Questions and Answers: George Prentoski

It has been a little while since we've done one of these, so I hit up Sydney photographer George Prentoski to get one sorted. You might have seen some of his work in a few recent issues of 2020, or elsewhere on the web. Not only does he kill it behind the lens, but is more than capable on a bike, as well. Read on after the jump.



1. The basics; Who, what, where? Well uh, I'm George Prentoski, I'm am/was a fulltime wog dog/photographer from Sydney, but I'm currently in the USA at the moment chilling and riding.

  2. When, and how did you become interested in photography and videography? I had an instant attraction to photography as soon as I started reading magazines after I started riding in about 2001/2002. I used to collect magazines religiously ever since I started riding, and kept them in pristine condition, and still have all the magazines I have ever bought boxed up at my parents place in Wollongong (Where I grew up) I have a terrible case of OCD by the way.

  3. Who are some of your influences photography wise; BMX or not? BMX photography influences are the OG dudes like Losey and Zielinski. Fat Tony is an incredible photographer too! Brandon Means is a young ass dude doing big things. Devon Hutchins and Andrew White are also very good.

Lee Cruickshank- Rail Hop by George

4. What are the contents of your camera bag? Canon 7D, Sigma 10mm fisheye 2.8, Canon L series 17-40mm 4.0, Sigma 30mm 1.4, Nikon sb-28, Nikon sb-600, Quantum Q flash, Quantum slim turbo battery, 4 x Cactus V5 triggers, Audio Technica pro 24cm microphone, Cam Caddie, Glidecam HD 1000 and some brown electrical tape to hold/tape things/flashes together or hold up flashstands in awkward places.

  5. Do you shoot things outside BMX? Yes, I worked at a studio for two years before I jet set for my current trip, so I was doing portraiture and the random commercial job 5-6 days a week for those two years, I gained a profuse amount of knowledge through that about photography/lighting, which I took to the BMX side of things too. I'm really grateful for that. I also shoot some skate photos with the skater boys from Wollongong who I grew up with, and I've also shot all the boring stuff like birthdays, christening and weddings.

  6. Do you ever find it difficult to put down your bike and pick up the camera? Hell no! I'm usually more stoked to pick up the camera then the bike haha.

Josh Druce- Crazy Whip by George

7. Video or Photo? I'd say I enjoy both just as much, they are both very different things to shoot, Photographing BMX/skate is a very tedious but fun process, lighting and setting up wise. Setting up for video is a little more easier sometimes, although that Glidecam of mine can be a ball breaker.

  8. Do you have a blog or similar where people are able to check out your work? Since I've been shooting a little bit more for 2020 I try and keep most of the things I shoot on the down low to keep everybody happy and keep the content fresh, Saying that I do have a lot of unused photos just laying around now which I should probably upload soon. My Flickr hasn't been updated for a good 3-4 months now haha. My Vimeo always gets updated as soon as we get a new video popped off. I upload a pic every now and then on my Facebook, so essentially, No you can't see much of my work haha, but I will soon fix that!

  9. Any thanks? Shout outs to The Commission (Pretty much everybody I ride with - Lee, Tommy, Nick, Mitch, Minty, Chris, Pat, Tim, Ross and Drizzy Druce) Anybody that's put some input to a photo wether it be positive/negative, Lee Cruickshank and Josh Druce for their patience with my cheap Chinese triggers that used to misfire every second photo haha, Holmes at 2020, Tom Boorman at Hell on Wheels because he's a rad cunt, and anyone in Sydney holding down the miniscule BMX scene we have!

 
The Commission BMX - Cammeray Poppin' Off from George Prentoski on Vimeo.