William Davis Interview

William Davis is a BMXer, photography and Graphic Designer, he was one of It's Nice That's top 10 graduates of 2009. His photography and BMX Videos are things that I have admired for a long time. I thought he would be the perfect person to interview for my magazine.

Name, Age and Location?

William Davis, 23, Berlin

Ok I’m going to go back to the first time I was really become aware of you, somehow I stumbled across you site wdphotos.com this must have been 3 or 4 years ago but the quality of the pictures seemed to be really high even back then. What got you started on keeping a photo blog and what gives you the motivation to keep going?

I started it back in '04, as a way of showing my friends the photos I had taken at the skatepark or out riding that day. The motivation to have kept on for 6 years is simply a self compulsion to take photos and want to show people.

You seem to do a lot of travelling, there are photos on your website, it seems, from all over the world. What are some of your favourite places you have visited? And what makes them so memorable?

Its a cliche to say, but hitchhiking across Japan was one of the best, just because everything is turned upside down, your expectations, difficulties, challenges.

What motivates you to spend time travelling?

To spend time with friends who live in other countries, or just to get away. Just to be somewhere else in fact.

I know you shoot a lot of film, what do you prefer about analogue as opposed to digital?

I think wdphotos shows a kind of curve in terms of how I've considered, or respected photography, in that from around 2007 onwards I shot only film, due to working, and associating digital more with 'work' photography. I became bored with immediacy and perfect, or exact results. I generally started not to care less about my photos, but to attach less importance to them.

What’s currently in your camera bag?

I don't have a camera bag right now, having in the past owned at least 7 different ones, but in terms of equipment I'm generally switching between using a canon rangefinder which is small and easy to take anywhere, and a nikon f2, which is the best camera I ever used (thanks to Jon for that recommendation). I own roughly 15 or so film cameras though, and a digital slr for work stuff.

So your living in Berlin at the moment, what are you up to over there and how are you finding it?

I've lived here off and on for about 9 or 10 months amalgamated over the years. I'm working freelance and battling through the –20º winter.

Maybe a couple of years ago you and Rhys Mcfleece put out 3 Bristol Scene web videos, to me they seemed really fresh and well put together, how come we haven’t seen any more BMX videos from you lately?

Because Rhys has my camera! I have made the odd short thing, but more just for friends. The last big video project I did was the 'Check U Owt' video from a 6 week trip round europe in '07, with 6 skaters and 4 bmxers. That was a lot of fun.

Do you still get out on the BMX much?

I try to, I did a lot over last summer, but not since november til now, as its far too cold. Hopefully come April, plus my new flat is right next to a mint concrete park.

I know that print media is having a hard time of it and that certainly includes BMX print media; what are you thoughts on the current state of the BMX magazine industry, do you think they are doing all they can to hold onto their audience and make what they are doing relevant?

I think the bmx magazine industry, and industry in general is following a general curve associated with all print media, perhaps apart from books, that is a slow progression to web-based platforms. Not necessarily a bad thing, however print is always going to better in bmx and skating for the photos, and I think that a lot of people are still aware and respective of that. I think they're doing all they can and thats just carrying on making magazines. I think they're expected to be more than just a magazine too, and unlike other magazines they re-invent themselves every issue. They're a look and a lifestyle and all of that, and in the end they should be what people would want to see themselves in, or are a fair represention of the opinions of an audience that is tough, and concerned purely with bmx as a lifestyle.

So I know you got onto the Graduates feature on the It’s Nice That, which for any Design student is a pretty big deal. How did that come about and how stoked were you to be selected?

Yeah it was certainly lovely of them to include me. I had heard they were intending to run a feature like that in April I think, so I forwarded them some work and writing, and I suppose they liked it. They were a blog I found myself checking during my student years, so it was funny for it to come around like that at the end...

In terms out graphic design now what’s going on, have you found a job? Are you working? Or are you mooching about on the dole?!

I took a big chunk of time off over the summer, being in Japan and being pretty poor otherwise whilst trying to learn German. Since returning properly in October I have worked at various companies, as well as a few freelance and personal projects. I'm currently art director at a product design company, and trying to pursue personal projects and travel alongside that.

What’s next for you, do you have plans for 2010, travelling? Working? Riding?

I've been wanting to do another bmx trip for some time now, maybe in April, but for now just working. We'll see what summer brings.

Thanks for your time