MEET OLYMPUS PHOTOGRAPHER DAVEY WILSON

 

WHO ARE YOU?

I’m Davey Wilson, an Olympus photographer focused on sports and fitness.

I was born in the US, but raised in England. Currently I spend about half the year in Utah, and the rest of the time I’m traveling on assignment – mostly around North America.

My work is pretty diverse. Although I specialize in fly-on-the-wall sports stories and lifestyle, I’m equally comfortable working in a studio setting.

 

 

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE A PHOTOGRAPHER?

To be honest, I never set out to be a photographer at all. After spending my entire childhood in an independent art studies program, everyone expected me to go straight to art school, but I needed a break.

Shortly after graduating high school, I landed a job at Columbia Records and ended up working in music for many years. Coincidentally, most of my New York flatmates were professional photographers and they all helped steer me in that direction.

After seeing some of my work, a friend at Columbia Records asked me to shoot a band she signed and everything snowballed from there.

I’ve experimented in many genres through the years. I got started shooting mostly street photography and nightlife in NY, but before long I ended up shooting music pretty heavily while dabbling in everything from a bit of fashion to e-commerce. A few years into it, I got asked to shoot some promos for a NY soccer league and that started my transition into sports. Sometimes I miss soccer, but I’m heavily focused on rugby and cycling these days.

 

INTRODUCING OLYMPUS

How did you get started with the Olympus system?

I stumbled on E-M1 Mark II – which won “Camera of the Year” repeatedly. The camera & lenses were so shockingly light & compact compared to anything I’d worked with before, so I started researching the system. A friend took the plunge first. He sent me a RAW file and I was blown away at the quality output from the sensor considering it’s about half the size of what I worked with at the time. Then I looked at the lenses. With the M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO alone (80-300mm equivalent), I realized I could replace both my 70-200mm f2.8 and 300mm f2.8. The switch became a no-brainer!

I still held on to some of my full frame kit for portraits until I tried the M.Zuiko 45mm F1.2 PRO – a godsend for portraits. I sold off the rest of my full frame kit after shooting with that lens.

Whenever I see anything critical about the Micro Four Thirds format, it’s often photographers trying to work exactly the same way they did with their full frame kit while expecting the same results, and that’s a mistake. When exploring a new format, if you walk into it with a clean slate, you’ll get a lot better output. You may need to change your position or work with a different lens, or work at a different aperture setting to get what you want, but don’t be afraid to work differently. Cameras/lenses are mere tools, and it’s our job as photographers to learn how to get the best results out of everything we work with!

What’s your go-to Olympus setup?

Today, 90% of my work is captured on a pair of E-M1X cameras, but for low key shooting, I downsize with my E-M1 Mark II. It’s nice to have different sized options with the same high quality output to better suit different types of work. I’ll probably update to E-M1 Mark III just to keep the shooting experience more seamless with E-M1X.

Cameras:

  • OM-D E-M1X (x 2)
  • OM-D E-M1 Mark II

Lenses:

  • M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
  • M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
  • M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
  • M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS PRO
  • M.Zuiko 17mm F1.2 PRO
  • M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 PRO
  • M.Zuiko 45mmF1.2 PRO
  • M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8 
  • MC-14 Teleconverter 

How does Olympus help you do your job?

For me, the transition to Olympus completely reinvigorated my work. The combination of image stabilization, weatherproofing, and greater reach per ounce all makes for a kit that’s built for photographers on the move, and allows me to work like never before.

 

 

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING A MEMBER OF THE OLYMPUS FAMILY?

As an Olympus Pro Advantage member, it feels like one big family. Their reps are always reachable and responsive if I’m ever in a bind. Also, since Olympus repairs are done in-house, they intimately know what they’re working on, and that means expert repair service turned around in mere days – every time! After two years of shooting on Olympus, I wouldn’t dream of working with anything else!

 

 

 

TIPS FOR OTHER BUDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Don’t be afraid to try new things and work differently.

TIPS FOR OTHER PRO PHOTOGRAPHERS

Learn everything you can about light.

 

 

 

MORE ABOUT DAVEY

Website: Davey Wilson

Instagram: @daveywilson