Eye of The Storm - a chat with Glen Claydon
Few people have seen Niseko evolve with the same perspective as photographer, Glen Claydon. Here's a snippet of our recent chat with him for the Experience Niseko Homes magazine.
As Niseko's most prominent snowsports and architectural photographer, Glen Claydon has seen countless new homes and hotels pop up, and has been given the responsibility of bringing these new properties to life through the lens of his camera. We caught up with him to talk about his time in Niseko, what’s changed and what he foresees for the future.
So, how did it all begin and what brought you here from Australia?
In 2003, at the age of 29, I decided three things: I wanted a change in career, to learn a new language and to have more time to ski and snowboard. So, there were few places in the world like Hokkaido to do each of those three things at once!
I began as an assistant English teacher in Hakodate, visiting Niseko only for weekend ski trips. I bought a digital SLR camera, made some friends and photographed our days on the mountain and our evenings in the bar just for fun.
When one of those new friends asked if he could pay me to use some of those photos on the website for his company, I thought maybe I could take this photography thing a little more seriously. I moved to Niseko the following winter and haven’t left since.
Did you go straight into full-time photography?
No, I didn’t have the network to go in to it full-time immediately so I found a year-round job working with Niseko Ground Services in the bookings department. I also started work as a freelance photographer. I was half in the office, half in photography.
Ian McKenzie of Niseko Ground Services had connections with Niseko Real Estate, so introduced me and I was given the opportunity to shoot Gondola Chalets and the Landmark View for them in late 2006 and early 2007. That led to some more property opportunities and in December 2007, I decided to do photography year-round.
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To read the rest of our interview with Glen Claydon, pick up a copy of the brand new Experience Niseko Homes magazine. Free copies are available in resort now or you can view online.
To contact or book Glen, visit www.glenclaydon.com
