Interview with Dan Barham

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I was first introduced to Dan Barham at my old job, he had just moved from Manchester, U.K. I just thought he was another guy in a bike shop until the speaker at the seminar we were at recognized him from the U.K. She had said how he took some amazing photos, so I got to talking with him. Dan was pity modest about his talents, I realized something was up when he said he had a Canon Mark II DS. I have grown up around bikes and computers so we had a lot in common.

Dan has had a number of cover shots on top bike magazines as well as features in many more of them. Bike Magazine, Dirt Rag, Mountain Bike Rider, and Mountain Biking UK to name a few.

Dan doesn’t limit himself to just mountain bike photography if you have a look at his Flickr Gallery. I really like looking at peoples more raw galleries, not the portfolios because it’s a glimpse into the every day life of an artist.

Dan has since moved on from the bike shop and Edmonton to Live in Canada’s Famous North shore (Vancouver) were covers the biking events all over British Columbia.

Dan was nice enough to do this interview with me, and i hope you enjoy it.

Tell us a bit about your self.

My name’s Dan Barham, I’m 27 years old, born in Manchester, UK but now live in North Vancouver, BC. I’m a professional mountain bike photographer.

Did you go to a school to learn photography?

Nope, I actually went to school to learn computer-programming geekery, which bored me so much I very nearly quit halfway through. I learned photography from friends, books, and a ton of experimentation.

Did you ever plan on making a living from photography?

Nope, it started out as a fun thing to do and progressed from there, really.

When did you know you finally “made it” as a professional?

I don’t actually really think I’ve “made it” yet, to be honest. I’m just started out on this career a couple of years ago, and have been gradually building it up since then. I suppose getting paid to go ride my bike is ‘making it’, now I come to think of it.

Did you have a mentor or someone inspired you when you first started?

My inspiration came from far too many bike magazines that I pored over and studied – I used to hunt out copies of Bike Magazine (pretty hard to get hold of in the UK) to see the latest work from Sterling Lorence, John Gibson and others, trying to see the way they see and shoot like they shoot. Closer to home, a ton of people mentored me through the early stages – a good friend and ex-pro Steve Makin was the most honest and insightful – he didn’t screw around, if something was bad he told me straight off, and that was way more valuable than anything else.

What is one of your favorite places to travel?

These days my work is mainly focused on the N. American Rockies and Coastal Range, but I’m looking to expand my horizons and shoot in as many places as possible – even if it’s not bike related, I want to see the huge variety of life out there.

What sort of equipment do you use in the field vs a studio or urban photo shoot?

It’s pretty much the same, really, with the exception of some of the studio strobes and light modifiers like softboxes and grids. I’ve started carting a studio strobe out to a few locations that need it, but mainly keep ‘em inside where they can’t get wet and fry me.

Can you give any suggestions to up and coming sport photographers?

Don’t give up, you’ll get knocked back more times than you’ll be accepted at first, but use each experience to better the next. Don’t get obsessed with the latest photo fad (everyone these days seems to want to remote-flash everything from a hundred different angles – yuck). Try to be professional at all times, with everyone you deal with – from the riders to the photo editors. Go the extra mile – do what others can’t be bothered or are unable to do – if that means lugging a ladder up a mountain at 4am to get the early morning light, so be it; you’ll get shots that no others have.

What techniques do you use when on a shoot?

Pointy end of camera goes towards bike. Press button.

How do the Mountain biking scenes compare from North America to the United Kingdom?

Rider-wise it’s pretty much the same, it’s really strong in both areas. Where N. America wins hands down is the industry and the community of people in it – there’s just way more over here, so making noise and getting heard by the right people ( i.e. those with the cash to spend on photos) is much easier.

When you’re in the field at a race how do you plan your shots or do you just take what you can get?

A bit of both, really. Unless it’s an event you’re super familiar with, it’s tricky to plan everything beforehand and foolish to expect it’s all going to plan. The key is to stay flexible and just get what you can, making sure you bag any shots you’d already thought of that work. This sage advice is actually second-hand from Sterling Lorence – he spotted me freaking out at last year’s Crankworx, desperately trying to cover it all and failing rather miserably. He said something along the lines of “don’t expect you can get everything, you can’t, just make sure the shots you do get are as good as possible”. Wise words indeed.

How important is it to prepare before hand?

Just make sure your batteries are charged and you’re pretty much good to go. Unless it’s a specific shoot with a fixed shot list, in which case it’s kinda handy to know what’s expected. But yeah, just wing it most times…

What is the single most important thing in getting noticed by a magazine?

Being professional with your contact and submissions. Don’t send a sloppy CD full of shitty, unedited pics into an editor – they’re going to take one look at them and throw it straight in the trash. Take the time to get everything sorted and it’ll stand out from the rest.

What piece of equipment couldn’t you survive with out? And I’m not talking about the camera body.

My light meter. Plenty of people say you don’t need one now digital is here – I say bullshit, it’s still a necessity. Whether it’s getting flash ratios just right or nailing a perfect exposure in-camera, if you’re not metering right it’s going to look like ass. Chimping a digi back in bright sunlight, checking if your flash power is right is just going to lead to disaster when you get home.

How do you take control of different lighting situations?

Don’t try and force what’s not there. You might have your heart set on an awesome ambient light shot, but the weather’s not playing fair, so it’s good to be flexible enough to switch it up and try something with a bit of flash or a silhouette maybe. Recognizing what works where and when is important, I guess that just comes with experience and shooting a ton.

Links:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearfodder/
http://www.danbarham.com