Danny Zapalac Gallerie
A first-generation Czech, Danny Zapalac’s love for photographing the mountains started in California’s Angeles National Forest and has since spread to some of the most prominent subjects in snowboarding. Zapalac presents the less-obvious moments and translates pure emotion into thought-provoking imagery.
The year was 1996 and Southern California was experiencing a very cold, wet winter. Danny Zapalac had just graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in business. Upon graduation he fell in love with photography and dove in headfirst. He landed a job in the photography department at Orange Coast College, which was where we first met.
I had heard that he was a snowboarder and on a rainy winter night I found myself printing photographs in the darkroom where he was working. I asked him straight away if he would be interested in going snowboarding the next morning at a little-known spot in the Angeles National Forest. We awkwardly and happily agreed that I would pick him up very early the next morning at his house…