Nyfiken på… Rich Page, seglingsfotograf

Rich Page fotar mest i Medelhavet och Storbritanien. Bland hans kunder finns kung Harald, Breitling MedCup, Americas Cup, Illbruck & Carlsberg. Hans vän Sam Brunner skrev följande (opublicerade) artikel för Yachting World:

International award winning marine photographer, Richard Page must have one of the best jobs going – you’ll find him poised behind a salty lens at one glamour-packed sailing event or another around the world.

Sailing, skiing and climbing as soon as he could toddle, Rich was set for a career in the great outdoors from an early age. Camera firmly in hand, he hit the water and started freelancing at well-respected sailing events such as the Volvo Ocean Race and the Americas Cup. The results earned him a series of subsequent high-profile commissions.

Several years on, Rich’s work has made many front pages and is often featured in leading publications, from the New York and London Times to National Geographic and Yachting World. He has an envious client list and was recently picked as official photographer for the Breitling MedCup regatta series, a Med-based event where sailing ‘rock stars’ jostled with fellow sailors the King of Spain and Norway during races, and even the super model Eva Herzigova turned up on the pontoons to claim her share of his flash-light!

Current projects include work covering the Americas Cup in Valencia, Spain, the SuperYacht Cup in Palma, and various Royal Yachting Association powerboat events around Europe.

Rich still has ambitions to achieve, however, and hopes to secure a place as on-board media person/stills camera man on the next Volvo Ocean Race, an epic event that sees crews of 10 sail some of the fastest boats in the world 39,000 miles around the globe in the toughest conditions imaginable.

You can see Rich’s stunning images, from wrecks to rock stars, on his website, www.richard-page.com. A supported Nikon NPS member, Rich works through even the harshest of environments known to a photographer with his trusted and dependable Nikon equipment.

In the Bag;

Bodies; Two D2X, Two D2XS, D200, Two SB800, One Nikon F5, One F90EX

Lenses; 16mm 2.8, 105mm VR 2.8, 17-55mm 2.8, 70-200mm VR 2.8, 300mmVR 2.8.

Housing; Seacam housing extra long carbon fibre pole and remote trigger.

Computers; Two G4 PowerBooks with two portable external hard drives (raided)

When working from a boat I use a large Peli Case that can take a D2XS coupled to a 3002.8, A D2X coupled to a 70-200 2.8VR and a D2X with maybe a 17-55 attached. The lighter D200 would be used in the waterproof housing, As I am using the it above water in a pretty harsh environment weight and surface area is important to keep down as much as possible.

In a helicopter; weight is very much an issue so just two bodies two lenses and plenty of flash cards.

How did you start with sailing photography?
Working as a Scientist at Kodak after University. As an avid sailor and keen amateur photographer the natural progression was to see if I could combine my two passions.

Which was your most memorable shoot?
The 2002 British big boat trophy in Sydney, where I sailed onboard Sean Langman’s 66ft Grundig. The boat was simply awesome, and it was unimaginable to be on-board among a fleet of the world’s top sailing teams. Two days later on Boxing Day, I covered my first Sydney to Hobart race, another wave- and adrenaline-charged event that sticks in my mind.

Which regatta do you like most and why?
That’s a tough question to answer, as there are so many that I love, and for such a variety of reasons! The Super Yacht Cup in Palma is up there for the awesome sight of over £1 billion’s worth of 100, 200 and even 300-foot yachts racing each other round the buoys.

After that, it would have to be the Transpacific 52’s (TP52) Breitling MedCup; 6 regattas in 6 sunny venues dotted around the Med, each one offering an incredible selection of scenery, light and spectacle.

Worst regatta to shoot?
Americas Cup,

What is your biggest concern regarding your equipment beyond the risk of it falling into water?
Electrical failure is always a worry when you’re counting on those split-second shots. Salt-spray is also a major concern; waterproof housing can be used for on-board work or for dunking at the marks to get underwater shots of the fleet passing, but they are clumsy and you cant use big lenses with them.

What is your advice when photographing in bad weather?
Wear a waterproof jacket!

Photographing from the yacht, is there any particular shot that is most challenging to take well?
In the main the more challenging the shot the more rewarding I find it. With yacht photography, hard work definitely pays off in the quality of the end product. Shooting from on-board a rocky yacht, often in big swells, taking any action shot is a challenge, and it’s all about timing it right. Below decks, it’s always dark, damp, and often very humid, so as soon as you go down there your kit steams up. Shooting back from the bow can be a great shot with the water crashing over you and running down the deck to the crew working away on deck, but these shots require a waterproof housing and steady legs!

What do you like most about your work?
Spending time on and or around water and like-minded people. I like to see peoples’ reaction to my work after a shoot or to see my work published on a cover of a book or magazine. I am my own worst critic so to hear others views on my work is vital to me.

What do you think is the most difficult part of your work?
It has to be dealing with Mother Nature and all that she can throw at you.

Which picture are you most satisfied with?
Never 100% satisfied ! always want a little more; closer, bigger, faster, harder, higher !

Who inspires you (other photographers)?
I have stalked err sorry followed Rick Thomlinsons’ work for years, Such a really nice chap and admire his work greatly. I would love the chance to work with him on a project one day.

What gear do you usually use/favor (camera/lenses)?
Nikon all the way, Currently running Digital; D2X, D1X and a D200, Film; F5 and an F6. Sometimes when it gets a bit damp use a Sea-cam housing but try to keep its use to a minimum. Main lenses, 105, 70-200, 300, 500, 17-55,

Any advise for those who want to become a better sailing photographer?Best advice, don’t listen to any advice ! Just use your eyes watch everything and shoot what you like the way you want to in a nice and respectful way to others !