assion Passion issue ten
03 - BikeCheck - Ashley Barrett 05 - Photographer Spotlight Brad Comer 07 - Interview - Photography TV 10 - Meet The Pro Keith Romanowski 12 - Meet The Pro Ricky Adam 15 - Meet The Pro Steve Bancroft
18 - Meet The Pro Rob Dolecki 21 - Unsung Photo Comp Result 23 - Passion’s Flickr Photo Spotlight 24 - Photographer Spotlight Ted Stachnik 26 - Passion Product Review Nikon SB28 27 - Barcelona! 36 - Rider Profile - Mat Hay
37 - Rider Profile Jason Clarke Earnscliffe 38 - Article - Photos Are Memories Too 39 - Lynched In Leicester Jam 43 - Imagery - Rom! 52 - Focus 54 - Contributors
cover: photo by bradwakefield
Passion issue ten
issueten
contents
contents: photo by james beattie
pickpocket galore!
photo by nathan beddows
Passion issue ten
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K C E H C E BIK
words and phoros by brad comer design and layout by j.webber
NAME: Ashley Barrett “Chuck” AGE: 16 HOMETOWN: Ringwood
Passion issue ten
t t e r r a B y e l h as
FRAME: Fit Hawk FORK: Macneil ID BARS: I think they are United ones GRIPS:: ODI longnecks BARENDS: Fly STEM: S&M, the ice coloured one HEADSET: FSA? SEAT: Macniel POST: Macneil CLAMP: Intergrated CRANKS: Profile EDALS: Odyssey Trail mix CHAINRING: Proper REAR WHEEL: Hazzard lite rim on a hazard cassette FRONT WHEEL: red proper rim on a vandero FRONT TYRE: Fly ruben REAR TYRE: Fly ruben MODIFICATIONS: bars are cut to about 27”, lots of big holes drilled in my second
hand back rim, hand painted seat post to make it black and same with the back rim
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Tubes and chains, not so much now I don’t run pegs though or plastic pedals
WHAT PART ARE YOU MOST WORRIED ABOUT BREAKING?
Frame or forks because if they break its gona hurt my face and I need that
WHY DO YOU RIDE THIS FRAME? Because it was one of the lightest out when I got it and chase rides it :D
WHAT PRO RIDER DO YOU LOOK UPTO AND WHY?
Chase and Miller because in my mind going high and landing backwards after is so much
better to watch and fun to do and to watch them on trails and big boxes is so good
WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE RIDING STYLE AND WHY? Style because it just looks so good as opposed to big old flairs and stuff
Passion issue ten
BIKE CHECK
WHAT PART DO YOU BREAK THE MOST?
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Brad Comer Photographerspotlight What made you start taking pictures? Looking through magazines was probably the biggest part of making me want to take photos, Looking at how many different ways people could capture certain things within BMX which was my main focus when I first bought a camera and then I looked at other styles and went from there, and since then every time I have taken a photo its been part of a learning curve which seems to never end, which I guess is good because of the constant improvement. Who or what inspires you? Magazine’s, purely because theres such a range of photographers in there and styles of photos, everyone shoots differently and has a unique style and trying to re-create that style or incorporate it within your own style is always something fun. As far as photographers, I couldn’t say I have a favorite, purely because they all have a wide photographic skill and have something interesting to offer, however there are three BMX photographers that really have the camera skills sorted, Steve Bancroft, Rob Dolecki, Jeff Z. All three are dialed. What equipment do you use? Canon EOS 1D or 350D Canon EOS 50E Bronica SQ Polaroid 600 Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye Canon 50mm f1.8 Canon 75-300mm USM Vivitar 285 x2 Pocket Wizard Plus II’s x3 Lightstands, Tripods, Mini Tripods Flash Gels CF Cards, Batteries Photoshop, Lightroom, Canon 8600f Scanner.
Passion issue ten
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interview......
Photography TV
How did you come up with this idea for the programme? Were you contacted hotographyTV has been around by photographers about the lack of for a little while now and programmes about photography? recently they released Episode To answer the first part of the Two which included some of the PassionBMX Forum photographers. question it’s all my own ideas with With this in mind, we decided to no outside influence other than what not to do. My background is marketing ask show creator Peter Davy a so it was straight forward to spot few questions about the show the gap in the market. And for the second part not directly, but you only have to research photography forums to gain people’s feelings.
