GARTH TALKS BEING VEGAN, E3LIVE & HECTIC SCHEDULE
How did you get started as a photographer?
I got my start as a photographer by growing up an action-sports enthusiast, first and foremost. As a child, I read and subscribed to magazines like Thrasher and TransWorld Skateboarding, amongst others, which helped me not only develop an appreciation for photography, but also an eye for it.
I eventually combined that influence with my love for the sports I was participating in, as well as my passion for art and design, and this caused me to change majors halfway through college to become a photographer. Once I did, I never looked back, and here I am, over 20 years later!
Describe the type of photoshoots you do and your crazy schedule.
Most of the shoots I do are commercial in nature, for clients that use them for some sort of marketing or advertising in the action-sports world. A ton of my work comes from Red Bull, who use my shots to market their products by providing my images of their Red Bull-branded athletes to editorial outlets around the world. On the other hand, I also shoot for clients like Yamaha, for example, who use my shots in catalogs and brochures to advertise or showcase their new products.
Either way, the schedule is basically the same; long hours, and oftentimes in remote locations. On weeks like the X Games, for instance, I typically work 6 16-18 hour days in a row. One of the craziest trips I’ve done was one for Polaris, where we shot for nearly 20 hours per day, for ten days straight.
Tips to stay fit and healthy and energized while traveling?
I have to hold myself accountable for staying fit and healthy on the road. With the crazy schedule I have, it is WAY too easy to eat things like fast food and soda, especially when others around you are doing the same thing (or there is killer catering on-set!!) However, I pay the price for doing so.
I try to stay healthy on the road by taking things like
BlueMajik and
BrainON with me, as well as bags of raw almonds, Lara Bars, etc. when I travel. I also try to stretch and do yoga in my hotel room if there is time, and when there is, it makes a huge difference in my day.
Is it hard to be a vegan on the road - what do you do?
It is definitely a challenge being vegan on the road, but at the same time, the diet really keeps me on the "straight and narrow” in terms of avoiding excessive road food, which usually means junk food. It is way too easy to pull into a McDonald’s when on the road, but when you’re vegan, you start questioning choices like that.
As I mentioned above, I try to plan ahead as best as I can when traveling, and oftentimes the first stop I make before even checking into my hotel room is to a natural-foods market, in order to stock up on healthy goodies for the upcoming shoot.
Which E3Live superfoods do you take? How do they make you feel?
I take both
BlueMajik and
BrainON powders when I travel, and regular
BrainON in liquid form when at home. E3Live superfoods make me feel vibrant, energetic, and most importantly focused, and when I work long hours, I can really feel a difference in my energy levels. It truly is amazing, and the few times I forget to bring it along on my travels, I instantly regret it. When editing photos late at night after shooting all day, it really comes to the rescue!
What's your favorite vegan food?
Thai and Indian food are typically my favorites, though I also love some good ol’ fashioned, vegan comfort food. My wife’s healthy(ish) vegan oatmeal cookies are right up there on the list, too. I pretty much just love all vegetables! haha
What's next for Garth?
Lots more travel, I’m sure! The crazy thing about my schedule, though, is that I never know too far in advance where these travels will take me. Most of the jobs I get are last-minute, so I could find myself in another country or continent very soon, but for the majority of this spring and summer, I will definitely be busy shooting Supercross and motocross on the weekends, along with whatever comes my way mid-week.
