Sterling Lorence has collected Image Quest finalist honors on multiple occasions. Born, raised and living with his wife and two children in Vancouver, BC - Sterling has been shooting mountain biking and cycling sports for more than 20 years and loves to ride bikes himself.
In Red Bull Illume history, has there been another photographer that captures action in a way that Sterling can? You immediately feel the energy between rider, athlete and photographer with just one glance. So, what’s the trick? We asked Sterling himself…
For a category like Energy you need to be a quick-shooter, how do you ensure you never miss the shot?
Know the sport, understand and relate to what the riders are doing and try to envision what is going to happen. This will help you to visualize what you want to happen in your image before it the shutter button is pressed. React quickly to what you see in the moments and adjust what you are doing till you and your subjects are stoked.
What tricks do you have to truly capture the energy of the moment?
I simply rely on watching and observing the action closely and decide on where that moment is most likely to happen. This would involve moving around lots too and deciding how focal lengths might affect expressing the action even more. The positions of the athlete and the bike or object can often make this process easier too.
How do you select the final images that you enter?
I will pool my favorite shots from the past 2-3 years and see what I feel are the most compelling for this particular contest. It does take something quite special to move into the finalist positions.
So, you’ve been taking pictures all over the world. Where to next?
This season I have been lucky in that lots of my clients want the backdrop of British Columbia, so I have managed to work here a lot. For the filming of Anthill’s ‘Return to Earth’ we worked on an amazing ranch on Oahu and a really cool landscape in Utah and both those shoots have created content I will be entering into the Image Quest 2019.
Would you say your photography style has evolved since the last edition of Red Bull Illume? If so, how?
The pursuit of capturing the most dynamic action in rad compositions in firing light has always been there… but yes, we all try to evolve our game to try express in ways that are seen less often. This can be through the progressions that the riders make, or through locations and also camera technology advances. Strobe use has been part of my heritage with my work and seems to grab attention with Red Bull Illume, so this time around I have tried some new techniques with drones and strobes to try creating some new looks.
Will you be submitting to the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2019?
Yes, stoked to be entering images again this year and ever grateful to Red Bull Illume for hosting such a cool action sports photo contest…I am always so impressed and inspired by the work that comes through this contest.
Feeling invigorated by these images? Don’t sit still! Submit your images to the Energy Category.