Richard Hope - Photographer

Here's a portrait I took of Richard, taking a picture of...well, Richard. Apparently his skating is just as good as his photos. The rest of the photos in this interview were shot by Richard.

-Name/Age/Type of Work/years practicing

Richard Hope/23/Action sports photography/6yrs


-How did you get started?


When I was in high school my best friend had received a film SLR from one of his neighbors. We both used it to photography each other skateboarding, and by the following Christmas I was asking my parents for my own camera. I got a Nikon film SLR and that was the beginning of it all.


-What draws you to the type of work you do?

I'm drawn to shooting action sports because of 2 things, the amount of talent this area of sports has, and the amount of work that goes into getting a single good shot. The feeling you get when you see someone spin and flip over top of a 60foot gap, or seeing them dance around on a tiny little rail is really profound and amazing just to watch and capture. To get that good shoot is usually more work then the general public would ever image. Sometimes its laying down cement or bondo to fix a crack before a rail, or chipping ice off the steps of a staircase. You get to see all the work you did to make the shot, something not to many other people will see in the photograph.

-If money was no object what kind of project would you like to get involved in?

If money were no longer an option, I'd really love to make my own skateboarding/snowboarding/skiing film. It takes years of filming and traveling around to produce a full video, and that drains on the bank a lot. Add in camera gear, and other serious equipment like generators and floodlights and the budget for a film continues to grow.

-Where do you find your inspiration?

Most of my inspiration comes from the environment I'm in. A lot of spots (the name for anything location to do tricks at) have their own unique story. Some extra challenge for the riders or myself and i like to show that in my photos. Maybe its grated metal stairs, or a 10foot drop to rocks. Outside inspiration comes from my friends, magazines and of course the internet.

-Have you ever collaborated with another artist in your work, if so where did you find this person and how was/is the experience?

I've worked some graphic designers, and as well other photographers and filmers when on locations. But for the most part I do all my work myself. I think its pretty hard to see an end result in my head for something and then have to work around it with someone. While two heads can be better then one, sometimes I only want to hear my own ideas so I can create my own work.

-Can you give us a brief rundown of the equipment you would bring to the average shoot?

I have two setups I'll take with me for a photo shoot;

The Big Bag
3 Nikon camera bodies (D200, D70s, F65)
5 Lenses (10.5mm Fisheye, 19-35mm, 50mm, Lensbaby 3G, 80-200mm)
4 Flashes (Sb-28, Sb-80dx, 2x Sunpaks)
4 Light stands (light weight aluminum) 
5 Pocket Wizards (3x Plus II, 2x Multimax)
Extra batteries (both camera and AA)
Cords and other miscellaneous gadgets including a right angle viewfinder 

The Small Bag
1 Nikon camera body (D200)
5 Lenses (10.5mm Fisheye, 19-35mm, 50mm, Lensbaby 3G, 80-200mm)
2 Flashes (sb-28, sb-80dx)
2 Light stands (light weight aluminum) 
3 Pocket Wizards (2x Plus II, Multimax)
Extra batteries (both camera and AA)
Cords and other miscellaneous gadgets including a right angle viewfinder

-With all the different styles of photography what made you decide to focus on skateboarding?

There is an unlimited amount of things to photograph in this world, and I wouldn't say i focused directly on skateboarding. It was just the thing i was always doing with my friends in high school, and after-wards. I like to think I'm more focused on being an 'Action Sports Photographer'. Doesn't really matter if its a winter board sport or summer, freestyle moto-x, or even MMA fighting. I like action, its pretty simple. The faster it is and more complicated to understand whats actually going on, is truly the best part and what keeps me shooting. Some people have no concept of what you can do with your body other then just running and catching stuff. I can truly appreciated the effort and commitment it takes to perform tricks and I love capturing that in a photograph.

-Was there any other types of photography that intrigued you like skate photography? If so, how would you compare the feeling you get when you produce a good skate photo versus something else?

 I love nature, its by far the coolest thing on this planet. If shooting actions sports doesn't work out then I'll start to focus on shooting wildlife and landscapes. I have a 12yr background in the Canadian Scouting program and earned the highest award in the program call the 'Chief Scout', so being outside is what I'm passionate about. I plan to work outside for as long as I possibly can, before green house effects ruin everything on Earth.

-Working outside the studio in an unpredictable enviroment, especially when the sport your photographing is illegal in some areas, means there has to be some crazy things you’ve experienced. Any story’s you’d like to share?

Stories, the BEST part of the subject matter I photograph is just that. I've collected a lot of those over the years, getting kicked out by the Police, RCMP, security is just a small part of the hassle we can get while trying to 'work'. I find other civilians and by-standers provide the best stories. Simply because they can either be completely amazing or completely pissed off, and I've met a lot of both those groups. I once got screamed at by some women claiming her blind husband fell down a set of stairs because we left a pile of snow at the top of the stairs last year. (we had never been to this place before..) The filmer was able to film the last few choice words she had for me before she stomped up the stairs and kicked out the jump we had made for the rail. And on the opposite side of that are the nice cops. We had built this quarter pipe against the support leg for an overpass bridge, which happened to be directly beside the local Police station. It was 2am, we had the generators blasting full power, all the lights, and my flashes going when these two young cops stumble down part of the snow covered hill. We all expected to get kicked out. But they explained how they thought we were tagging/painting on the cement. Once they saw what was going on they actually asked us if they could stay and watch for awhile, and that until someone actually complained they had no reason to make us stop.

-Scott