Jordan Manley
Drenched in champagne and holding his $10,000 mega-cheque, the winner of the 2009 Pro Photographer Showdown, Jordan Manley, looked a little surprised, which, given his track record of winning every photography contest he had ever entered, was a little suprising in and of itself. But the 24 year old poli-sci student was competing against industry veterans like Scott Pommier, Ian Ruhter, Christian Pondella, and Daniel Blom - the strongest 5 person line-up the show has ever had, according to event Commissioner Jack Turner. He was definitely the lesser known wild-card, a kid who had been shooting skiing professionally for three years as a way of subsidising grand global ski adventures.
But within seconds of his show unfolding, it became clear this was no dilettante. And the crowd responded with the most noise of the evening.
Manley has continued to build his incredible portfolio over the past year, winning Whistler Blackcomb's Deep Winter Photo showdown for the third year in a row, dominating the magazine's prime real estate with cover images on Aka Skidor, Skiing and Mountain Life, and travelling to Guatemala, La Grave and the Gulmarg.
And he'll be buffing up the tiara and staff and sending it back so it can be awarded to the 2010 Best in Show winner.