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How often are you aiming at broadcasting the programme? Ideally I’d like to make monthly shows but I think they will initially be every 6 weeks – they are expensive and only a limited amount of budget is available at present. But that’s another area I’m working on. Is there any way for photographers to get involved in the programmes? Certainly critique images are always needed, so too is feedback and suggestions on things to cover – again I’m always listening to the viewers.
Lloyd Wright
words by homer photos by Chris Hill Scott, Craig Tull and Lloyd Wright
Passion issue ten
Do you have a particular aspect of photography do you feel most passionate about and if so what is it? Personally I love photographing people and really want to do more in the fashion sector. But that said I’m still happy photographing any subject. Criag Tull
Chris Hill Scott
You recently did a piece on BMX Photographers in Issue 2 covering some of the Passion lot, why did you chose to do that and do you feel you learnt anything from it? I wanted to find an urban sport that had not been covered in the traditional magazines but also that had great appeal to the viewer, added to that was the technical skills required to get that killer shot. The Passion lot had already found the website so it was a natural choice – and as it turned out – a great choice,thanks lads.
Passion issue ten
Lloyd Wright
How can people check it out? Just visit www.photographytv.tv and become a member – it’s free to sing up at the moment.
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keith romanowski meet the pro! Name, age, location, the usual! My name is Keith Romanowski, im 22 years old, and i live in Long Island NY.
So what is your current setup? The Canon eos 20D, Sunpak 544, Sunpak 622, Nikon sb-800, Lumedyne 400w/s, Canon 85mm, Canon 17-40mm, and Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, Sekonic lighmeter, laser distance guage, pocket wizards, and a ton of batteries. You meter your flashes with a laser rangefinder gizmo, can you explain how? With my Sunpak flashes there is a distance scale on the side of the flash that corresponds with the aperture and iso. So if you can find out exctly how far away your subject is to you flash you will have perfect exposure. I use a laser distance guage that was intended for construction workers, but works great for photographers. I also use my flash meter as well to make sure i got the perfect exposure. How many hours do you spend per week taking pictures, compared to your day job? I really depends. But typically i like to reserve the weekend for shooting photos. And i just try to be as productive as possible with the time i have. You take photo’s for some big companies and big riders, how did you get into this position? I was talking to a friend of mine over the weekend who skates and he was telling me about how skate photographer work with skaters. They will hang out at a popular skatespot and when they see a talented skater come by the photographer will approach the skater with his business card and ask if he needs work done (photos shot). To me that seems so foreign . I would never just approach a stranger and ask to shoot with them. I always wanted to develop some kind of friendship with that person before i even ask to shoot. Granted there are times where i have to shoot an Ad or photos for an article with someone i dont know, but thats more of an arranged shoot. Being nice and developing friendships can go a long way.
“I just try and be as productive ible with the time I have” ss po as Passion issue ten
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I’m always stoked on your flash gel stuff, what made you decide to use that in BMX? Also now, some of your shots use them and some don’t, what makes you decide them when you’re taking a shot? I have seen some portrait photographers use gels in thier photos, and i always thought it would be cool to bring that to BMX. Using gels definitely adds another level of difficulty. It always important to make sure the color dosen’t becoming distracting, and make its seem as natural as possible. When to use gels comes with experience and a lot of trial and error. What kind of post production do you do on your photographs? I will always love shooting digital, but i still feel that film produces better color. So the majority of the processing that i do is color correction and adjusting contrast. If you could improve one aspect of your work, what would that be? You can major in photography and go to school for 4 years and be just as creative the day you walked in. Creativity is something that you are born with, and cannot obtain. But if there way some way i could take some creativity pills, then thats what i would do. Because you cant get enough of that. Is there anything photographic you’ve been wanting to try but haven’t had the money/time/ know-how yet? I like shooting photos that involve people. Thats without a doubt my most favorite thing to do. I would like to try and shoot skateboarding. Its sort of like BMX, but a whole another world. Any thanks? Thanks for this interview, and everyone who has helped along the way. Weblinks? www.ride-li.com, www.rookiebmx.blogspot.com, www.rascats.blogspot.com, www.zeitgeistmovie.com
Passion issue ten
keith romanowski
ricky adam meet the pro!
