“The money and travel are all by-products. Do it for the love of the art and for the creation aspect instead of anything else.”
FINDING FOCUS: MERGING ART AND ADRENALINE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Growing up in Vancouver, Isami Kiyooka found his true self in two places: snowboarding in the solitude of the mountains and filling the pages of his sketchbooks. For years, these passions existed separately until a casual snowboarding session with friends at Mount Seymour brought them together. Isami was filming video with his mother’s compact Canon camera when the group’s photographer encouraged him to try capturing stills instead. He switched the camera to photo mode, and the worlds of art and snowboarding finally fused.
“Everything just clicked,” he recalls. “It was the thing that made the most sense to me in the world.”
FUELLED BY ADVERSITY
While the passion was instant, the drive to turn it into a career was born from necessity and love. When Isami was 17, his mother, his biggest supporter, was diagnosed with cancer. The financial reality hit hard; post-secondary education was suddenly off the table.
“I remember staying up one night, and I was like, ‘I’m going to make it in this industry. I’m just going to make everything myself.” he says.
Adopting an “athlete’s mentality,” Isami went all in. He interned at magazines, worked at a snowboard shop, and leveraged his Japanese heritage to offer a unique perspective in the industry. He flew himself to contests, sleeping on dorm room floors in Edmonton just to photograph the National Team.
His mother passed away when he was 19, but not before seeing her son book his first international trip to Europe.
“She saw a glimpse of what my life could be,” Isami says. “Since then, it’s been just chasing the dream for myself and then also for my mom.”
CAPTURING THE ART OF THE SPORT
Today, Isami isn’t just documenting sports; he is capturing artistry. His secret weapon is that he is a snowboarder first. This insider perspective allows him to see what general sports photographers often miss.
“There are a lot of sports photographers who are phenomenal, but a lot of times they don’t understand the sport,” Isami notes.
He explains that outsiders often capture the “wrong timing,” missing the peak of a jump or catching a rider when they aren’t properly grabbing their board. Because Isami understands the mechanics of the movement, he knows exactly when the trick looks its best. He captures the “true essence” of the athlete, ensuring the style and difficulty are represented authentically.
To execute this vision, Isami battles the elements, often spending up to 14 hours a day in freezing temperatures. He trusts the weather sealing of the Canon EOS R5 and the RF28-70mm F2 L USM to handle everything from blizzards to backcountry hikes.
THE WORLD STAGE
Isami’s relentless hustle paid off. A mix of luck, preparation, and networking led him to a prestigious position with the U.S. National Snowboard Team. Now, he travels globally to document the sport at its absolute peak, a feat he considers the privilege of a lifetime.
“All these people that I’m photographing were my childhood idols,” he says. “To get to know my idols personally has been such a privilege.”
THE ADVICE: DO IT FOR LOVE
Looking back at the 16-year-old kid with the sketchbook and the snowboard, Isami has clear advice for anyone standing at the beginning of their creative journey. It is about finding the right motivation to fuel your work.
“Do it for the right reason. Do it for the love instead of the money,” he urges. “I know that I’d still be doing it if I was broke because it fulfills me to the truest extent.”
For Isami, the freezing cold nights, the jet lag, and the long hours are worth it for the feeling of getting that one perfect shot.
“The money and travel are all by-products. Do it for the love of the art and for the creation aspect instead of anything else.”
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