Photographer: Keith Terra
Magilla, 2003
If like me you’ve been around BMX for a while, and focussed on trails, and you’ve picked up a BMX magazine over the past few years, then no doubt you’ve enjoyed the photographic work of Keith Terra. This guy knows how to take a good picture of bicycles and dirt, and to be honest I’ve no idea why it’s taken us so long to get an interview with him on this site. So without further ado, here’s Keith Terra, long-time Long Island resident and all round good guy.
Name: Keith Terra Hometown: Long Island, NY Years shooting BMX photos: about 14 Where you can see my photos: Ride US, Ride UK, Dig, BMX Plus here and there, stuff on ESPN.com, various BMX websites and ads, art-isticimages.com, and 36exposed.com Nikon or Canon or? Canon
What are you doing today? What’s the plan? Today I am answering some emails, getting this interview done, drink some tea, might make some tofu scramble, check on our new kittens, then head to the trails and start claying.
Okay, what are some of the trails spots you’ve shot photos at? Well, I’ve been around for quite some time, so there are a lot of great trails I’ve been to and shot at. To name a few: 7-11, Oakpark, Posh, Nam, Catty,
Push, Sheephills, Hooligans, Hillside, Keyko, Minnersville, Casselberry, Suffield, Baker’s Acres, FOD, Port.
What are your stand-out favourite trails spots? That’s like asking who is your favourite child… haha. For starters, I would have to say 7-11 trails that were on Long Island, that place was my home. I first went there when I was six, and started building there when I was 11 and then shortly after my friends and I were running the place. It was the birth of my career; the start of great friendships that still stand today and it was my creative expression. My life today would be very different if it weren’t for that place, and I’m sure my life would be very different right now if it never got plowed. And even though Nam was two states away, it still felt like a second home to me. I spent many hours travelling for the enjoyment of what that place had to offer.
Geoff Slattery, 360 table
And are there any others you really want to take photos at, that you haven’t been to yet? I really want to get to Portland, OR. That’s a scene that seems like it’s wild, and from when I hear, it is. The UK and France seems likes it’s booming now, I definitely wouldn’t mind getting there as well.
For you, how does shooting photos at the trails differ to shooting, say, street, indoor parks, contests, etc? I enjoy shooting trails the most; this might be because riding trails is my favourite side of BMX. When shooting trails there are so many more elements that come into play, for better and for worse. I feel you can get more creative in the woods then a city street. The landscapes, the colours, the smells, the changing of seasons, these all keep the creative juices flowing. 95% percent of the time I shoot, I always bring out the same stuff, no matter what I’m shooting. Usually I bring out three bodies, a Canon EOS 1N 35mm SLR, Canon EOS ID Mark2 35mm digital, and a Bronica SQ-A. Lenses are Canon 50mm, 70-200mm, and 15mm. Then the Bronica I have a 80mm and 35mm fisheye. A couple of Sunpak 622 flashes and a Sunpak 120j flash along with some Lumidyne cyclers and radio slaves. That’s about the bulk of the main stuff.
Brian Iarocchi, 1998
Ideally… film, or digital? What is becoming the age-old question that’s always asked. As of now, I can go either way between the two. When I’m looking for a b/w shot, I’m always going to shoot film, whether it being 35mm, 6×6, or 6×4.5. Processing my own film and printing it myself gives me the feeling that I’m really creating a photo. Digital is great for the reassurance and the instant gratification, but I still feel that they haven’t created a sensor that compares to the quality of film. And to back up what Dolecki said in his interview, I dislike the marketing of digital cameras. One geared towards a fast camera with high FPS, and the other geared to high resolution and full frame. But I’m not going to lie; I do use my digital a lot. It’s just more convenient and less time consuming. With the birth of FTP sites, and the lack of having a great scanner for medium format transparencies gives my digital more use.
What tips would you give to people wanting to take better trails photos? I feel that composition is the key. There are so many elements when shooting trails, just take a few minutes, look around at what you’re dealing with. Take in mind the colours, the shadows, the hot spots. Sometimes things would look better in b/w, that’s something you should keep in mind. When using flash, I feel that off camera provides you with a more creative result.
Janis, whip
What’s your favourite trails photo of all time? There are way too many to list, but here are a few. There was an old cover of Ride US that featured Robo. It was b/w and shot at Sheep Hills. The Return to Sev’s article in Ride US that came out in 97. The whole article was good and there is an outrageous photo of Brian Iarocci. An old Standard ad with Ground Chuck entitled ‘Standard Country’. The cover of an old zine Mulligan did called Fastplant. The first issue of Dig that I ever got was issue five with BF doing a no-can. In Tread there was a picture of Drew Jenkins doing a perfect nosedive. The pic is good, but I think I more like it due to the fact that this might be the only picture ever in a magazine of him. And the list goes on and on, so I’ll stop it here.
Do you prefer shooting trails in the woods, or out in the open? I’m going to say woods. It’s too hot out in the open. I dealt with open fields for too long.
James Brooks, 2001
What about dirt jumping contests – how do you see those? It’s a circus act. Gymnastics on bikes. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the stuff they do is pretty damn wild, but it’s not my style. I’d much rather see somebody do a good whip over and over all day long than watch a Dew Tour contest or something. The more low key contests like Elevations seem pretty cool. More like a trails set up, so I wouldn’t mind shooting at one of those and chilling with all the bros.
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? If I’m going to Catty for just one day, and one day only, I doubt I’d even touch my camera. I’m going to take it all in and ride as much as possible.
Dave King, Catty Trails, 2006