Name, age, location, the usual! I think you should change the title of this to ‘Meet The procrastinator’ Ricky Adam, born in Northern Ireland lived there for 29 years then moved to Leeds U.K. I am now 33. So what is your current setup? I chop and change between cameras mostly I use a Leica M6 and a Nikon. It doesn’t matter what sort of camera you have, you don’t need fancy equipment. Its all about your eye and the feel. What was it like growing up in Ireland in that time and did it influence you in your work nowadays? Thats interesting to think about... Are we a product of the place we grow up in? Recently, I was looking through the ‘Urbanite’ photo project that I’ve been working on over the past while. They are all very dark and ominous which could be a reflection on the place I grew up in... Northern Ireland has a fucking dark and depressing history. Thing is, I don’t consider myself to be dark and depressing so why do I end up taking these kind of photographs? Maybe I’m in denial?? Do you still shoot B&W film or do you find you can get the results you want converting colour digital images? I still shoot a lot of film but I’m cutting down (the chemicals are goddamn horrific!). I also use digital. I don’t think it makes a whole lot of difference. I’m over the film V’s digital debacle. An image is an image (so long as its not manipulated on a computer) After all to get photos printed in a magazine, book or whatever it all has to be digitized anyway to allow it to be imported onto a computer. There is however a really nice depth with film that with digital is hard to get but with current technology it’s getting there. ... At the end of the day a good photo is a good photo. Is there anything photographic you’ve been wanting to try but haven’t had the money/ time/know-how yet? There’s always something, like having the time/money to go away somewhere for an extended time to do a project. I’d like to have time to do more documentary work. What kind of post production do you do on your photographs? I learnt how to edit my photos down properly and I never crop.
Passion issue ten
“At the end of the day, a good photo 12 is a good photo”
You’ve been pretty much everywhere with Dig mag, is there still a dream place to go and take photos, be it BMX or not? I’m not sure that I’ve been ‘everywhere’ but yeah, there are places I’d like to go. Japan for instance, although I’m going to try to go there later in the year. Hopefully I’ll have enough time in my lifetime to go all the places I want to go. I have to confess, I travel because I love to photograph. It does however bug me that traveling, especially flying takes its toll on the planet. I try and balance it out as best I can by other means.
Passion issue ten
What’s the best time you’ve had taking photos, the best people,location, scenario or whatever? There isn’t a specific best ‘one’ time. I’ve had a lot of really remarkable experiences taking photos. Having a camera puts you in incredibly random situations that otherwise may not happen. I’ve shot photos in drainage ditches in Mexico to dock workers in Belfast aboard a ship. All great experiences! I also enjoy taking pictures of my friends. I especially love that feeling you get when you know that a photo is going to turn out great. It’s a euphoria that is beyond words. It’s recording the moment whilst at the same time being ‘in’ the moment that’s important to me.
Any thanks? Thanks to Homer at Passion mag and to anyone who is passionate about photography. Weblinks? Recommendations? www.rickyadamphoto.com, www.digbmx.com
ricky adam
Passion issue ten
ricky adam
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Name, age, location, the usual! Steven Bancroft, 28 years old, I live in Highcliffe on the south coast - about 10 miles outside Bournemouth So what is your current setup? For riding shots I use either a Canon EOS1n, 1d, 5d or Mamiya RZ 6X7. They all have their pros and cons. The 1n is perfect, it’s only flaw is that it’s a film camera and with the extortionate cost and limited availability of photo labs these days for some jobs it’s simply not a viable option. The 1d is only 4 megapixels, which struggles to fill a full-page in the mag, and the sensor isn’t fisheye friendly but at 9fps - it’s perfect for sequences of inconsistent riders. Digi cameras are obviously favoured for sequences to save on costs but there is a downside as there’s nothing like a growing pile of wasted film to put pressure on a rider to get the job done (I once watched Lard shoot through 15 rolls of film trying to shoot Ross Tanner do a 540 hurricane to mannual 180, after every roll he’d pull-out the entire length of film from the case, hastings skatepark was a mess that day). The 5d has a full frame sensor and is 10 million pixels so it’s great for night-time flash stills but its weak 200th flash sync and waffer 3.5fps mean it’s pretty redundant for much else. The RZ 6X7 is massive, it gives 9 shots per roll and when the price of film and processing is upwards of £12 per pop - it only comes out when the situation is perfect. Other than that my set up consists of numerous sunpak and metz flashs, a handful of lenses and 100’s of rechargable batteries. If Canon made a camera that was 15 mega pixels, full frame sensor, 12 fps and flash synced at 1000th then my camera bag would be a whole lot lighter - but a lot less interesting. I sometimes see you at an event or comp and you really look as if you can’t be bothered to takeany photos. On the opposite side to this, what gets your really excited and motivated to take bmx photos? The only time photography ever really feels like work to me is at a comp whilst i don’t particularly enjoy it, i try my best as it’s part of a job which affords me some amazing perks. During comps I probably look bored because i’m waiting. I used to run around shooting sequences of anything that moved, but
Passion issue ten
steve bancroft meet the pro!
