What first drew you to action photography?
My path to action photography actually started through travel photography. After finishing college, I left for a six-month solo trip through Asia and my girlfriend at the time (now wife) loaned me a small point and shoot film camera, armed with eight rolls of Kodak film I set off. It wasn’t until I got home and developed the film that people seemed impressed with my images.
Growing up in Southern Ontario, I was always into skiing and upon returning to Canada I moved West to Nelson, British Columbia. I bartended nights so I could ski during the day, bought a Pentax SLR film camera with borrowed money and through trial and error taught myself how to use the camera. As soon as I sold my first ski image to a magazine I knew I wanted to be an action/travel photographer.
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As a huge fan of your work as a professional photographer when you’re presented with a less than ideal situation, how do you find your subjects and produce images you would be happy with?
At this stage there is so much preparation that goes into a photo shoot less than ideal situations don’t play much of a factor. Having the opportunity to work with professional athletes means there is always something to shoot and because most of my photography takes place abroad, these shoots usually happen over a couple of weeks. Having ample time to create what I’ve imagined really helps eliminate those less than ideal situations.
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What makes the good picture stand out from the average?
n my opinion what makes a good picture stand out from the average is the process involved before the photograph is ever taken. The hours spent investigating the perfect location to shoot from. What time of year will the image be taken? Who will be your subject? How are you as the photographer going to get into position? These are just some of the questions to consider. The final step being, the pressing of the shutter button, this is the practice of taking images not pictures.
Most people understand the basics of photography and everyone gets lucky but to consistently produce stand out images starts long before the shutter button is pressed.
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What is the most memorable trip you have had in recent memory? What kind of hidden places did you get to explore?
That’s a tough one…I travel globally so much for work that each trip is memorable because of all the hidden places I get to explore, most locations are off the grid which makes them even more memorable. This year alone I’ve been to Papua New Guinea, Australia, Ireland, Alaska, currently in Mexico writing this, then on to California, France, Monaco, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Namibia all before year end. I feel very fortunate to travel for work.
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What equipment’s do you use to captures your footage? What are some of the challenges of using them?
Canon 5Ds is the main body I’m working with at this time. The large files are great for commercial advertisement.
Lenses - 11mm – 24mm
16mm – 35mm
24mm – 70mm
70mm – 200mm
100mm – 400mm
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Closing Thoughts … How do you think photography and traveling has changed your view of the world?
Travelling has opened my mind to new experiences and cultures and visiting beautiful landscapes has inspired me to see more and create more than I ever thought was possible. The more I travel…the more I want to see. My camera has become the tool to not only help me visually tell my stories but also inspire new dreams of travel.
Follow Paul
Instagram:
@paulbridephotography
Website:
www.paulbride.com
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Social Media info - Instagram:
@paulbridephotography
Website:
www.paulbride.com
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