I think the first time I came across Ryan Scott was on Twitter. I don’t remember why or how, but yeah. Over the course of time, we ended up going back and forth quite a bit. The other day, Ryan sent through some of his latest work for us to check out to do a possible photogallery. I already knew Ryan shot damn good photos and I decided it would be best if we could get an interview out of him to go with the photogallery so you can really get a feel of who is behind the lens on this one. I’m really stoked on how this came out and I think after you check out the interview and see the gallery, you will be stoked too! Check it!
Name: Ryan Scott
Location: Reading, PA
Years riding: 15ish
Years shooting photos: About 11.
What was it that first got you into BMX? Any memories just come to mind?
My mom worked as a waitress at a restaurant where the rich owner had a bratty son. He used to give my mom all kinds of almost new stuff that his kid lost interest in. One time he gave me about 40 Nintendo games and a Power Glove and at the time that was like someone handing me a free Macbook Pro and Cinema Display today. One day my mom came home with a bike and I fell in love. It was an all chrome Redline Series 3 with Flight cranks and white Skyway mags. A friend and I used to practice hopping up curbs and trying 180s in front of his house for hours.
What about photography? Was that something that’s to blame on BMX or were you already into it before BMX?
I got into photography when I took a high school class for it. It was a black and white film class and I was very interested immediately. I learned how to use a darkroom and most of the basics of photography there. I never really shot BMX for a few more years; I mostly shot flowers and railroad tracks then.
What was your first camera?
The first camera I had was a Minolta Maxxum 7000 35mm camera and I picked it because Minoltas were what we used in my high school class.
What’s your current setup?
Camera gear: Nikon D700, D300s, Nikon 24-70, 70-200, 50/1.4, 85/1.8 and 15mm fisheye. I use a mix of PCB Einstein, Nikon and Sunpack flashes with a Pocket Wizard MiniTT1 triggering Pocket Wizard Plus IIs. A Tamrac Expedition 8 is my main bag but I have 4-5 others depending on what gear I need to have with me. I edit most of my stuff on a Macbook Pro with a Wacom Intuos tablet(once you use one you’ll never edit photos with a mouse again) using Lightroom 80% of the time and Photoshop the other 20%.
Do you have a dream setup or are you pretty content with what you are running these days?
I’m pretty content. I spent a while buying, selling and trading lenses and bodies but now I’m totally over having the newest equipment unless it has something that will really functionally benefit the work I do. I haven’t shot film in a while and I keep almost buying a medium format setup to get back to it but other than that I try to make the best pictures I can with the same equipment I’ve had for the last few years.
You’re from the Philadelphia area, so I’d imagine you have had the opportunity to shoot with a good number of riders. Care to name drop a few of the regular guys you have the chance to shoot with?
I’ll shoot whoever is doing something cool and wants to make good photos with me. I’ve shot a bunch of pros at the various trails in PA and a bunch of known street guys but I’ll skip the name drops. Of course I’d love to shoot pros all the time, but I also love shooting a great photo with an unknown rider that ends up getting published because you know the name probably had nothing to do with it.
Are there any riders in particular you have always wanted to shoot with?
There’s so many – anyone with a style that you can shoot a photo of to make you connect with that feeling on a bike. Chris Doyle, Mike Aitken, Ruben, Joe Rich, Gary Young, Nathan Williams, Cory Martinez…the list goes on forever. I’d also love to shoot some of the really creative guys riding right now like Tate Roskelly, Garrett Reeves, Erik Elstran and Mike Mastroni. Shooting photos with those guys that are doing things the average rider wouldn’t even think of would make it a challenge to capture how cool what they’re doing actually is.
Has any of your work ever been featured in any magazines or anything cool like that? Have you ever done work for any brands?
I’ve had a few things in photo sections and articles in Ride, DIG, Ride UK and have a couple of things pending with other BMX mags. I’ve done work for Specialized for their road bikes and had a couple of non-BMX things published in other magazines. I can’t imagine ever not feeling excited and grateful whenever I see something of mine published.
Do you get to travel much? Where are some of the places you have had the chance to ride and shoot in the past?
I don’t ever travel as much as I’d like, but I’ve been fortunate enough to get to most of the US on trips over the years as well as Canada and Ireland. Colorado is one of my favorite places that I’ve been but I didn’t get to shoot BMX work there. I’d love to go back and tour the countless cement parks they have there and shoot as many photos as I can. That place is beautiful.
Anywhere you want to get to that you have never been?
I like being where I’m out of my comfort zone. I think Japan and China would both be awesome. New Zealand looks amazing too.