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after working on the mag for a few years i learnt what is needed for an article - decent photos of the highlights of the comp, it’s pretty obvious really. I listen, ask around, make some predictions, set-up a shot and wait for it to happen. 1 decent photo beats 100 weak photos every single time. If you woke up one day and all your equipment had been stolen and the guys at Factory turned round and said, “no problem Steve, go and buy your dream set up, no expense spared”. What would it be? it really is true what people say - It’s not what you got it’s how you use it. With that in mind i’d buy something cheap and spend the rest of the budget organizing wacky photo shoots. What kind of post production do you do on your photographs? If it’s for the mag then not much - i might send the designer an .xmp file with some processing suggestions but for the most part - chris who designs the mag is much better than me at getting the most out of a raw file. If it’s for myself then just the usual - levels, curves and a bit of smart sharpen Is there anything photographic you’ve been wanting to try but haven’t had the money/time/know-how yet? I’m working on an idea which uses a fish tank but apart from that not really, no. I’d like to say i want to shoot some crazy large format ansel adams shit but really I just want to shot photos with interesting riders who want to ride for interesting photos. (The Lima - Dukes of Hazzard Bridge Gap will be sick) On average, how many days of the week do you think
Passion issue ten
Superstar trip I escaped the generic routine and took only a fully manual Nikon FM2 with a single fixed 50mm lens and loads of colour print film which i bought from Boots - as it turned out it was one of my favourite articles i’ve ever put together - I need more ideas: everyone needs more ideas. As far as the question goes - i shoot photos all the time but not in any specific genre, everyone loves photos, i sure love photos, i’m intrigued by them and they spin me out a bit. and in an article, yes I think it’s vital to have balance between riding and non-riding. sorry, i’ve got a bit carried away with some of these answers, i’ve tried to be short but the subject means a lot to me. you take photos? Between shooting whilst out riding, occasional product in the office and camera phone photos of my friends passed out drunk - i’d say everyday. What photography styles are you into besides BMX and do you think it’s important to get a balance between riding and non riding photography? I’m sick of the majority of modern BMX and skate photography - most of it is painfully static: clinical almost. There is an easy stock set up which uses 2 flashes, (lighting the subject from opposing angles - the one lighting slightly from the back being set around a stop brighter than the other. if possible a third flash is used to rimlight the subject - typically this should meter 2 stops brighter than the exposure value) everyone uses this basic approach. due to the results from this set-up being reliable and acceptable I often find my photography turning into a stock/standard routine - much like the mundaneness of a 9-5 factory job: which is the exact situation I wanted to get away from when I began shooting photos. Last year on a
Weblinks? Recommendations? I had a dream the other day where i turned off the internet. i used ‘google earth’ to find the location of the button that switches it off. I felt really smug - like the internet had shot itself in the face. Any thanks? In 1999 Lard invited me on a roadtrip (although it was only because Shela Love was kicked off the trip leaving an empty place in the bus) during the trip James Hitchcox gave me a Standard 250R Ox frame - at the time they were two of the nicest things anyone had ever done for me - so i’ll thank them both for that. and i’d like to thank all of the contributors who work for Ride.
