LUMIX STORIES

Steven Clarey is an extreme sports filmmaker and photographer. In February, he made a trip to Mozambique to test the LUMIX GH5 in a surfing shoot with professional surfer Dion Agius.

‘I was quite late at starting with photography. During my study, I borrowed a camera from the university and shot a film of my mates surfing. It really felt true to me, I loved it’, Steven Clarey explains.

From filming and photographing his mates, he gradually progressed to other extreme sports. ‘It felt like a logical progression. A lot of my friends do extreme sports, like skiing or rollerblading. I used to rollerblade myself and I also bodyboard. So I know a lot of people doing extreme sports. That’s how I came in contact with brands that associate themselves with these kinds of sports.’ Steven explains his success: ‘It’s all about just being there, at the right place at the right time. It’s also really important to be positive. I see the good in everything and always try to think in terms of solutions.’

A positive view on things really helps in the hectic world of surfing photography. ‘The weather in Wales is really dynamic. One moment it’s sunny and the next it’s rain. In addition to the weather conditions, the sport is very dynamic as well. No two waves are the same. However, to get the best shots you have to be able to predict where the next wave is going to be. At the same time you have to foresee what the surfer is going to do. So, there are quite a lot of challenges with this kind of photography. One of them being shooting surfers. They aren’t the most organised people in the world!’

The trip to Mozambique was special for Steven. ‘I was truly amazed by Mozambique, with its rich culture, friendly and helpful locals and diverse marine life. Especially the children we met during the trip: during one shoot some children were standing on a bridge, carrying bottles filled with fish. They were very interested in what we were doing. I told them I used to catch fish too. It’s nice to share stories.’

Steven has been working with LUMIX cameras for three years now. ‘Back in 2014 I needed something for both stills and video. The video needed to be broadcast quality. The LUMIX GH4 ticked all the boxes. It’s good for stills as well as video. The LUMIX GH5 got some incremental improvements, for example, the 5-axis stabiliser. This makes it much easier to keep it steady and avoid missing fleeting moments.’ The Nimar underwater housing enables Steven to shoot in the water, close to the action. ‘It’s a very solid housing. The company and their products are great and they really listen to what you photographers want from their products.’