights in the snow. I\u2019m constantly checking my histogram to make sure I\u2019m preserving highlight detail while still keeping the snow clean and white. Shooting in RAW is also critical, as it gives you far more flexibility to fine tune exposure, highlights, and shadows in post.<\/p>

Ensure sharp action shots.<\/strong><\/p>

Shutter speed is key. Unless I\u2019m intentionally trying to introduce motion blur, I\u2019m typically shooting at 1\/1600 of a second or faster to freeze the action, especially when there\u2019s snow spray involved. Continuous autofocus tracking is essential, and I try to anticipate the peak of the action rather than react to it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Being in the right position ahead of time and understanding how the athlete moves is just as important as camera settings. The athletes I\u2019m working with will often take a few test runs\u2014not only to dial in their speed, but so I can anticipate exactly where they\u2019ll be at the peak of the action. If test runs aren\u2019t possible, I\u2019ll use natural reference points like a specific rock or tree to time the shot and make sure the frame is sharp and composed properly.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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28-75mm (68mm), F14, 1\/1600 sec, ISO 640<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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To see more of Christian Henkel\u2019s work, check out his <\/strong>website<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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