“1 decent photo beats 100 weak photos every single time”
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Passion issue ten
steve bancroft
Name, age, location, the usual! Rob Dolecki, 35, Philadelphia, PA, human. So what is your current setup? Canon EOS1N and 1D Mark II bodies, 15 17-35, 50, 70-200mm lenses; Hasselblad 501CM, 30, 80 and 150mm lenses; Hasselbald xpan, Holga, Canon G9, and Lomo cameras, Sunpak 555 and 4500 flashes; Canon 550ex; a couple Lumedyne 400 w/sAction Packs; Pocket Wizards; tripods and light stands; Lowepro bags; plus some extra stuff used on occasion like portable softboxes and umbrellas. What do you prefer to take, a good photo of an OK trick, or an OK photo of a good trick? A good photo of a good trick, whether it’s a backwards icepick grind down a 25 stair hand rail, or something as simple as a kick-out over a hip. Is BMX photography art, or is it as commercial as any other kind of sports photography? (Or is it wrong to say the two are mutually exclusive?) As the cliché`d quote of this decade goes, “It is what it is.” BMX photos can fall under both; I think it’s however a particular photo resonates with the viewer, be it the Mona Lisa of BMX photography, or a pile of trash. Though, there’s too many preconceived notions around the whole photographic “art” scene to for me to pigeonhole BMX photos, at least ones I take. Notions I’d rather not to be associated with. I’ve never been much of a fan of labels, anyway; sometimes labeling something/ someone just inflates the ego. It doesn’t matter how good someone’s photos are, or what you classify their photos as; if they are a cocky, pretentious ass, they are still an ass.
Chris Doyle RIDE UK Issue 110
Do you have any photographic inspirations outside BMX? I have a lot of admiration for many photos I see, more so than inspiration, since what I’m a fan of can’t usually be applied to bike riding photos, for the most part. In my opinion, Ansel Adams and Brian Oglesbee are two of the most talented people with a camera in the last centuryboth know how to use film, paved/ paving the way in their respective types of photos, and neither need/needed to utilize Photoshop alterations to make their photos what they are.
“Its what you do with it that matters”
If you could improve one aspect of your work, what would that be? In relation to magazine work, not ever having to worrying about deadlines, or having to come up with text and captions on a
rob dolecki meet the pro!
Passion issue ten
regular basis. The Lighting in your photos is always amazing and spot on how do you check the lighting is how you want it when shooting film? Are you just damn good with a light meter or do you always check your lighting with a polaroid back? That’s just because only the better stuff gets published! I wish I could say that it’s my exceptional set-up skills that produce consistent results, but it’s more along the lines of having the “skill” of knowing how to use a digital camera to check lighting, ha, ha. Consistency is not really an option, but more so a requirement for what I do... It seems whenever a open almost any BMX magazine I always see at least a couple of your photos of yours. Is shooting stuff for magazines your full time job? For about two years now, I’ve been on regular retainer with Factory Media, the publisher of Dig (www.digbmx.com) and Ride UK (www.rideukbmx.com), so that takes up all my time trying to producing content for both magazines. Those are the only print magazines my photos appear in now. (I need to give a huge shout out to Ride US, Cream, Soul, Freedom, and Chase for publishing my photos when I was a freelance
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Corey Martinez DIG Issue 63
dude) I also regularly do photo work with Animal www.animalbikes.com ; there are different print ads in every Ride US and Dig magazine this year, along with a run of limited posters, so keep an eye out for them.
Passion issue ten
Mike Aitken DIG Issue 62
Any thanks? This is going to be a long list: Starting with the magazines- Will Smyth, Brian Tunney and Ricky Adam at Dig; Mark Noble, Chris Noble, and Steve Bancroft at Ride UK; Factory Media for employing me. Companies- Animal of course: Ralph Sinisi for always hooking it up in every way possible- I can’t thank him enough, the whole team-Butcher, Hamilton, Rone, Edwin, Bob, Jared, Mike, Vinnie, Lino, Tom, Nigel, Osso, George, and Wormz, everyone who works at Animal; Matt Coplon and Profile for always helping out; Marco and Chris at Props; Nate Moroshan at Primo, everyone at FBM, Joe Rich and T-1. People- my mom and family, Nicole Perry for being such an amazing person, Rob Clarke, Agnes Pacyga, Jeff Jones, Jeff Zielinski, Stew Johnson, Brian Foster, riders/ crews in Philly, Jersey, NYC, Tampa, Orlando, Austin, and Portland, Fabio in Tivoli, Ami and Itamar (aka Jesus) in Tel
