Flickr: capturedbycal

Well here goes, I'm an ex-pro shooter of the motor sport variety.

My background started too long ago to remember all the details. I started my shooting life doing things called Ride Days, basically people paid money do ride around race tracks and I took photos of them doing so, then sold them the photos. Sounds simple enough huh? Well simple when you have spent every thing you have on really old second hand BIG lenses namely a Canon FD 500mm F4.5 L and 300mm F2.8 L and three Canon F1N camera bodies. Note ALL MANUAL FOCUS AND EXPOSURE. Shoot 20 to 30 rolls of 36 exposure films per day (some events at a track for 4 days straight) then process and spent the next week sorting out who was on what bike and posting them out proofs (For FREE) Then waiting to see if any checks are sent back for orders. Time Time Time but I did make a hansom profit.

I shot (and still do from time to time) for a local news paper, doing editorial pics of anything from old grandmas 100th birthdays to car accidents at midnight (Tough to do).

I then was lucky enough to be shooting a World Superbike round at Phillip Island (Australia) and photographed a rider called Anthony Gobert (AUST) doing a burn-out at the end of his race win. Why lucky? Because there was no other photographer standing on the same part of the race track as me, and I was able to sell the image for lots of $$$$! This gave me my break. The image was seen world wide, even got a phone call at 2am from AGV America (Helmets) inviting me over to shoot for them! I ended up shooting for Australian Motorcycle News, and shot for them for a few years. Also in this time shot for Triumph motorcycles, Harley Davidson, Two Wheels (Aust) and a few other Australian bike magazines.

I gave it all away when my twin girls were born and they are now 4, I also have a 2 year old boy.

I run little photographic workshops for new camera users, My day job is working at a camera store. I am also working for a Photographic school teaching part of a Diploma of Photography. I do the odd photo shoot for the news paper when I can fit it in.

So life is busy and my photo taking days have all but ground to a halt.

I miss the good old days, but in the future I may still get the time and the urge not to mention the money to go shooting again.

For now I just marvel in the abilities of others and their passion and skill that is Photography.

Time has changed remarkably since I first picked up a camera, film is a distant thing of the past and the digital whirlwind doesn't seem to have a calm center. I wonder what the manufacturers will do next will the say enough is enough and stop adding useless things to cameras. How many megapixels do we need? Do we really need smaller and lighter? How many focus points is enough? Will they ever get back to what makes a real photograph, sharp lenses? What will be will be, I can't stop technology, I am but a by-stander. Good luck I say!