Over to You
Three photo stories packed with brilliant shots, plus all your rants and raves
I got into photography when I was at college. I signed up for a course to fill in my timetable, and found that I really enjoyed it.
Around the same time I used to hang around Attitude Customs in Southampton, a shop that built custom choppers. My dad dragged me down there at weekends, and when he told the guys I was doing a photography course they told me to bring my camera along. The next weekend I turned up with my D3000, and I was hooked.
My passion for bikes and the custom world has grown alongside my passion for photography; I’ve tried shooting other subjects, but I find shots of bikes and cars much easier to compose, and no other subject feels as natural to me as photographing people with their pride and joy.
After leaving collage I went to work for Waterline Media, a fantastic team of guys who provide media services to the marine industry. They showed me the ropes of professional photography, and I learned more from them in two months than I had in the previous two years. We travelled around England and over to France, photographing yachts for Sunseeker, Yamaha and others. The lifestyle was a bit rock’n’roll
– many times I found myself using a Peli case as a pillow.
Around two years ago I began working at Southampton Harley-Davidson, which made grabbing shots all the easier. I love photographing the custom scene, as you’ll always see something different.
Show and tell
When shooting cars and bikes, you need to think about the backdrop. For example, at car shows, detail shots are always a winner, because the cars are so tightly packed together that you can rarely get a wider shot that doesn’t look cluttered. I really enjoy the process of composing of my shots; I can get grumpy if they don’t work out! There are a few photographers who have influenced my work, the main one being Dirk Behlau, aka The Pixeleye (www.dirkbehlau.de) – he’s a great source of inspiration.
Unfortunately I recently lost my job at Southampton Harley-Davidson, which was gutting as a lot of my photos and inspiration came from there! On the upside, I’m now free to roam around all the big custom shows at which I would previously have being working. These shows are where the highquality builds are to be found. The owners often have as much character as their machines, and they normally don’t mind being involved in the shots.
I upgraded from the D3000 to a D80, and I’ve recently acquired a D90. My favourite lens is probably my 35mm f/1.8. My next investment is going to be the Nikon 16-35mm f/4 lens. I’ve heard great things about it, and it would fit in with my current setup perfectly.