Aviv, Rui in Sao Paulo, Alex in Guadalajara; Wobbly; Leland and Tag; Nico, Andres, and all the Buenos Aires riders; Jamie Moore at Stowaway in Australia; Crandall; George Hoernig, everyone I’ve ever asked to take a photo of; all the companies that have ever invited me to come along on trips; the countless people who have ever given me a place to sleep/ rides somewhere/ showed me around their way (that’s a LONG list of people); Alan Moy, Steve Kaczur, TJ Rowe and all the OG Woodbridge crew for all the good sessions and good times; all the trail builders who let me ride at their spots; the people who have actually helped build FDR; Palmer and Totowa pools for existing; the streets of Philly and NYC for non-stop enjoyment/ entertainment; Anyone else I forgot at the moment. Weblinks? Recommendations? Shameless self- promotion: www.qualiaphoto.com Yes, it is actually going to be updated some point soon, and there will eventually be a whole new site at a new web address in the future also. The only recommendation I can think of for anyone who shoots photos is this: it’s not the camera equipment you have, but what you do with it that matters. While buying all the top of the line lighting and camera bodies might make your camera bag look nice, not knowing what you want to do with it just adds credit card debt; it doesn’t instantaneously give you creativity. I might have some pretty pricey equipment, but it’s more so for consistency than actual necessity. I’ve made some comparable images with an old Canon AE-1, a couple of Vivitar 285’s with optical slaves, and some Provia film when I started. I began upgrading as I saw what I wanted to create was beyond what my existing setup was capable of. It’s not really any different than the kid who buys a new $1500 bike with all the latest expensive parts, and can’t bunnyhop up a curb. Buy as you learn…
rob dolecki
Passion issue ten
Lino Gonzalez RIDE UK Issue 109
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UNSUNG PHOTO COMP
un•sung adjective. Not celebrated; unknown
The level of riding and photographic wizardry was so high it has been really hard to choose the top five for the unsung / passion / nueu photo comp but here they are. Thank you to everyone that entered and if you haven’t got a copy of the dvd yet you can purchase a copy in any good bike shop, check the myspace page for a full stockist list at; www.myspace.com/unsungbmx Out of all the amazing photos submitted I had to pick one as my favourite to receive the nueu aviators. The sunglasses where sent to Chris Hill-Scott for his photo of Adam Bateman 180’ing a pond. To date the dvd has sold just shy of 600 copies worldwide in just over four months and I would like to thank everyone that has bought a copy. You rule! I’ve already started filming for the next dvd so expect that to drop sometime in 2009.
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UNSUNG
Passion issue ten
Contest Winner Chris Hill Scott
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Picture by Florent Delahaye, 19 years old France “This photo has been taken in Dunkerque (North of France). The rider on the photo is one of my best friends called Roman!�
With the popularity of Flickr these days, it only seemed right to have a PassionBMX group where fans and followers of the magazine can put their photographs into a pool for people to see. Now with 160+ members I thought it was time to showcase some of those people and their work. So taken from the group is this shot, we hope you enjoy!! To view the group go to www.flickr.com/groups/passionbmx
Passion issue ten
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Ted Stachnik Photographerspotlight
What made you start taking pictures? My freshman year of high school, I had the opportunity to take a class in black and white photography. A few of my older friends had taken it already and said it was fun and an easy way to get a good grade. I borrowed a neighbor’s Canon AE-1 film camera and started to shoot the assignments from class. The pictures from BMX Plus! and Ride BMX always interested me, so I tried to incorporate my bike or BMX into my images and I think that kept it interesting for me. I took photography for four years in high school, then I decided to major in it at college. The bike theme always stuck with me, but it wasn’t until about three years ago that I started learning how to shoot action shots, with different lighting techniques and whatnot. I guess you could say that some friends got me into photography, and BMX kept me interested in it and my work progressed from there.
Passion issue ten
Who or What Inspires you? Inspirations for my BMX photos comes from the pages of the magazines. I spend hours flipping through issues of Dig, Ride US and Ride UK,looking at the pictures and learning the styles of the different photographers. I like the work of Ricky Adam, Jeff Z and Dolecki. For my other work, inspiration comes from all over. I often come across a scene that I think would translate well into a picture,either at night or during the day and I try to revisit these places to get the shot I wanted. In school, I learned a quote by Minor White: “I’m always mentally photographing everything as practice.” This practice helps to keep your eye sharp, and I try to do it wherever I am. A lot of the pictures Iincluded are night s h o t s . One of ourassignments was to shoot color slide film at different times of day. When I got my pictures back from the processor, I really liked the way the different types of lights showed up on the film; it was something you couldn’t see with the naked eye. From here, I started to shoot at night all the time and experimented with long exposure, self portrait and different types of lights.
