Scott Pommier’s work echoes the halcyon days of the late sixties American motorcycle culture and he very naturally fits into the scenes he’s shooting; his camera chasing the instant, rather than composed for it.
When in Venice do as the Venitians do, as the saying doesn’t go. And while i’m over here in California with Danny and Kate, somewhat doused in contemporary biker culture, I should use this opportunity to mark this time by celebrating the work of LA-based photographer Scott Pommier.
Scott started shooting skateboarders before moving onto motorcycles and then establishing himself as a successful commercial photographer. His work echoes the halcyon days of biking’s late sixties and he very naturally fits into the scenes he’s shooting; his camera chasing the instant, rather than composed for it.
In an interview for A Photo Editor he describes his process:
“On my first motorcycle trip I borrowed my brother’s fully manual Contax SLR with a 50mm lens, (because none of the cameras I shot with were light enough to strap over my shoulder) and realized how much you could do with a simple setup like that. I had been known for carrying around a lot of equipment, always trying to up the production value of my shots. It felt tremendous to be freed of all the concerns of what lens, what camera, what lighting I should use and to concentrate on making pictures in a much more spontaneous way. That ended being a real turning point.
Initially, I had thought that what I brought to the table as a photographer was the experience I had shooting dynamic action photos. Punchy, carefully composed shots; in short, drawing on my background in skate photography. But shooting the motorcycle stuff so transformed my whole way of working that the action photos I worked on for so many years, ended up being my education in the mechanics of photography and the more stripped-down approach that stemmed from the motorcycle shots is what really defined the way that I work now.
With skateboarding I learned how to create shots, when I started shooting motorcycles, I learned how to find shots.”
Scott’s clients include Converse, Dickies, Nixon, Vans, Ferrari Magazine, Chrysler, Dodge, Harley-Davidson, Kohl’s; and editorial work for ESPN the Magazine, Intersection, The Daily and Conde Nast.
Scott Pommier Photography.
More about Scott on The Selvedge Yard.
