Rafa Botello Push With Me

Rafa Botello – Push With Me
I’ve been really inspired by professional athlete Rafa Botello and his story.
His drive, his desire, his determination and his dignity.
If I was half the man he is, I’d be twice the man I am.

ideas vs equipment – who dares wins

You can own the latest HD DSLR rig. You can have the latest lens and newest gadgets but if you don’t have the eye, the skill or the sheers guts to get out there and shoot then you’ve got nothing…
This incredible ‘point of view’ video, shot with the HD Hero, is a one take continuous film of a downhill bike race in Valparaiso. It’s steep, scary and heart stoppingly watchable!!! Enjoy…..
I just wish we could have seen the guy’s face at the end – pure adrenalin and high emotion it MUST have been.

VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

converge film festival 2011

delighted to say that I made the top 3 films with ‘The Hardest Fight’ as shown at the Converge Film Festival held at the British Film Institute down on South Bank, 1st & 2nd March 2011.
Gutted I couldn’t be there to see it in person but apparently it was very well received by the audience and held up well on the big screen…Still can’t quite believe that this, my very first short film, is getting such great feedback from the HDDSLR community. Thanks so much guys – really appreciate it!!!!

Overall winner went to Jason Wingrove for his short 10/10/10 about the all year round open air swimming pool at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.

Congrats to all and I feel honoured to have been included in such highly respected company!!!

Special thanks to James Stoneley for keeping me updated. Cheers mate!!!

dark side of the lens

‘Even if I’m only just scraping a living, at least its a living worth scraping’
says surf photographer and film maker Mickey Smith in ‘The Dark Side of the Lens’.
Combining stunning, abstract and emotive cinematography with an almost poetic narration, Mickey has condensed in five short minutes the essence of just following your dreams and doing what you love doing and what inspires you most. It’s a luxury not all of us are willing to sacrifice for but if you do want to step outside your comfort zone, challenge the confines of social convention and embrace adventures of the mind, body and spirit then this is one of the best short film I’ve ever seen to advocate that message.
Take a look and tell me it doesn’t send a shiver down your spine.

This film makes me think of the day I was lucky enough to point my lens at world class surfer Clay Marzo
Clay was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in 2007 and getting direct eye contact with him can be a bit of a mission for a photographer.
As with most celebrity shots you rarely get given much time but portraits are all about making a connection and I knew I’d made a great one when later, sitting alone at lunch, Clay came in and scanned the room before walking over and sitting with me.
We didn’t speak once but I knew I’d got that rare moment of human contact that makes a good portrait stand out and connect back to you.
If you too are seriously into H2O be sure to check out the awesome footage on Clay after the still.