Photographer: Kyle Carlson

Second in our blog Q&As about photographers shootin’ trails is Kyle Carlson. Hailing from Vegas, Nevada, Kyle has shot photos for Ride mag among others, and is also a member of the VitalBMX team and regularly produces online blogs, photos, and he also films and edits video parts: multi-talented, for sure. Here he gives his insight into his methods, what trails he’s shot photos at and what gear he uses and how, and why he longs for the trees. Hey Kyle – thanks for helping us out at Interbike and being on the Deluxe Mugs Team! Good times, friend.

BIO – Name: Kyle Carlson Hometown: Henderson, NV Years shooting BMX photos: 6, pretty seriously for the past 3. Where you can see my photos: Ride UK, VitalBMX.com Nikon or Canon? Canon

What are you doing today? What’s the plan? I’ve got a few videos to edit and am trying to see the new Batman movie sometime! Yesterday I picked up the new iPhone 3g so I’m also spending some time getting this thing all dialed in. It’s going to be 108 degrees today, so I’m probably staying indoors.

Okay, what are some of the trails spots you’ve shot photos at? Mostly just west coast spots in the US; numerous places in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, California, and Oregon.

What are your stand-out favourite trails spots? Gordy Toth’s backyard set up in Barstow, CA is one of a kind. He’s got a line that ends up carving through a dirt bowl with vert walls built on the side of his house. It’s pretty wild. Also, anything with a lot of trees is always nice because we don’t get much of that out this way.

Gordy Toth’s backyard is 100º in the shade, rock hard, and nuts. No joke. Gordy, nosedown.

And are there any others you really want to take photos at, that you haven’t been to yet? Definitely. The trails scene in France seems amazing. I’d love to spend some time shooting and eating french bread out there.

For you, how does shooting photos at the trails differ to shooting, say, street, indoor parks, contests, etc? Shooting trails usually gives you a kind of freedom that you never have when shooting street. You’re pretty much never going to get chased out so you can fine-tune the shot to your liking, which is awesome. I guess this would just differ from trail spot to trail spot; some of them make it easy to take an amazing photo with a fisheye lens and natural light and some of them you really have to work with.

Ideally… film, or digital? I’d love to say film, but it just isn’t nearly as practical as digital for me. I haven’t shot film in way too long.

KC Badger; toboggan in Oregon.

What tips would you give to people wanting to take better trails photos? Just try to see the big picture; look at the trails for what they are rather than just looking at the set or obstacle you’re shooting. Also, try a bunch of different stuff – light settings, shutter speeds, etc – and decide what works best for you.

What’s your favourite trails photo of all time? This is a hard one to be put on the spot with! The berm-shot photo of Brian Foster in his recent Ride interview that Dolecki shot really stands out to me, but I don’t know if that would be my favourite of all time. This is almost impossible to answer because there are so many good ones.

Do you prefer shooting trails in the woods, or out in the open? Shooting in the woods is always a treat because we don’t have any out my way, so I’d have to go with that.

What about dirt jumping contests – how do you see those? Elevation and Empire of Dirt obviously stand out as the best, but I’ve got love for every dirt contest. Contests generally keep riders paying their bills and allow them to stay away from real jobs, so even if a dirt contest isn’t giving a good interpretation of trail riding, it still serves its purpose.

Chris Doyle; 360-invert in Canada during Elevation ’07.

If you were going to, say Catty Woods or Bar End, for a photo shoot for one day with just three riders – who would you pick, and why? TJ Lavin because he’s a really good friend of mine and loves trails more than anyone else I know, Chris Doyle because he’s got the best 360-inverts in the game, and Corey Bohan because Lavin and Doyle wouldn’t get wasted with me after the session. Boom!

Saving the best till last? Dave Rytell; invert on an Indian Reservation in Arizona.

We’re going to let this post lie here for a while, as we’re all off to Devon for Red Bull Empire (scroll down a bit for course photos) for the next few days. Back soon, with updates and EoD photos… in the meantime, if you want to see more of Kyle’s photos, check out Defgrip’s Photofile.

See Kyle’s photos, online blog, and videos on VitalBMX.com

posted by Patrick Best
on 23/07/08