014 IS A COLLECTION OF IMAGES I HAVE CAPTURED OVER THE PAST YEAR

WHICH I ENVISION BEING READ ON A COUCH UNDER THE WARM BUZZ OF

THE SUMMER SUN . A SELF TAUGHT PHOTOGRAPHER COMING FROM A RAC-

ING BACKGROUND I TRY CAPTURE EMOTION AS BEST AS I CAN EVEN IF IT

SOMETIMES MAKES MY IMAGES TECHNICALLY UNSOUND . LUCKILY FOR ME

THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG WHEN BEING CREATIVE . I CREATE THINGS

THAT I MYSELF WOULD ENJOY . THAT IS THE MARK . 20 YEARS AGO THIS

WOULD HAVE BEEN A HARDBOUND COFFEE TABLE BOOK . RIDERS NAMES

AND LOCATIONS ARE IRRELEVANT BECAUSE THE LOVE OF MOTOCROSS TRAN-

SCENDS THOSE LABELS . YOU MEET A STRANGER AND FIND THEY ARE A MO-

TOCROSS FAN THEY ARE NO LONGER A STRANGER . 014 IS A SHOW OF HOW

I HAVE CHOSEN TO USE THE CAMERA AND COMPUTER AT MY DISPOSAL .

EVERYTHING INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK IS OPEN TO YOUR OWN INTERPRETA-

TION .

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WALKING THROUGH THE PITS YOU SEE DREAMS . YOU SEE FRIENDS AND PEOPLE PRETENDING TO BE YOUR FRIEND . THE QUIET KID WHOSE RIDING

SCREAMS ON THE TRACK . DOZENS OF SMALL MICROCOSMS UNDER ONE LARGER UNIVERSE . SOMEONE WHO WAS GIVEN EVERYTHING THEY HAVE STAND-

ING NEXT TO ANOTHER WHO WOULD FIGHT AND WORK HARD JUST TO HAVE SPACE IN THIS SENTENCE . SOME NEVER ABLE TO WIN BECAUSE THEY NEVER

LEARNT HOW TO LOSE . OTHERS BORN TO WIN . ONE OF THEM WOKE UP THAT MORNING ON A FARM . ONE OF THEM WOKE UP IN A CLUTTERED APART-

MENT . ONE WOKE UP TO THE SOUNDS OF THE OCEAN . THEY ALL DREAMT THE SAME THING .

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THERE WERE SEVERAL OF US SLEEPING IN THE ROOM WHEN HE BURST IN THROUGH THE DOOR AT 2AM SCREAMING . I FLINCHED IN BED READY TO

FIGHT AND FLIGHT ONLY TO SEE IT WAS ONE OF OUR CREW AFTER A RUN AT THE LOCAL BARS . I CALLED HIM SOMETHING AND ROLLED BACK OVER

WANTING TO GO BACK TO SLEEP . MY BED WOBBLED AS HE SAT ON IT AND GOT UNDRESSED . I WAS TOO TIRED TO PUSH HIM OFF AND PASSED OUT

AGAIN . THE NEXT MORNING I HAD HIS TOOTHBRUSH AND UNDERPANTS ON MY BED . HE WOULD NOT WAKE UP AND MANAGED TO ACCIDENTALLY

HIT ONE OF THE LOCAL MOTO GROUPIES IN THE FACE THE PREVIOUS NIGHT BUT NOT BEFORE HE PUKED ALL OVER SOMEONES CAR .

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ALWAYS SHOOT FROM THE INSIDE OF A TURN AND BE NOWHERE NEAR THE APEX .

NEVER HAVE A FLASH GO OFF INTO THE FACE OF A RIDER .

LEARN FIRST AID .

WEAR EAR PLUGS .

WEAR A HAT AND SUNBLOCK .

DONT STAND ON THE LANDING OF A JUMP .

STAY OUT OF THE ROOST .

GET THE MONEY SHOT TWICE .

MAKE SURE YOU ARE VISIBLE .

CHARGE MORE BATTERIES THAN YOU NEED .

ALWAYS HAVE A PLASTIC REFUSE BAG PACKED FOR WHEN IT RAINS .

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IS YOUR STRENGTH HOW MUCH WEIGHT YOU CAN SHIFT AROUND OR THE DI-

AMETER OF YOUR MUSCLES . OR IS REAL STRENGTH GETTING BACK UP AFTER

DEFEAT . GETTING INTO THAT COLD POOL IN THE RAIN TO DO YOUR LAPS .

