A bit about yourself and your magazine?
I have been in Marketing, Design and Photography for over 30 years. In this time, I have worked in several agencies initially as a designer and then working up to Creative Director and ran my own design and photography studio for 15 years. I now finally find myself at the helm of Surfing Life, one of Australia’s preeminent surf magazines. As a life-long surfer, this in an amazing position to be in, to combine both my craft and my passion into a career. Surfing Life was first published in 1985 (the same year I started surfing) and has been at the forefront of surf media ever since. In recent times, with the onset of online platforms, Surfing Life has had to adjust and in doing so, has developed a publishing strategy that sets it apart from everyone else in the industry. We publish five issues a year focusing on the five pillars of surfing, Waves, Travel, Technique, Boards and Surfers. Our promise to every reader is that they will become a better surfer; this is close to our heart.
What makes a great adventure & action sports image for you?
A great adventure & action sport image is something that evokes emotion, be it awe, amazement, fear, dreams, etc, etc, it doesn’t really matter, it just needs to move you. I firmly believe action images have that ability. Of course, color depth, sharpness, framing and focal point all come into making the emotion jump off the page/screen, but unless it makes me stop in my tracks then it doesn’t have it.
What is your relationship with photography?
I have been utilizing photography since day one of my career and then eventually started shooting myself, with a shutter count nearing the million mark I’ve certainly spent a lot of time behind the lens and continually shoot surf to this day. On top of that I am also the senior photo editor at Surfing Life and select most of the images that go to print.
A few tips and tricks for photographers?
Never think you have enough card space or batteries, always charge and dump every night while on assignment. Never think, ah that shot will be there tomorrow I’ll get it then, trust me it never is, it might be even better, but in my experience, if you don’t grab it, you’ve missed it. When it comes to surf images, water shots are always the best, so if you can shoot in the water, always shoot in the water. And finally, my moto has always been “my best photo is the one I will take tomorrow”, this helps you to never stop pushing.