Stuart Gibson
Sports | Last Updated: March 28, 2024
I was born in Tasmania in 1983 and I became a photographer around 2003, although I’ve always loved cameras and filming. It wasn’t until I borrowed a friend’s Canon EOS 5 that I fell in love with still photography, the quality amazed me! Shooting on 35mm slide film was a true test to learn the skills to become a photographer.
A fellow Tasmanian and professional photographer Sean Davey was my main inspiration and mentor. He’s always keen to lend a helping hand, which I’m ever so grateful for! But I think to become a great photographer it’s not really about who inspires you, but more what inspires you. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on the finer detail all the time, but that’s where you will generally find the key elements that make a memorable image. I’m still learning so much in the photo world but I’m having so much fun doing it. I truly can’t think of a better job.
My main passions are surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding. But my photos are more than 90% surfing, or in the water in some way. I was practically born surfing so it’s hard to be away from the coast for too long. My life as a photographer consists of traveling, swimming, sun, and sitting behind a computer – a lot!
I’m in the process of swapping to Nikon, so it’s a bit of a mixed bag while I test some gear, but here’s a pretty standard kit for me to take on a surf trip:
Cameras:
Canon 5d mark 3, Canon 1d mark 4, Canon 7d, Nikon D800
Lenses:
Canon 8-15mm f/4 fisheye
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Canon 24–105mm f/4
Canon 70–200mm f/2.8
Canon 70–300mm f/4.5-5.6
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Filters:
ND grads,
ND 10 stop (Lee Big Stopper 10)
Polarizers
Water housings:
AquaTech Waterproof Housing, for the Canon 1d mark 4, 8 inch big dome for split shots etc.
SPL Waterproof Housing for the Canon 5d mark 3 and Canon 7d
SPL flash attachment housing
Other:
Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar Charger for when I’m off the grid.
Fins
Canon 580EX II
PocketWizard Plus II Triggers
2 x hard drives
Sandisk 64GB cards
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