Black-and-white images of artifacts displayed in the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre. A rider soaring over a jump, hands stretched out behind them. Two friends, full-face helmets still on, looking out over a valley with blurred, snow-capped peaks in the distance. That same photo, but this time it's the mountains in focus, and the mountain bikers fuzzy.
Then, full-colour stills of a group of riders ripping down trails, back wheels kicking up a spray dirt and dust. Throw in a few portraits and a few nature shots, like a field full of wildflowers and a handful of fresh-picked blueberries. An appearance from the Oakley side hit.
Those are the few of the shots that earned Squamish-based photographer Brendan McClennon the title of Deep Summer champion—and a $5,000 cheque—on Tuesday night, July 25. The event didn't exactly live up to its name this year in terms of the forecast, but drizzly skies and single-digit temperatures weren't enough to keep hundreds of people from rolling up to Whistler Olympic Plaza with camp chairs, blankets and rain jackets to watch six mountain bike photographers compete in Crankworx's prestigious annual photo showdown.
"I'm so stoked right now. It's been a dream come true, honestly. I've been wanting to do this for years, and it feels surreal," McClennon told the audience after accepting Deep Summer's Bonnie Makarewicz Trophy. "I have no words right now."
Here's how the contest works: Crankworx challenges five invitees and one wild card contestant selected by voters to spend three gruelling days shooting with their pals on bike trails around the Sea to Sky corridor during the first weekend of the mountain biking festival. The pro photographers compile their best photos into a story told via a slideshow set to music, and present their submission on the big screen to an incredibly-stoked crowd and a panel of judges. Christina Chappetta and Derek Foose served as hosts for Tuesday night's event.
Even with a "stacked team" of riders like Georgia Astle, Jonny Eden, Brittany Gustafson, Rob Perry, Jakob Hartman, Harry Barrett and Tabias Croteau, lighting was the star of McClennon's slideshow. His four-minute submission was the judge's top choice out of a field of five other photographers.
"This feels pretty insane," McClennon said following his win. When it comes to the content of his show, "I ride most of these trails all the time, so it's kind of weird—every time I'm riding them, I'm always seeing different forms of light and composition and stuff like that. That's just kind of how my brain works," he explained. "And I'm a huge perfectionist, too, so when I'm out shooting, I'm always overthinking everything, just trying to make sure that I'm getting the exact shot that I want to get. So that's kind of how I put it all together."
McClennon may have leaned on his local knowledge when scouting locations for the three-day shoot, but he didn't necessarily have a home-turf advantage: also competing in Deep Summer this year were Ronia Nash, a Squamish-based action and wildlife photographer; Pemberton local and multidisciplinary storyteller Matt Bruhns; West Coast born-and-raised photographer, skier, climber, and biker Sofia Warrington; and wild card competitor Hailey Elise, a pro mountain biker and photographer who ditched Vancouver's fashion scene for Whistler's bike trails back in 2012. (Her show, the last presented of the evening, drew some of the loudest cheers from the crowd.)
The sole outsider in the field was Rotorua, New Zealand's Thomas Falconer, who was looking for a repeat win after taking home the "Best Photographic Slideshow" title at Crankworx Rotorua’s Deep Summer contest back in 2020.
The Crankworx crowds will return to Whistler Olympic Plaza tomorrow night, July 27, for Dirt Diaries, a "video throw-down that’s produced some iconic content over the years." The show kicks off at 8:30 p.m.
