SHOOTER: GREGORY DICKSON

Photo: Erin Anderson

Name: Gregory R. Dickson

Age: 28

Location: Northern IL

How long have you been shooting? Off and on for about 8-9 years. 4-5 years of serious shooting.

Film or digital? Film is awesome, there’s no feeling like getting photos back and having them turn out, but digital is good because of the way our “instant gratification” lifestyle is.

Did you go to school at all for photography? Nope. I have a couple friends that have gone to school for photography and they have given me tips and helped me along the way. The trial and error way is always fun. I learned a lot using film and that was expensive, but taught me a lot.

What’s your camera bag setup? Tamrac expedition 8, Canon 5D, Sigma 15mm 2.8f fisheye, Canon 50mm 1.4f, a really shitty Sigma zoom lens, 2 Sunpak 544 strobes both on quantum 2 batteries, 2 Vivitar 285 hv strobes on quantum 1 and +1 batteries,

Best thing you’ve ever shot? I havent shot that photo yet.

Favorite riders to shoot with? Tom Dugan (Dang Dang), Lil Jon, Jeff K, Joe Rich, any trail rider, anyone who goes high, rides smooth, and has a good attitude.

Dream riders to shoot with? Brian Yeagle, Joe Rich, Brian Foster,

What do you tell security when the try to throw you out of spots for taking picturess? I havent really had too many problems with security yet, but i’m sure it’ll happen sometime.

Favorite BMX photographers?Rob Dolecki, Walter Perringer, Ricky Adam, Ed Docherty

You recently moved to Illinois after living in Austin, Texas for a while. What made you make the switch?
Austin sucked. It’s awesome for 2 weeks tops. I met a lot of good people there, but theres no way to avoid BMX down there. It’s everywhere. If i’m not riding or looking at something BMX related, I don’t really think about it. After Austin I was in Arizona for 6 months and it was just time to come home. Illinois will always be home base. There’s no place like home.

Since your brother is a sponsored skater, I know you get into shooting that stuff to. What do you feel is the biggest difference between shooting BMX and skateboarding?
BMX is fun but from being into bmx for so long it’s kinda stale. When you can tell what a rider is gonna do just by how they are positioned, it’s boring and predictable. Skateboarding is always different and new.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Growing up means giving up. As long as I can pedal and have fun I’ll be 16 forever.

Where can we see more of your work? www.flickr.com/gregorydickson