Dan Bailey has been a full-time adventure, travel and location photographer since 1996. Before turning pro, he worked as a photo editor for a Boston stock agency. Originally from Colorado, he is now based in Anchorage, Alaska.
Over the past fifteen years, he has worked with many top clients and licensed his work through ten different stock agencies. Besides being the author of a number of photography eBooks and two print books, he also teaches photography workshops through Alaska Photo Treks, and online through The Compelling Image. He is an official Fujifilm X Photographer, a Photoflex Pro Showcase Photographer, and is sponsored by Lowepro and Lumiquest.
What specific sports or activities do you primarily shoot? How has your style or subject matter evolved since you first turned pro?
I’ve shot a wide variety of adventure sports over the years, such as rock and ice climbing, mountianeering, skiing, whitewater kayaking, hiking, trail running and mountain biking. Since moving to Alaksa, I’ve focused on subjects like fat tire snow biking and aerial landscapes. As I continue to explore new areas of interest with photography and experiment with different techniques and equipment, I feel as if I’m constantly improving and learning new methods. That’s one of the things I love most about photography, and the learning and exploration never stops, especially when you branch out with new subject matter.
What do you feel were the circumstances, events or actions that led to your first successes as a pro?
My first successes as a pro were the result of my perseverance and my willingness to live really cheaply. (We’re talking a basement apartment and lots of pasta, and beans and rice for dinner.) As I built a collection of published tear-sheets, that gave me the legitimacy and confidence to approach bigger clients and afford bigger trips and better camera gear. When I look back, I don’t see any single moment or event, but rather a series of events, assignments, publications and lots of hard work that all built on each other.
For most people, success doesn’t come in one fell swoop. Everything you do leads to something new, and if you stick with it for long enough, one day you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come. Sure, with any career, there are big moments, but mostly success comes from a mix of talent, tenacity and the willingness to stick it out.
What creative methods or techniques do you feel best represent your photographic style?
I try to capture the essence of adventure, whether it be the excitement and grandeur of the activity or location, or the gritty details and suffering of the people involved. I do this primarily by shooting with a first-person perspective, often getting as close to my subject as possible, so that the viewer feels like they’re right in the middle of the action with my subjects. I also look for and try to anticipate convergences; where light, subject, and environment all come together in a brief, but special moment.
What are some of the bigger challenges you face when shooting adventure and extreme action?
One of the biggest challenges of shooting this type of imagery involves figuring out how to get me and my camera gear into a great vantage point where I can capture a unique perspective. Each sport presents its own challenges, which could involve special equipment, planning or rigging, or else it means trying to follow my subjects and shoot on the move, like when skiing, biking or trail running. For me, the key is using lightweight camera gear and having a proverbial bag of technical and creative tricks I can employ when fast-breaking situations unfold in front of me.
What’s in your camera bag? What gear have you been using lately?
I’m currently shooting with the Fuji X-T1. During the past year, I made a full transition to using mirrorless cameras, largely because they’re smaller and more compact, which makes a difference when you’re trying to go light and fast in the backcountry. Also, I love the look of the Fuji files. They’re amazingly sharp and they offer a variety of beautiful colour palettes that are based on their old films. Fujifilm has come out with some amazing gear in the past few years, and with the X-T1, I feel that I finally have the lightweight, high performance camera that I always dreamed about. It has fast AF-tracking and shoots at 8 frames per second, both of which I need for shooting action.
For lenses, my favourite are the Fuji 14mm f/2.8, the 23mm f/1.4, and the new 50-140 f/2.8 telephoto zoom. If I’m going ultra light, I’ll take the 18-135mm weather-sealed zoom because it’s so versatile, and the 27mm pancake lens because it’s so tiny. This gets me through most situations. If I need to use flash, I have an array of Nikon Speedlights that I can control from the Fuji with PocketWizards, although I may get a set of the Cactus V5 triggers, which are even smaller.
What tips or advice would you offer to beginning adventure photographers?
The best advice I can offer is to go out and have some adventures. Grab some friends, grab your camera and go explore the world in whatever way excites you the most. Shoot as much as you can and practice with different techniques, and over time, you’ll start to develop a style. Also, don’t obsess too much over gear, especially in the beginning. You can get great shots with just about any setup. Learn the gear you have, save your money and instead spend it on plane tickets or gas/food for your favourite road trip.