Ted Stachnik Photographerspotlight
What equipment do you use?
Right now, I have a Canon 1D mark II, with a 17-40mm and a 28-135 zoom lens. My lighting set up includes three flashes: a Sunpak 383, a Vivitar 285 and another that I don’t know the name of, 3 Pocket Wizards and an optical slave. I usually bring two tripods with me when I shoot and a Minolta digital light meter. Most of my flashes I buy used, because they’re still high quality, at half the price, thats why I don’t have three of the same one. I have a Canon 20D that I use now for mostly travel pics and although I haven’t shot film in awhile, I still have a Nikon N-80, just in case.
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Nikon SB28 PassionBMX | Product Review
Well here's you first product review for the magazine. To start things off I thought I'd review something I recently picked up and was pleasantly happy with. This would be the Nikon SB 28 Speedlight. This flash was introduced in 1997 as the top of the range flash to accompany the great legendary Nikon F5 film camera. Although this is classed as an older model, the features are still very current and the best thing for me (and I'm sure most other people) is the cost. You can pick these up pretty cheap off something like Ebay. Which is great because you can spend your hard earned readies on something else! Like I said earlier this flash is packed with current features that some more expensive newer models don't. You have the usual tilt and rotate along with zoom ranging from 24mm to 85mm built into the head. There is also a flip out wide adaptor which can be set to cover 20mm or 18mm lenses. This is completed with a pullout bounce card complete with a few instructions. The back of the flash houses the LED screen with all the buttons to change the flash settings. For me, I use this on Manual to completely control my lighting. The only thing this flash unit doesn't do is TTL on your newer DSLR. But then that's not something that bothers me since I only fire these through remote slaves. If it does though you're probably better getting a bang up to date Nikon SB800. I'd much prefer using that ÂŁ300 though to buy a few of these. The power settings range from full power down to 1/64th, adjustable in 1/3 stop increments. The flash has a built in Sync port which is something the current SB600's don't and works great hooking up to the remotes. Lastly the flash is a great compact size and weight which is something my robust Vivitar 285's definitely weren't. This is good when bag space is a premium. Overall a great lightweight powerful flash with everything I need at a great price. Definitely recommended!
Passion issue ten
words by homer photos by nathan beddows.co.uk and homer
BARCELONA
Well after the
Jonny Cazzola Spanish Car Park Twist Gap
Passion issue ten
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Chris Keenan Shark‘s Fin Whipper beddows
last great trip to Barcelona, it was quickly decided another should be on the cards so all was set for another week in the Catalan capital. Forward a few weeks and there was 11 of the Stourbridge lot on the way to ride and drink whatever we could. Add a couple of Nottingham guests and all boxes were ticked for what would be a great week of riding, boozing and endless memories. Things were jumped, gallons were drank, friends were made and all done pretty cheaply without much hassle. Here’s to the next time......
Metro!
