Despite having spent the past 30 years as one of the area’s most well known outdoor photographers, Paul Morrison is still finding new ways to challenge his experienced eyes and shutterbug skills.

The senior staff photographer at Whistler Blackcomb (WB) is set to compete against other pro photographers in the Saint Deep Summer Photo Challenge on Wednesday (Aug. 11) at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler as part of the Kokanee Crankworx festival.

For the challenge, photographers work against the clock, and each other, to create a storytelling slideshow from images shot over three days in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park and on Whistler's cross-country bike trails.

“I don’t shoot mountain bike full time,” said Morrison, whose winter photography of Whistler and Blackcomb can be seen everywhere from tourism guides to newspapers, magazines, ads and beyond. “So this lets me push some boundaries while I try to put in a solid showing.”

Morrison has competed at similar Deep Winter Photo Challenges, and expects the same kind of tough competition.

“I do prefer winter, because it’s my usual main focus,” he said. “So I have to go out and do the best I can and try a little harder, because I have to keep up with all these new guys who are just so good.”

It’s a bit of a different situation from when Morrison first moved to Whistler in 1975.

“There wasn’t much of a market back then,” he said. “Summer was basically a dead season. So you could shoot some in winter but not much of anything in summer.”

Few photographers where working professionally in Whistler, so Morrison said he felt he was in the right place at the right time.

But someone else was shooting for Whistler Mountain at the time, so Morrison would have to wait until Blackcomb Mountain opened to get his chance.

“The photographer from Whistler moved over to Blackcomb when they opened,” he said. “So, I got Whistler.”

For photographers, few places can compare with Whistler, Morrison said.

“Look around the world and you’ll find few places that compare with the options available here in terms of skiing and riding,” he said. “There are also few places where people will pay to sit and watch slideshows of outdoor photography.

“We have that thanks to the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival challenges,” he said. “There’s just a different mentality or perception here of what we do as photographers.”

Morrison, who will be photographing his son, Ian and pro rider Ritchie Schley during the event, said the Deep Summer challenge will also be more physically demanding than his usual job shooting for WB, as well as Rossignol Skis, Red Bull, Oakley Eyewear, Descente DNA and Tourism Whistler.

“This is a bit more intense,” he said. “Normally I can go out, take my time and find the right shot, with the right background and the deepest snow. The days are also shorter in the winter, so you start around 8 a.m. and you’re home by dinner. It limits your day.”

Not so when shooting in summertime.

“The days are now four to six hours longer,” he said. “So we’re pretty much going out all day, for 16 hours a day and shoot, shoot, shoot. We have only three days to get the shots and not just that, but tell a story.”

Each photographer will present a slideshow to the live audience at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler with first place taking home $3,000, second place $2,000, third place $1,000, plus an additional $1,000 for the best photo of the evening.

No matter what happens, Morrison said he’ll still get a lot out of the event.

“It’s going to be three days of intense shooting, but also lots of fun, and lots of laughs. I hope lots of laughs,” he said. “And no matter how I fare in the competition itself, I’m still going to get some good material out of it I can use afterwards in the end.”

The Saint Deep Summer Photo Challenge takes place Wednesday (Aug. 11) at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Tickets are $17 at Whistler Blackcomb Guest Relations or by phone at 1-866-218-9690.