When it comes to shooting BMX, do you have a preference? Trails? Street? Park? Living in Pennsylvania you have plenty of options when it comes to all three.
I think shooting trails is my favorite, but they all have their advantages. With trails and park, you don’t have to worry about getting kicked out of a spot or getting your gear stolen in a sketchy part of town, but there’s also nothing like spending a day cruising the city with good a crew, everyone feeding off one another and coming away with a handful of great photos.
You shoot outside of BMX, right? Care to share what else you are shooing these days?
As of late I’ve been trying to shoot more cycling and running work to start pushing for more of those kinds of commercial and editorial jobs. I do a little bit of portrait work on the side too but now I try to incorporate portraits into all of the other work that I do. For a couple of years I was shooting about a dozen weddings a year but I haven’t taken any on this year because, while the money was great, it’s ultimately not the kind of work I want to be doing. I will say that shooting a 10 hour wedding is like bootcamp for portrait photographers, so I’m happy that I did it.
Is photography all you do or do you have another job to support the shots?
I have a day job, but more and more of my time is being taken up with photography to the point that I feel like I’m working two full time jobs. I’m hoping to making the full time switch to shooting photos soon enough when it becomes too much to handle.
Rider: Josh Kemp
What’s the strangest thing you have been asked to shoot?
I had a friend of a friend contact saying that she was going to start a website for her prostitution business and wanted me to shoot sexy photos of her for the site. I decided that a) that was super weird and b) I’d have a very hard time shooting sexy photos of this particular girl so I had to decline.
Who are some of the photographers that really influence your work?
BMX – Jeff Z. and Fudger have always been the big ones for me. Vincent Perraud, Justin Kosman and Joey Cobbs(Demolition/Volume) have also really caught my eye over the last couple of years too.
Non-BMX – Dan Winters and John Keatley are both great portrait photographers with different styles whose work I really look up to.
Did you go to college for photography or has it been all self taught? How important do you think college is for somebody looking to pursue photography for a living?
I’m completely self-taught other than a class I took in high school. I think a lot of people that pursue photography after they graduate high school do so because it sounds more interesting that an accounting degree, but I know a lot of people who are now working jobs that have nothing to do with photography. A lot of people, including myself, didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives when they were 18 so they just picked something. For me, the more I learned about shooting photos the more I wanted to do it and it was a gradual realization. I have a stack of books at home that are bought and paid for and I’m pursuing what I love without $50k in debt. With that said, the people who go to school for photography and actually stick with it have a lot of lot of experience right out of the gate. Whether you learn yourself, or you go to school and shoot assignments given to you, you still need to do it on your own to find your own way with your camera.
What kind of advice do you have for somebody just picking up a camera?
Shoot a lot of photos and make a ton of mistakes. Shoot whatever catches your eye and in a few years you’ll look back and realize that you have a collection of photographs and subjects that are uniquely you. Also, appreciate and listen to constructive criticism but if what you’re doing feels right then keep doing it. Finally, don’t be lazy. Get up and move and make the photo you really want instead of settling and thinking Photoshop is going to help you fix it later.
Let’s say a brand is stoked on your work. Are you available for trips and stuff?
Absolutely. I’ve been dying to get on more trips. I love traveling, being in unfamiliar places and shooting new spots and people.
Where can people check out more of your work? Do you have a website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or anything else you are updating regularly?
Twitter: @RyanScottPhoto
Instagram: RyanScottPhoto
Website(very due for an overhaul): RyanScottPhoto.com
Rider: Jon Vozzo
Do you think you would be where you are today without BMX?
BMX has allowed me to progress as a photographer a lot so probably not. It’s much different than someone who only shoots portraits because while that’s a different set of skills entirely, the stress level doesn’t compare to timing a barspin perfectly halfway while someone is throwing themselves down a set of stairs for your camera.
Outside of shooting and riding, do you have any other talents? What’s something about yourself that might surprise people?
I don’t think I’m that much of a mystery. I’ve been spending a lot of time on my road bike and have become way more comfortable in spandex than I’d ever imagined I would. I’ve surprised myself there.
Where do you hope to take things in the next couple years?
I’d love to be working with some good brands on a regular basis and taking trips more often. I want to go to new spots, meet and shoot new people and go wherever that takes me.
Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
I’d like to thank all of the riders that I’ve shot with and especially anyone that has done something more than once for me so we can get a photo just right. Thanks to Jeff Z. for publishing my first photo a few years ago and giving me pointers along the way. Finally, thanks to Kurt and The Union for asking me to answer these questions giving me a chance to ramble.
Anything else you want to say?
If you have something cool to do, I probably want to shoot it. Hit me up.
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