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Chicken Wedge Invert
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Jimmy Goodwin Canyelles Boost beddows
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Chris Keenan Bank to Rail Fufanu
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Kit Shark’s Fin Unturndown beddows
Chicken 180 Hop to Drop
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Jimmy Statue Air homer
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Shaun Hadlington Statue Footjam Whipper
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Shaun Hadlington MACBA Whip to foot dab
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Chicken Washboards Over Bars
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Passion issue ten
Rider Profile
all photos by james beattie
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Mat Hay
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Rider Profile
Jason Clarke Earnscliffe all photos by max quinn
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Photos Are Memories Too. Words by Max Quinn. Photos by Max Quinn, Tez, Matthew Zbieranowski, Nathan Beddows, Glyn Roberts
As a bmxer and a photographer I go out regularly on my bike with my friends. I strive to document the riding of my friends by taking the best possible photo to show the riding and spot whilst also attempting to create a piece of art through carefully thought out angles and artificial lighting. I strive to take the best possible photo with the eventual aim of having my photos published along side the greats of bmx photography in various magazines. The people I ride with strive to ride their bikes as well as possible, perhaps with the aim of appearing on the pages of those same magazines. I would like to hope though, that this isn’t the main factor in why both parties do what they do; that’s a little thing called fun. That’s the reason everyone I know in bmx was so drawn to riding these little bikes we spend our days (and nights) on. They represent fun, freedom and friends. I don’t think I’ve ever been out on my bike and not, at least in one tiny way, had fun. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it and that is what separates us from the athletes, the 9-5 workers and everyone else in this world doing things they may not love. We sometimes forget this and this needs to change. With riding progressing as quickly as it is it can be easy to forget that it’s not all about busting a gut to land that triple tailwhip and be better then everyone else. Likewise, bmx photography is an incredibly competitive field with everyone desperate to shoot the best tricks, perfect lighting techniques and perhaps pioneer the next big technique. With these two combining many people seem to be losing the grasp of simply having fun. So when you’re next out riding or taking a photo remember all the good times you’ve had and crack a smile. Remember them before you go to throw your bike, remember them as you drop in for another flip into the foam pit and remember them before you swear at that little kid that got in your way. Then add to the memories, have some more fun on your bike or behind your newest lens. The photos around this article are a collection of shots from some of the members on the passion forums. They may not be the best photos we’ve ever taken. The lighting may be poor, they may be out of focus and they may not be the most interesting angles but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because they’re reminders of great times, great places and great friends. They’re reminders of all the fun we’ve had on our bikes and, of all the things that have happened to me over the past few years, that’s the one thing I want to remember.
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Project 5 Lynched in Leicester Street Jam 2008 words by homer photos by nathan beddows and homer Passion issue ten
London Billy This is a hop! A one foot flatty Dan Price would be proud of! homer
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P
roject Five might have changed alot since it’s humble trails’ beginnings but it’s hard to deny that what it has become is nothing but good and motivating. With the roaring success of last year’s street jams, Matt ‘The Mute’ Parker quickly got things underway for this year, so Lynched in Leicester was soon coming around. What makes jams like this, and Battle Royale jams beforehand so good is the laid back, no pressure attitude. Add that with the fun of a few hundred people terrorising the streets, all is going the right way to a good time. On the day it was great to see such a positive turnout of people from near and far plus the rare treat of sunshine. I’ll save you the hassle of who did what and where so all that’s left really to say is get yourselves to the next jam and enjoy what BMX is all about, having a laugh with your mates. For info on the next jam/ jams, check out www.myspace.com/p5jams NB
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Photos: Clockwise from above - A Mike Table, Gez Rail, Niki Croft with ‘that’ wallride, Mole 270 truck NB
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Photos: Clockwise from above left - Notts’ Alan table over rail, Crowd!, Ben Basford Whip, Tom Davis long 180
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Chicken Kicker to rail hop bars beddows
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ROM! all photography by Mark Westlake
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ROM!
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ROM!
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ROM!
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For all things photography, join our 100+ members including some of the best UK photographers for everything you need to know! www.passionbmx.co.uk
Passion issue ten
Contribute! Taking Photographs is fun! Send anything to contributions@passionbmx.co.uk
Passion issue ten
Available Now!! Fruit of the Loom Black Print on White only Small Medium or Large ÂŁ12 delivered Email tshirts@passionbmx.co.uk
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Cal Table
photo by lloyd wright
Tom Davis Air
photo by farley vaughan
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Tom Davis Turndown Fakie
photo by farley vaughan
Unknown Wall 180
photo by lloyd wright
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Chicken Ghetto park toboggan photo by homer
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the end.
CONTRIBUTORS... THANKS...
Max Quinn Brad Wakefield Brad Comer Nathan Beddows Lloyd Wright Craig Tull Homer Chris Hill Scott Mark Westlake J. Webber Ted Stachnik Nik Ford Tez Matthew Zbieranowski Glyn Roberts Farley Vaughan James Beattie Passion issue ten
Peter Davy Danny B Keith Romanowski Ricky Adam Steve Bancroft Rob Dolecki Florent Delahaye Gez Kung @ Randombmx.com Adi @ Twoand8 Gav @Mode Gaz @ Mutiny Dean @ 4down Everyone who’s been patient Everyone who sends stuff in Everyone who links us up! Anyone I forgot And you for downloading this!
INFO...
www.passionbmx.co.uk contributions@passionbmx.co.uk www.flickr.com/groups/passionbmx www.myspace.com/passionbmx