Interview with Craig Kolesky

In this editon of the Cape Town Alive interview we exchange thoughts with the creative genius that brought you the epic photography of the Burning slopes of Table Mountain, Craig Kolesky.

Craig is an acclaimed extreme sports photographer and is part of the elite red bull crew that document the pinnacle of extreme sporting. His forte is the surf but aspires towards a creative element in all his works. His use of the wide angle lens is testimony to this, with his coverage of the Cape Town Fires seemingly drawing from another dimension.

Enjoy this latest Alive interview with one of Cape Town’s inspired artists

CTA: Let’s start things off with our benchmark ice-breaker with a twist, would you rather be the personal photographer for a pirate or an outlaw?

CK: I would have to go with the Pirate (they have better dress sense.)

CTA: What does it take to be a top class photographer and how competitive is it out there these days?

CK: Being a pro photographer takes a lot of time and personal dedication. You have to be 100% committed and passionate about what you do. It is very tough out there; the rise of the digital format has changed things a lot where anyone can buy even a basic digital camera and start shooting with decent results, not at all like the good old days of film!

CTA: When and why did you get into photography and have you ever considered doing anything else?

CK: I started shooting when I was in high school. My friends and I would all go skateboarding or surfing, one day we borrowed a camera and I ended up shooting, I guess I’ve never looked back since! I remember being so stoked at having my first pic published in a magazine while I was still in school, and I even got paid for it! If I wasn’t a fulltime photographer I would be involved in the surf industry some how.

CTA: What inspires your shots?

CK: I get inspiration from looking at surf and skate magazines as well as a couple of international photographers and always being online seeing what other photographers are up to.

CTA: You’ve shot your fair share of pictures over quite some time, what is the most interesting shoot you’ve ever been on?

CK: When I worked at Red Bull Photo-files in Austria I had to do a snowboard shoot ; it was minus 18 degrees, all my gear froze up and I got altitude sickness, this was also only my third time shooting snowboarding (but we eventually got the shot!)

CTA: What does it take to get the perfect shot?

CK: Dedication and commitment are key. In sport you typically only have one chance to get a good frame - if you blink, you’ve blown it, its over.

CTA: Cruising around the world photographing extreme sports sounds pretty terrible!!! Tell us what its entails being a Red Bull Photo-files photographer!

CK: There is a lot of travel involved, which might sound like good fun but it gets hectic schlepping all that gear with you, for example on a surf shoot, I’m taking all my gear and my boards. But at the end of the day, when you get that perfect shot – it is all worth it.

CTA: In your opinion who is Red Bull’s most extreme team member and why?

CK: That’s a tough one to answer, Red Bull have so many talented athletes, it would be wrong to name just one. The FMX guys are pretty crazy.

CTA: What sort of photography do you do and what is your personal favourite?

CK: I shoot extreme sports, surfing and kiting being two of my favourites

CTA: If you could photograph anyone in the world who would it be?

CK: Another tough question, probably a band; I would have to say the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

CTA: What makes Cape Town a special place for photography?

CK: There is so much here to work with, the light is mostly always good and it there is an abundance of different and interesting locations all relatively close by.

CTA: Our sources tell us you are part of a new breed of ocean dwellers! What is this S.U.P craze we keep hearing about?

CK: S.U.P (Stand Up Paddling) is an emerging sport with a Hawaiian heritage. It uses a bigger, wider surfboard than normal with a padded deck that you stand upright on, and basically use a one-bladed paddle to manoeuvre yourself through the waves. It is a great way to get into the ocean when conditions are flat, and it’s also really good exercise. You can go for a cruise on the flat days or catch waves when there is some swell.