How did you get into photography?    I had always been a huge fan of photography and have toyed with photography throughout the years but it was never serious. I have photos in my collection from the World Mountain Bike Championships back in 1996 and I still remember that I was more concerned about getting photos than actually watching the action - it’s just too bad that I really had no idea how to take a good photo back then. After I gave up bike racing about 4 years ago I made the transition to taking photos of the sport I love and it felt so natural and easy to me - kinda wish I took it up sooner.

When did you take your first serious photograph?    I probably took my first serious photo when I first got a camera as a kid but if you mean serious in the terms of professional I think it was have been at a BMX race in the USA back in 2002.

What sort of camera were you using at the time?    It was a Nikon D70.

Do you use digital cameras or film? What are the advantages/disadvantages of that?    I pretty much have only used digital. I used film back in high school and enjoyed processing B&W in the dark room but digital is just so much better and easier to see results. I didn’t have too much money when I was younger to get film processed so that’s probably one reason I didn’t take it up photography in my youth. I think that film is still needed for large media applications but as technology gets better I think that film will die. The disadvantage of film is the processing and having to wait. Plus, from my experience magazine editors want digital files anyway so you have to scan in film negatives anyway so why not just shoot digital. With digital I can shoot and have the photos to an editor all within hours - not days.

How important is your equipment in the quality of sots you can take?    Very, Very important. I’ve learnt the hard way that in photography money does buy quality, particularly with lenses. It’s well worth spending the money to get good lenses and also sources of light (flashes/strobes).

What is the main type of photos do you take?    Sport/Action (Mountain Bike mainly)

What are the special requirements of that particular style?    I think that it helps to have an understanding of the sport and what looks good in a photo (composition) and what editors and advertising companies are looking for. I will shoot differently if I am shooting for myself or if I an shooting for an assignment.

What are the specific challenges of taking those sort of photos?    Dust, Rain, Steep mountains, carrying 20kgs of gear up and down very steep mountain, dust, dirt, flies, heat, cold - you get the drift. For my style of photography, as I like to use a lot of flash light, the big challenge is getting good strong light sources all the way up a mountain - the bigger the light the more it weighs.

Do you take other styles of photos? If so, what sort & why?    Yeah. I am getting into lifestyle/alternative portraits more and more. I like trying to capture fun photos of people rather than a boring portrait - you know the ones everyone has hanging on their walls.

How do you get your photos shown to people? How hard is it to get them published?    I think that word of mouth, patience and having a good attitude are the main things I rely on. I also have a web page but that‘s more for fun. I just keep shooting and showing that I have a good work ethic and am able to produce good images. It was pretty hard getting published and that’s where you just have to be patient and keep trying. One pet peeve of mine is weekend photo hackers who will give away photos to magazines, just for the glory - it really hurts us photographer who try and make a profession out of it.

What’s the hardest thing about making a living from photography?    Money. There isn’t much in Mountain Bike photography. I’m lucky as I have two jobs and without the 2nd one it would be hard just making a living. If you want to make money from photography I think that weddings are the market.

You used to live in Canberra, where are you now?    I currently am living in Crofton, Maryland USA. Maryland is a state just north of Washington D.C. and about 3 ½ hours drive south of New York City. It’s a good area but it’s way more crowded that Canberra.

Why did you move there?    I work here with my other non-photography job.

What’s it like compared to Aus?    People are great, photography gear and mountain bikes are cheaper, and it rains heaps so there is always a nice green colour for taking mountain bike shots. However, life is very busy and there’s just too many people and cars… that’s probably the biggest downside. Overall the US is pretty much the same as Australian, just everything is bigger, from the cars to the food.

What’s the riding like over there?    The area that I live (Northeast USA) is world famous for dirt jumping so that’s mainly what I have been doing when I get the time. There’s not much in the way of really good DH tracks but the XC riding is excellent as the soil is great for hero traction and it’s always under a heavy canopy of shade. Not much in the way of free riding in my area but there are some areas that are starting to build up.

What’s the overall scene like over there?    It’s pretty big, but with 300 million people (compared to our 20 million) you’d expect it to be. There are some very popular and big places to ride like Whistler and Diablo and you get a lot pf people at the races. You see a lot more riders with “all the gear and no idea” but they love the sport just as much as anyone and help the industry. Also, street/dirt seems to be more popular over here. I think that Aussies in general are better riders and if Aussies had half the riding places that they have over here it would just blow up.

Do you prefer it there or in Aus?    I prefer Australia of course.… just wish it rained a bit more and we had the Rocky Mountains.

Is it harder to get your stuff published now your overseas?    No. I have a good relationship with the editors in Australia and I always have plenty of work to do. Might be hard now the season is over as there’s not many Aussies over here but I hope to fill the gap with some stuff for the yanks.

When will you be back to take snaps of us?    I was back in the first two weeks in November.

Damian Breach has a great website he updates regularly. keep an eye out and have a look at his snaps - they aren't too bad. www.damianbreach.com