JC: What equipment do you use?
PB: I started with a Nikon camera but I changed 5 years ago to Canon. This is my checklist:
Body:
Canon 1DX MK II, Canon 1D MK IV, Canon 5D MK III
Lenses:
Tokina fisheye 11-17mm, Canon 16-35mm F2.8, Canon 24-70mm F2.8
Canon 50mm F1.8, Canon 100mm F2.8, Canon 70-200 F4, Canon 70-200 F2.8, Canon 400mm F2.8, Canon 600mm F4
I have a Liquid Eye water housing for my Canon 5D MK III
JC: If you could only have one lens to use for the rest of your life what would it be?
PB: I would choose my Canon 24-70mm
JC: If you were new to photography, would you spend your money on a better body or better lenses?
PB: A good lens.
JC: Do you shoot in ‘Manual’, or do you allow the camera to do all the work and use automatic modes?
PB: I always use ‘Manual’ mode when I shoot and on my Canon 1D series there is no automatic mode, just priority, but I prefer to stay in full ‘Manual’ mode.
JC: What ISO do you use the most?
PB: 160
JC: When you travel do you allow any of your gear to go in the hold?
PB: I always take a backpack with the principal body and 600mm lens I use, as to lose it would cost €12,000. I also take my 70-200mm and 24-70mm. If I can put more in my backpack I add a few more lenses or one more body. It’s also for practicality, if you need to be operational as soon as you arrive you have to have your gear ready and not be waiting on lost or delayed bags
JC: Can you make money from just shooting windsurfing?
PB: If I started photography 30 years ago, before I was born, maybe I could have enough money from the windsurfing industry. Now it’s not possible, there are less than 5 magazines in the world that pay photographers. So now the only good work is photoshoots with the brands and I supplement my income by shooting different sports like kitesurfing, SUP and yachting.
JC: Can you make an average photo look great with Photoshop / processing?
PB: I can, but I just use it for editing pictures. I’m not using it for doubling the size of the wave.
JC: What is the most you have ever sold one photo for?
PB: Sorry, top secret, I can only say less than €10,000 for a magazine.
JC: What is your biggest photography disaster?
PB: A photo shoot for a windsurfing brand where we only had a few hours shooting and I broke my lens. In the end I didn’t even cover my flight ticket.
JC: How do you stay competitive when every Tom, Dick and Harry has a camera these days?
PB: For sure now it’s easy to buy a good camera and get some good pictures, but photography work is not only taking pictures, you also need to be a good salesperson to sell your work and pitch at the right prices to not kill the market. These days a lot of amateurs are trying to sell their work or get some work and they all propose a really cheap price to make sure they can be chosen. Some companies should think more about the choice between having less expense or having better images to represent their brand in the best way. I also remain competitive by being very open to new adventures!