WAKING UP AT 5AM TO CYCLE FOR 3 HOURS . FINDING THE MONEY TO KEEP

RACING AFTER SOMEONE GOES BACK ON THEIR WORD . RIDING WITH BRO-

KEN BONES . REFUSING TO GIVE UP .

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AT THE END OF A WEEKEND THE LAST PLACE YOU WANT TO BE IN FOR ANOTHER NIGHT IS THE SMALL TOWN WHERE THE TRACK IS . A FAMILIAR BED

AND 8 HOURS SLEEP ARE ALL YOU WANT . WE PASSED THROUGH SMALL TOWN AFTER GOAT AFTER SMALL TOWN . IT WAS A SUNDAY NIGHT SO WE

WERE FREE OF THE BURDEN OF TRAFFIC . I HAD A POUND OF TRACK DUST UP MY NOSE AND TWICE AS MUCH IN MY EARS . WE STOPPED TO GET

SOMETHING TO EAT . IN THE DARK AND IN BETWEEN SWAPPING STORIES OF CRAZY GIRLFRIENDS AS WE DROVE I ADDED TO MY DUST SOAKED

CLOTHES BY SPILLING MY DINNERS SAUCE ALL OVER THEM . WE DROVE PAST DOZENS OF BIG RIGS STOPPED AT THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY . WHAT-

EVER THEIR CARGO WAS IT WOULD ONLY BE DELIVERED ONCE THE DRIVERS HAD FINISHED WITH THEIR PROSTITUTES . RANDOM SCRIBBLINGS OF FIRE

LIT UP A NEARBY FIELD AS I DROVE AND ITS ORANGE LURE TOOK ALL MY ATTENTION . MISSING THE CHANCE TO WATCH SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL IS

LIKE DENYING YOURSELF FOOD . OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR MOTOCROSS CIRCUS WERE ALREADY HOME AND MESSAGING ME TO LET ME KNOW . EVE-

RYTHING IN LIFE TURNS INTO A RACE WITH US . MY EYES GOT HEAVY FROM BEING UP SINCE 5AM BUT I KNEW I COULD HACK IT . A FEW MORE HUN-

DRED SIGN POSTS AND I COULD GET THAT WARM SHOWER AT HOME . WHAT LOOKED LIKE A SHEEP RAN ACROSS THE FREEWAY WITH KAMIKAZE IN-

TENT HEADING DIRECTLY INTO THE HEADLIGHTS . I WAS GOING TOO FAST AND IT WAS TOO LATE AS THE THUD OF HITTING IT WOKE THE PASSENGER

SIDE . I WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING WITH HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS AND VIDEO CLIPS TO GO THROUGH . ACCEPTING SOME BOREDOM AFTER A RACE

WEEKEND .

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I WAITED FOR HIM TO DO ANOTHER LOOP OF THE TRACK TO GET AN EXTRA PHOTO OF THE SAND CORNER . ANOTHER RIDER HAULED PAST ON THE

STRAIGHT ACROSS FROM ME HEADING TOWARDS THE CORNER OBSCURED BY TREE’S. THE ENGINE REV I EXPECTED TO HEAR WAS NOT THERE . HE MUST

HAVE STALLED IT IN THE CORNER . I GAVE IT ABOUT A MINUTE THEN I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG . I HANDED MY CAMERA TO THE PERSON STAND-

ING NEAR ME AND WALKED AROUND THE CORNER TO SEE A RIDER LAYING MOTIONLESS ON THE TRACK . FACEDOWN . WHEN I GOT TO HIM HE WAS IN

THE THROES OF REGAINING FULL CONSCIOUSNESS AND WAS GROANING . HE WAS KNOCKED SILLY, BLOOD ALL OVER HIS FACE ASKING THE SAME QUES-

TIONS AGAIN AND AGAIN . CLASSIC SYMPTOMS OF A CONCUSSION . I RODE HIS TWISTED BIKE BACK UP TO THE PITS . IT WAS LIKE TRYING TO RIDE A

CRAB WITH ITS BENTS BARS . THE END OF THE PHOTOSHOOT .

