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Do you plan on expanding the PROtography
empire and employing more people? What are
your plans for next year?
No expansion planned at the moment we’re happy in Vassiliki
and will be back next year. As long as the wind blows and the
waters are filled with action then we’ll be there.
Tell us about the most fulfilling project you’ve
worked on to date? What did it involve and why
are you so stoked with it?
Do you get frustrated when a decent forecast
pops up and you have to work?
Not at all. I feed off the energy from the instructors and
athletes around me who are also excited about the forecast
and I know that there’s an upcoming opportunity to capture
some awesome shots.
What’s your favourite part of windsurfing to shoot;
freeride, freestyle, waves, slalom, foil or other?
Freestyle! Seeing the guys (Jamie Howard, Ollie Scott, Max
Rowe etc) performing the aerial moves I was in awe. I'd never
seen windsurfing like it and was so excited to capture it. Then
I went to Cape Town in January 2018 and shooting the wave
sailing there was a new fix and a new challenge for me.
What about in general – what’s your favourite
subject matter overall?
It has always been about people and the flux of life. I love the
moment when people are in their element and fully focused.
People interacting with each other and being engaged with
one another or an activity is so rewarding to capture.
Do you have a particular style of shooting? If so,
how would you describe it?
When I pick up the camera I become hunter and that
means being sharp and agile. When the pressure is on and
there are three or more windsurfers flying (literally) past the
photo boat I need to be poised ready for the shot. I’m also
always looking for a new angle and the scary/exciting part is
getting closer to the action. Shooting the same thing can
get boring, so I like to challenge myself. Communicating
with the riders before and after taking photos is really
important so you can both visualise the perfect shot and
after a while and sometimes hundreds of photos later
everything comes together. I love listening to music while I
shoot too, it’s like living in an action film.
Without a doubt, spending six months in Cape Town with
Ollie Scott, Max Rowe and Ivan Newmark was the most
incredible experience of my life. I wanted to make a film
that wasn’t just a montage of action clips – my goal was to
make something with extra substance. You’ll have to go
watch 'All Roads Lead To Waves' (it’s on my website) for
yourself and I hope it comes through in the video.
What about your work in the winter. We know you
also snowboard. Got anything planned for this
off season coming?
PROtography has been operating in Champoluc, Italy,
where we worked with the ski schools to capture the ski and
snowboard action. This winter and until next summer I will
be in the UK freelancing, collaborating and establishing
PROtography in the UK. After all I haven’t stayed in the UK
for more than two weeks since starting seasonal work four
years ago and I didn’t have PROtography set up when I left
so it’s an exciting new phase to get back and create some
new opportunities.
What influences do you draw from as far as your
photography goes?
My biggest influences come from the locations I work in.
The landscape and the sports and how people interact with
both definitely influences me on how I shoot an image.
When I do camera workshops and I try to educate other
photographers on the functions of a camera but just as
importantly to absorb as much image content as they can.
Some of my favourite content producers at the moment are
Si Crowther, Globalshots and Fishbowldiarys. My other
PROtographers influence me, when we bounce ideas off
each other and work together and it’s a drive to see them
engage with a moment or subject in a way that I had not
though about.
Tell us how your PROtography set up work. You
pretty much have the Vass scene sewn up?
Would that be fair to say?
I set up PROtography when I was invited to work at Club Vass,
where Ollie Scott encouraged me to establish my business
and make the most out of the riders and the following that
Club Vass has. It was a snowball effect from then on. The
success of PROtography has come from taking any
opportunity that has appeared and taking risks and of course
the support and hard work from Claire and Louis representing
PROtography at both ends of the Vassiliki beach front.
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