Behind the Image With Brian Nevins
Brian was lucky enough to experience the boat in a full range of conditions from relatively “comfortable” weather to full-on send mode off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island.
We sat down with Brian after his shoot to talk about his favorite images (and more!) from those special days with the 11th Hour Racing Team.
What excites you about these images? Tell us the story of how they came to be…
I love the feeling of tight space and synchronicity in this photo. It shows how much movement is involved by the team to make it work and how tight the space is. I especially love seeing the skipper, Charlie, steer over Amory’s shoulder while Amory is mid-action. It's a borderline claustrophobic feeling.
I also love that Amory is the main subject, as a photographer, it’s so awesome to see his main role on top of story creation.
“These are professional athletes that excel in these realms so it’s my job as a photographer to disappear and let it happen."
This one is personal for me. I can’t imagine this being a workspace for a photographer/videographer/writer (simply, a Media Crew Member) day in and day out. Getting slammed around in an uncomfortable hole while sweating my butt off and worrying about my other duties as a teammate… this all defines grit and passion.
For both of these interior shots, I was trying to stay out of the way and let the team do their thing. It was also a big learning moment. I hope these are both representations of what I was watching as a spectator: a perfectly flowing team.
I just love this shot. The boat looks pretty graceful given the conditions and if you need some bravado on the ocean, this does it for me.
Simply put, I was onto our chase boat with one hand holding on for dear life and the other using every muscle I had to keep the camera steady as I watched 25+ knot speeds in real-time. It took breaking an imaging stabilizer from the violent shaking to get this one!
What were your goals and hopes from this shoot? What surprised you (for the good and the bad)? Did you have a specific image or story you wanted to tell?
My goal for the shoot was to get some really stunning imagery of the boat in full action, but I had low expectations given the time of year (typically, New England has a high-pressure in mid-summer). I was mentally preparing to shoot this in rather underwhelming conditions and we most definitely got the opposite… so the challenge went from trying to use photographic technique to fudge the story, to physical strength to hold on tight enough to not miss the insanely sick action that actually went down.
“It took breaking an imaging stabilizer from the violent shaking to get this one!”
This shoot was intense and the athletes were operating at a very high level. When you’re documenting an athlete at that level, what are you looking for so you can make sure you capture that story? What’s going through your mind?
I’ve been shooting long enough to know the best thing I can do is stay out of the way and let the athletes do their thing. The less I’m in the frame of their eyes the better, and I can get involved in a peak action moment. These are professional athletes that excel in these realms so it's my job as a photographer to disappear and let it happen.
“Flow is simply when everything comes together.”
What does ‘flow’ mean to you? What does it feel like to be in a state of flow for you?
Flow is simply when everything comes together as an athlete or an image maker. It’s when all cylinders are firing, and you’re in sync with all the conditions. You’re moving flawlessly through your surroundings.
“This photo shows how much movement is involved by the team to make it work and how tight the space is.”
Photography is a unique way to make a living… Why have you chosen to be a photographer? What has photography taught you?
Looking back, the reasoning lands squarely in the honor of being asked to come along for so many indescribable moments in people's lives – the kind that very few get the privilege of seeing. There’s peace in knowing my career has given me more stories of a lifetime than I ever dreamt possible. Photography certainly taught me to roll with whatever life throws at me. It's such a roller coaster ride that requires very tough skin in many different ways. Every other part of my life pulls from the strengths photography has taught me.
Never miss a moment
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Jamie Haines, sailor “I grew up on the ocean, and in order to protect it, we need to solve the climate crisis. It all goes hand in hand.”
Ian Walsh, big wave surfer “As athletes, ocean health and sustainability are at the heart of what we do – without the ocean, we wouldn’t be here.”
Steve Benjamin, filmmaker “I really want people to fall in love with the ocean, to appreciate it more, and to try to alter their behavior around it. Everything ends up in the ocean, and it’s such a dumping ground for humanity. My hope is that people see the ocean as a living entity that needs to be protected.”
Amory Ross, storyteller “How can I describe the ocean? The ocean is impossible to describe because it is endless; it is full of life, wonder, and mystery.”
