Brett ‘Stumpy’ Mason on life, BMX and other things. Story by Ali Finlay Photos by Nitai Whitehurst Have you ever met that lanky hyperactive flatlander from Queensland? Or perhaps you knew him when he lived down south? You’d know if you have, there is no ‘which one?’ answer to a question like that, the only possible one is: ‘Yeah I know Stumpy!’ People always seem to have good things to say about 36 year old Brett ‘Stumpy’ Mason. But he’s more than just good vibes and positive riding, Stumpy can be seen as a complex guy who is the product of his ever changing environment. He has a dark(ish) side and whist you’ll always find him with an upbeat public exterior, if you get to know him and have the chance to engage him on a deeper level, you’ll possibly find this genuinely interesting, diverse and caring guy’s positivity is tempered by a level of cynicism at parts of his world.
54
ISSUE 30
ISSUE 30
55
MikeCzajkowski Gap to wall ride over light switch Canon 30D with booster Canon 24 –70mm 2.8 lens Canon 580exII x1 F 4.5 @ 1/250sec ISO 640
66
ISSUE 30
It never ceases to amaze me how you don’t need the radest setup or crazy obstacle to get come up with a good trick or shot. This is pretty much the smallest kicker ever and a flat wall that had a light switch in the way! Add a little creative thinking and one hell of a hop and this is what you get. Sometimes 5 slave flashes aren’t needed! I actually had two out but turned one off as the colour of the wall was bouncing enough light to give a better feel and definition to it. I just love the simplicity of it, as more often than not I have just as much fun riding two stairs or a two foot quarter as a dialled park. Oh yeah, then Mike 180’d out of the wall ride. Mike is Rad. TK brother!
Name Stephen Morrisey Age 28 Shooting 10 years Riding more than 10...
I
have been a rider longer than I have been shooting BMX and I believe this is 90% of the reason I have had success (for lack of a better word) in photography. This and the decision to lug around 20kgs on the bike for the last 10 years. It’s been a number of lucky things, but for me it’s the fact I ride that puts me where I am and gives me an edge over your average photographer, when it comes to BMX anyway.
I would say if I wasn’t riding the spot or knew the people through riding first, then I wouldn’t have shot half the photos I have. That said, the hardest thing is to put down the bike and pick up the camera and I have probably missed a few opportunities of photos for that reason. In the simplest form, just being a rider, you know when that table or invert is going to snap to the most tweaked part, or how close you can push getting close to a tailwhip with a fisheye lens or just knowing when to pull out the fisheye or better yet put it away! I have been very lucky and need to thank a lot of people who have either pulled/crashed/ helped/published/inspired or most importantly been a rider and more than likely a friend. A lot of Photographers love to shoot everything and I must admit I have taken a billion shots of weddings, landscapes, animals, in studios, models and everything in between. But honestly I only “love” shooting BMX, it’s like learning a new trick on the bike when I get a shot that I am stoked on and that feeling is the same reason I will never put down the 20inch or the camera. Hope you like the shots...
Stephen
Infocus Morrisey
ISSUE 30
67
76
ISSUE 30
Nathan Tomsic with the most bullshit 360 tuck no-hander you have ever seen. You might even see the exactly same timed shot of this in an up-coming issue of xpress seeing as I managed to capture Gorak’s flash to the left firing the same time as mine. PHOTO Nick Gascoine
ISSUE 30
77
Luke Barling
tos Inte photos &pho w& rview Intervie ee wnlee by Brownl perBro Cooper byCoo
I have known Luke for six years and have watched him learn so many tricks and grow to become the great rider he is now. I remember the first time I saw Lukey B, he was riding a ledge in the small town we grew up in called Maffra and when Maffra got a skatepark I started riding with him there soon after. It wasn’t long until we were taking days off school and getting my mum to take us to Warrigal skatepark on her way to work where Luke never disappointed. Not long after, I found out that Lukey has another love in the form of partying. He will not leave the venue until the ugly lights come on. And he will party anywhere he can, even if it involves jumping the fence of the local swimming pool to go night swimming or say he knows the way home from the pub but we end up walking eight kilometres the wrong way. I also have it on good authority that Luke has hotel room trashing skills to the tune of $1500, and it was not even his room! He has a hulk like hop on him and every time you ride with Luke he seems to amaze you with a new trick or a different line that is as smooth as glass. Be it riding through trails or up a rail, he seems to be able to adapt to all aspects of riding.
84
ISSUE 30
ISSUE 30
85
COLONY US ROADTRIP Clint Millar Ryan Guettler Josh Boatright Steve Woodward
94
ISSUE 30
Clint getting living on the Aggroman fantasy ditch. PHOTO Guettler ISSUE 30
95
Jeff Bahr
is a pretty rad kid. I only really knew him as a kid who could do a mean foot jam, until I started riding with him on a more regular basis. The amount he has progressed over the last year or so I have been riding with him is ridiculous. Jeff has developed from someone who shredded the park to someone I would consider a very well rounded street rider and a great friend.
For each one of the following photos, it was a case of me proposing the trick and location, and Jeff getting it done. Instead of an interview with the same old vital stats and bullshit about how old he is and what his favourite alcoholic drink is, I thought it would be interesting to get Jeff’s take on each shoot, what went down and what had to happen for it to all come together in the end. Nick Gascoine
Jersey Barrier nose dive 180
We had to make two visits to this shoot because I ended up headless in the best photo from the first visit. So twice I had to put up with the constant cars flying past with douche bags beeping and people staring at me and nicks 18th century camera, just wondering what the hell we were doing. After my long ass legs somehow stopped me from falling on my face a few times, by doing a reverse superman nose dive we got the fuck out of there with the shot in the bag and without getting killed by a car.
100
ISSUE 30
ISSUE 30
101