It ain’t the size that counts – it’s how you use it, Thom Pringle, Maroochydore

Ah, sweet cross-shore winds – fuelled by a sou-easter on Australia’s east coast – is there any better for aerials? Possibly… but damn, they good.

You may remember a few Full Frames back we ran a shot of young Thom Pringle (pictured here) flaring on the sunshine coast. Well, here he is again, this time at Maroochydore – a five minute drive from his house, just across the bridge.

There was nothing remarkable about the waves this day (except the punt-friendly wind), so photog Matty O’Brien was getting a bit creative on the beach, trying out a coupla different angles.

After a stint running up and down the sand, a guy strolls up to Matt and begins to berate him about how he should be shooting. Matt describes the guy as looking like someone who “Played a lot of Playstation or something.”

According to the Playstation man, Matt was shooting too low and needed to be higher up the beach. Though this is the first time Matt has experienced such direct criticism, he feels there’s a stigma around the size of his lens:

“I think it’s because my lens is small – I don’t have a big lens so people don’t think I do it properly. With a (Canon) 100-400 you can pull back or zoom it in and I like to mix it up every session. If you’ve got a (Canon) 600 or something you’re kinda just stuck with that one thing, which I don’t like. I honestly just don’t think I need one. Just cause you’ve got an expensive telescope doesn’t mean you’re a better photographer. The equipment doesn’t mean shit, really – it’s how you use it. “

Here at Stab, we often prefer the pulled-back perspective – foreground subjects play an important role in creating atmosphere. You may’ve noticed in the latest magazine edition, a photo of Ian Crane shot by Pete Taras. Five peeps stand in the foreground while Ian punts out back, and the accompanying blurb outlines the beautiful simplicity of the 50mm SLR camera.

Small lens or no, this backside punt from Thom, (one of many from the session), is still a pretty tasty composition. – Elliot Struck