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 Tell us a little bit about yourself.I am a professional MTB (and ski) photographer, living in Whistler BC. I grew up on the prairies in Calgary, and lived in Victoria, BC and England a little bit back in the day. I did one year of formal school at the Western Academy of Photography (and learned from the Hylands himself). Major inspirations; Jordan Manley, Sterling Lorence, Phillipe Halseman, Phillipe Ramette, Frank Gehry. |
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| How long have you been shooting photos? I started shooting photos some time around the age of eight, I shot for a year before I found film was too expensive. I picked up a little digital camera some time around the age of 13, then my dad's old film SLR, then a prosumer dSLR. |
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| How long have you been shooting mountain biking? I started shooting MTB when I got that first digital camera. Two of my best riding buddies at the time got into shooting at the same time, we'd ride and shoot to share and capture what we experienced. Quickly we discovered that taking a decent picture took time and effort, but was worth the special attention spent creating the image. |
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| Do you ride yourself? How does this effect your images? I do ride bikes, and love it a lot. A highlight of the summer was tailing Stephen Matthews and Brendan Fairclough off the newly rebuilt Crabapple Hits. A big highlight for me, especially cause I couldn't properly ride a trail like Crank It Up at the beginning of the season. I've been off and on the bike, I have always wanted to be on one, but things have kept me off in recent years: crappy jobs, a lack of a bike, and then a blown knee. Both riding, and not being able to ride have effected the way I shoot a lot. As a rider you understand the sport better, and can try to capture the experience better. Being unable to participate in a sport I love made me explore and understand it in a different way. I may not be able to completely articulate what that shift was, but if I look at my work over the years there is a major shift from 'bike porn' - shooting the biggest hit on the trail only - to the work that I do now, where I try to include more of the emotion, mood, community, in addition to the biggest and best. |
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| Do you shoot anything else besides mountain biking? I shoot skiing during the winter. I love both seasons in many ways, and wouldn't be happy without either of them. I also do some architecture/interior design work, which may seem quite odd, but a lot of the skills and equipment I use cross over. It's funny how the two sides of my photography contrast and complement each other. I spend a lot of my time out in the woods thinking about keeping alive with the elements, wildlife, and avalanches all trying to get me. Then spend some other time in the comparatively subdued world of architecture photography. One is slow, methodical, and very corporate, the other is much more spontaneous, capturing fleeting moments, and dangerous. |
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| Do you have another job as well or is it just photography? Just Photos |
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| What is your favorite thing to shoot? I couldn't say I have a favorite, I love so many aspects of different riding styles. I love the convergence of nature and trail in cross country, I love the imagination and creativity of freeride, I love the passion and community of dirt jumping, the dedication and intensity of DH... it's all a ton of fun. |
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| What kind of cameras do you use? Primarily a Nikon D700. 17-35, 50, 70-200, 24 Tilt Shift I also have some more unique toys like a Calumet 4X5 (old school, throw a cape over your head, looks like an accordion, film camera), Pentax 35mm, and a disposable film camera. (Yes, really!) |
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| Is there any other gear that you use frequently? Pocket Wizard transceivers, Nikon Flashes, Elinchrom strobes. Outdoor/bike photogs may also be interested in this universal lightstand modification: |
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| Who are your main clients? Largely editorial for my MTB work. Publications: Bike, Decline, Dirt UK, Singletrack UK, Up/Down Netherlands, Big Bike France. |
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| Anything else we should know about you? |
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