Melbourne based photographer and owner of Riding Way, Gorak gives us a run down of his current setup…
First up, list the gear you have…
The below list is what is always in my bag when I’m shooting BMX images.
– Nikon D2Xs body, Pro Bodies feel the best. I don’t get bolt-on grips
– Nikkor DX 17-55mm f/2.8g, my most used lens.
– Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8g, this became my fav once I changed from Sigma to this Nikon lens.
– Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8, My least used lens. I don’t even eat fish.
– Pocket Wizard Multi-Max Slaves. Reliability. Nuf said!
– Nikon SB-800 Flashes, good enough
– Spare Batteries (double A’s and Nikon for body)
– Filters – kinda wasted my money here. The sun is an amazing light source, why block it out? Haha.
– Dollars, never know when you’re gonna need this
– Stickers, Kids LOVE stickers, always gotta have these suckers
– Business Cards, Kid want’s a bike? Tell him to go to Riding Way!
– Cables and Stuff, junk that connects flashes to the camera
– Bottle Opener, rarely used coz I drink cans
– Jack n Coke, ESSENTIAL mind moulder tools
– iPhone, complete with Fisheye lens
Rechargeable batteries or just replace them?
I got a sweet hook up on Energiser INDUSTRIAL batteries. 150 for $70 delivered and they’re the high powered shit that works best in my flashes, but not my slave guys dude things.
What goes missing the most from your bag?
Jack ‘n’ Coke mostly. But I know where that goes. Other than that, I’m pretty pedantic when it comes to my stuff. I rarely lose stuff.
What lens do you use the most and why?
Mostly I use the 17-55mm f2.8. Purely because it’s on my camera all the time. When I see an image, I try use my 70-200mm f2.8 but if not it’s generally the short lens. I very rarely use the Fisheye, they’re way too over used.
What program do you use for editing the photos after you have uploaded them?
I love my Apple Aperture, it’s the digital darkroom.
Is your gear insured?
Hells yes Sir!
Black and white or colour?
I love a good image regardless. I’m a simple kinda guy. I don’t enjoy over ‘corrected’ images or things that look over worked or ‘shopped, I like an image that has me guessing how the lighting has been done or how the photographer told the story.
How many flashes have you broken?
Nil. I put em outta the way.
Favourite websites and or mags out there that motivate you to go out and shoot photos?
Mags;
– Skateboarder’s Journal
– Focal Point
– 2020
– Penthouse Letters, for the ARTICLES
Webs;
– ridingway.com.au
– Focal Point
– Fit Bike Co
– Elite Cycle Imports
– Dishonour
Best advice you can give someone starting out…
More gear or more expensive gear isn’t going to turn a shit photo into a good one.
As I said before, go watch a movie, better yet, go watch a Pixar movie. Look at each scene and figure out where the light source is. Obviously (or not), photography is about light and dark. When looking at an image, look at what’s light and how bright it is, then look at the dark, and how dark it is and try to figure out why this is and what’s doing it.
Other than that, Go ride your bike (that you purchased from Riding Way of course) and then shoot a be-jeebus load of photos and figure out what works for you and your friends.
“Learn from the mistakes of others, you’ll never live long enough to make them yourself!”
