Name: Skye Nacel
Home Town: Claremont NH
Home Base: 2005 Dodge Sprinter
Home Page: www.mocean365.com
Sponsors: Mocean365, F-Stop Gear, Mocean Mate, Sinister Bikes, Bern Helmets, Pro-Tec, Rootswise HerbalsSports Photographed: Biking, Snowsports, Skate, Surf, any and all action!
Favorite subject: Anyone committed to doing what they love! Capturing the moment is key so the favorite subject is very defined by that “moment” when the lights right, the elements are in place and an emotive feel is available.
Recent Projects: Bike Camp Photo and Video Head Shooter, IdeRide Mountain Bike Camps, Princeton-Tec 2010 Bike Catalog, Winner of “Best Clip/Scenery/Flow and 3rd place overall at the Highland Mountain “S'Ender Video Contest”, video prodcution and photo content for Heather Maloney, Steeze Mini-Mag.
Do you remember when you realized photography was more than a point and shoot camera?
Watching my parents shoot and then develop pictures in a ghetto darkroom when I was a kid sealed that for me. They lived a wild biker/hippie lifestyle and the pictures were amazing. My first published pictures were actually done with a point and shoot however and I think there tends to be too much emphasis placed on having the most current gear. I truly believe that it is all about your eye and timing.
What was your first camera and what is your current?
My mom passed down her old Nikon but it was pretty much molded and toast but did the trick for a bit. My first modern camera was a Canon Digital Rebel then a Canon 30D and I'm now shooting with a Canon5d Mark II and am in love with it!
What has Photography/Video done to your life?
Made me see light differently. Made me observe more and see the beauty in even the ugly and grotesque, It's opened the doors in my video shooting as well as I take a photography approach to my video. My video work has taken me to the side of 11,000 foot mountains filming people risking life and limb. Its shown me talent that is in the unexpected. It has allowed me amazing experiences with incredible people in amazing places. It has introduced me to new friends and it has made me even become more self-sufficient in my business as I produce my own marketing material so its saved me money! Guess the only bad side is it has had me on a computer editing way more than I expected.
As a career photography and filming has let you see much of the world. Where are the places you wish to return or are most memorable?
New Zealand is one of the most memorable, Peru or Panama would be close seconds although though the cultures of Tonga and Western Samoa were amazing... Hey this is a hard question!
Being an action sport photographer, one would generally assume you also play the games you shoot. What are favorite sports to do with out a camera bag on your back?
For me shooting is an extension of my own passion, participation and dedication to my favorite movements. It has probably held back my “career” as a shooter but I'm fine with that. If I'm being paid to be somewhere then its about getting creative to find a way to shred. Shooting snowsports for example has given me endless powder days. My surfing, mountain biking, and snowboarding all drive me to shoot in the first place. I pride myself on that and maybe when I'm older I will shoot more and shred less but not sure.
Who or what do you look too find inspiration in?
Anyone truly passionate about doing what they love regardless of monetary obligations. People who fight adversity whether that is a physical, financial, or lack of quality terrain. People who seem ageless or people who are wise beyond their years. People who think outside the box and forge their own paths!
Life behind a lens means being witness to the best of times and the worst. Please let us know an experience from each.
Best: Shooting with Jason Lalla, a Para Olympic Skier and Downhill Mountain Biker who just amazed me shredding freeride and downhill stunts despite losing his left leg in a motorcycle crash 20 years ago. He has filmed and been featured in Warren Miller Films and just tears up the Highland Mountain Bike Park and we have become buddies and I'm grateful to know him. Shooting him hit road gaps and huge jumps at high speed with style make you realize most of us shouldn't whine about much!
Worst: Shooting in Big Sky MT and helplessly watch someone I was shooting absolutely rag doll down a steep and sustained face at 11,000 feet and being sure she would go the whole 1,500 plus feet into the bowl but she finally self-arrested! Numerous injuries to my subjects is always hard to deal with because you don't want a camera to affect peoples judgment but unfortunately it does! Try to let people know to perform within their limits but doesn't always work.
What would you say to a young shooter with who dreams of traveling the world taking photos of the elite athletes in our sports?
I would say only consider it for the right reasons and expect the unexpected. If they had the true desire and drive to do it then I would say, try and learn about the cultures and people they come into contact with. Blend in whenever possible and leave the Westernized attitude back home. Be prepared to be humbled and amazed and GO FOR IT!
Tell us one over looked lesson you have learned in the photo business:
Double and triple checking your gear before a shoot. Clear memory and charge your batteries. Pack food and water and extra gloves/clothes(Thank you Satori!) Look around a lot and mix up your shots and angles. Have a exit plan when shooting close action, for example- where is the board going to fly in a wipe out or what happens if that snowmobile crashes towards you at 75 miles per hour? Be ready to change the whole plan you had in your mind. Make a shot list even its in your head. Be nice to people! “Please” and “Thank you” go far, especially for models who are cold and hungry! Be fit if you are shooting action and get your gear dialed because you have to do the same terrain as your talent often enough but with 25 plus pounds of gear and a pack.
Look ahead, plan ahead and always be ready for the unexpected!
