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MOTOGP<br />
BLOG<br />
IN THE SHOT<br />
More than Europe’s<br />
largest MC store<br />
Phillip Island: a place of beauty, speed and fear. A<br />
photographer’s playground perhaps. Taking a photograph<br />
is a very personal activity and most of us can-or-have<br />
made hundreds in our time. However, it must be said that<br />
there is a knack to it when the point of interest is operating<br />
at exceptionally high speed.<br />
I’ve tried myself and maybe if I<br />
was lucky, I captured the back<br />
wheel, a leg or an exhaust. Photography<br />
is obviously as skill that<br />
is developed over time predominately<br />
through dedication, evolution<br />
and the willingness to make<br />
a hefty investment in an industry<br />
where the technology is evolving<br />
and that is generally so commonly<br />
watered down. Many become<br />
good, but few have the chance<br />
to crack the market. HRC Repsol<br />
Honda Team photographer Cormac<br />
Ryan-Meenan (CormacGP)<br />
and Rob Gray (Polarity Photo)<br />
are among those who conquer<br />
these challenges with little protest<br />
and have come out swinging<br />
with top teams.<br />
It all starts the same: a camera,<br />
lens and a receipt that weighs<br />
down your pocket. Then, trying<br />
to break into a sport that is loved<br />
and admired by millions. MotoGP<br />
is no different. Walking around<br />
the paddock there are so many<br />
men and women with cameras<br />
draped over their shoulders and<br />
photographers like Cormac and<br />
Rob have multiple pieces of<br />
equipment just to do their job.<br />
From camera bodies, to lenses,<br />
to flashes, monopods, travel<br />
bags, converters, extenders and<br />
rain covers, the list goes on and<br />
the cost would blow you away.<br />
However, those who are serious<br />
about their path take a gamble<br />
on themselves and have the work<br />
and contacts to prove it.<br />
Cormac: “<strong>No</strong> one sees the cost<br />
behind it. People think you have<br />
a camera, take photos and make<br />
money straight away. Which<br />
couldn’t be further from the<br />
truth. They are so expensive and<br />
when I had all my gear stolen<br />
last year I had to fund my entire<br />
kit, all over again. The window to<br />
make money has become narrower.<br />
I think if you are in that<br />
window, the potential is higher<br />
than it’s ever been. It’s super difficult<br />
to get into and even harder<br />
to stay inside. I think if people<br />
knew what you had to do from<br />
the time you woke up to the time<br />
you get to bed, 80% of people<br />
would not want to do it. It’s expensive,<br />
time consuming, difficult<br />
and tiring, but I do love it.”
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