Through the Lens - Margus Riga

Who are you, where do you reside, and what do you do for work?
Margus Riga. North Van, BC. I shoot photos for a living.


Have you always resided in BC, or did you live in another area?
I grew up in Toronto, then moved to BC because Toronto was boring.

Canon or Nikon? Why?
Apples and Oranges. Hazelnuts and Walnuts. Blondes and Brunettes. You get my point.

Have you ever attended schooling for photography or anything along those lines?
I took photography in High School, and read all three of Ansel Adams learning series books. I spend a lot of time studying other photographers who are way better than me.


What has been your most memorable shoot to date?
It's always the shoot I just shot. Which for me was a scope mission with Ryan Berrecloth on the Shore.


What is your most memorable shot to date?
There's this one of Steve Romaniuk, busting a one-footed, flat-as-shit table over a sixty-foot road gap in Kamloops. It was for the show Drop In, and it was one of those definitive moments that you look back on, like I am today, and say that took shit to the next level.


Do you ride bikes very often?
Not as often as I'd like.

Would you prefer to have a great day of riding, or a great day of shooting photos?
Both.

What is the feeling you try to give your images? What makes your shots unique?
I try to keep them real. Whatever that means.


What is the longest unsupported trip you have been on?
Five days, five nights.

What are your impressions on the Hurting For Vert Trip in 2009? Do you think it should be an annual thing?
That trip was all time. Revelstoke, Nelson, Rossland, with some of the best riders in the world? Yea, this should never happen again.


If you could shoot with any rider, anywhere in the world where would you go and with who?
By myself, out the front door, and up Mount Fromme.

What gear is in your bag?
Wouldn't you like to know. Really, it doesn't matter what you have, but how you use it.


If you could add 1 item to your backpack what would it be?
A fridge.

Why won't you wrestle with Mike Levy? Are you scared of his wiry physique?
This is the first I've heard of this. Where is he? I'll eat him for lunch.

You are a straight shooter when you talk, where does this trait come from?
I find honesty, no matter how brutal it can be, always works in your favor in the end.

Besides bikes, what other sports drive your creative needs?
Shooting other things besides biking keeps me fresh.


Any shout outs that you want to give out to friends or family?
I want to say thank you to all the athletes I've ever shot with. You are the reason why I'm not in tight jeans and a fedora shooting hot chicks in hot clothes. Wait a second. That sounds pretty good to me. Damn you athletes!

Check out Margus Riga's Pinkbike profile, as well as his personal site.

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Interviews Margus Riga