WE SPOKE ABOUT LIFE , MOTOCROSS , GIRLS AND LIFE IN GENERAL ON THE WAY TO SHOOT. I HAD NEVER BEEN TO THIS TRACK SO WAS KEEN TO SEE

WHAT I HAD TO WORK WITH IN TERMS OF BACKGROUNDS , JUMPS AND CORNERS . THE OTHERS ARRIVED AND WE CARRIED ON TALKING ABOUT THE IN-

ANE SUBJECT MATTER THAT YOU TALK ABOUT AT A MOTOCROSS TRACK . THE ELECTRIC START BUTTON WAS HIT AND HE WENT OUT ON TO THE TRACK TO

DO HIS WARM UP LAPS . I NEVER SHOOT WARM UP AND ONLY GET THE CAMERA OUT WHEN THE RIDER IS COMFORTABLE . SOME PEOPLE START TO RIDE

BADLY BECAUSE THEY ARE CONSCIOUS THERE IS A CAMERA WATCHING THEM . I HEARD A PANIC REV . I STOOD UP TO WALK DOWN TO THE TRACK AS

THE RIDER WAS OUT OF SITE BUT THEN HEARD THE ENGINE AGAIN . ALL WAS OK . THEN SILENCE . TOO MUCH SILENCE . I RAN DOWN TO THE TRACK

AND FOUND HIM ROLLING ON HIS SIDE ON THE TRACK BREATHING HEAVILY . HIS BIKE FAR AWAY FROM HIM RESTING ON THE GROUND . A VICTIM OF

THE SMALLEST JUMP AT THE TRACK . THE END OF THE PHOTOSHOOT .

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WHAT DOES A GOOD PHOTO CONSIST OF . IS IT MERELY GOOD BECAUSE YOU APPEAR IN IT OR HAS A COLOR YOU ENJOY . IS CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO COM-

POSITION , LIGHTING AND TIMING . DOES THE IMAGE TELL A STORY . WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL SOMETHING . AFTER LOOKING AT AN

IMAGE DO YOU FEEL LIKE TAKING A PHOTO YOURSELF . ONLY YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT A GOOD PHOTO IS BECAUSE IT IS ALL SUBJECTIVE .

IT IS AN EXPENSIVE SPORT . HOWEVER IT COSTS FAR LESS THAN THE LOSS OF A SOUL

TO IDLE PURSUITS . HATED ENEMIES ON THE TRACK THAT DAY BUT AFTER THE MOTO A

FRIEND FOR LIFE . EVERY PROBLEM AFTER RACING SEEMS SO SMALL COMPARED TO

START GATE NERVES , PRESSURE TO SUCCEED AND INJURIES .

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WE SAT AROUND IN THE PITS WAITING FOR THE WATER TRUCK TO GET UNSTUCK . THE DIRT BIKE FRIENDLY MOTOCROSS TRACK WAS TRUCK UNFRIENDLY .

EVERYTHING WAS LIGHTLY COATED IN DUST . THE MOTOCROSS MACHINE WAS BROKEN AND THE RIDERS MILLED AROUND WORRIED THEY WOULD NOT GET

TO RACE THEIR SUNDAY AWAY . IN THE HAZY HEAT SPECKLED WITH DUST A PARAMEDIC OUT ON THE TRACK SAW A SNAKE . HE TRIED TO SCARE IT AWAY .

IT BIT HIM . WHO FIXES THE FIXERS AS SOME ANTI-VENOM WAS RALLIED UP AND THE BREED OF SNAKE DIFFERED DEPENDING WHOSE PITS YOU WERE

STANDING IN . AN HOUR LATER THERE WERE BIKES ON THE TRACK RACING .

BY ALL MEANS HE COULD BE DEAD OR WORSE . A PRACTICE CRASH

LEFT HIM DEAF IN ONE EAR AND IN A COMA . THE DOCTOR KEPT GIV-

ING HIM THE RED LIGHT FOR A YEAR . AFTER ALL THAT HE GOT BACK

ON A BIKE AND KEPT DOING THE THING THAT DEFINES HIM AND DO-

ING IT FASTER THAN EVER . MASTERING FEAR IS CONQUERING LIFE .

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EVERYTHING HAS AN END . THIS IS IT . START SOMETHING NEW TO CREATE ANOTHER END . EVERYONE IS CAPABLE OF ANYTHING . ART IS ANYTHING .

THANKS

TO EVERYONE WHO LOVED THIS BOOK AND TO EVERYONE WHO HATED THIS BOOK BECAUSE ITS ALL THE SAME THING

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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

LEGAL

c

ISBN : 978-0-620-63790-9

www.cordict.com

All images, video + accompanying musical score in 014 were created by Lloyd Ramsay / lloyd@cordict.com