Industry Report
Reiss Leonard is as unknown in the North Dakota motocross community as you can get. However, being under the radar doesn’t keep Reiss from taking excellent photographs for both Grass Roots Illustrated and for your viewing pleasure on the GR website. Reiss is the person primarily responsible for the photos taken at the Bismarck motocross race on May 11th and has contributed to Grass Roots on several other occasions as well. We chatted it up online with Reiss to see how he got to be the photographer he is today.
GR: Reiss, I've known you for quite some time but can you refresh my memory a little about how you got involved in shooting photography?
Reiss Leonard: My interest in photography began when i found this forum called, iphotoforum.com i never realized how advanced this hobby or job for some was. I bought my first camera soon after and then began reading books and forums and of course taking hundreds of photos trying to get "better"
I'd say you've gotten pretty good! Not many people know but you have taken some great photos for Grass Roots Illustrated. Talk about that.
I have improved greatly. After I got my Olympus DSLR camera I made huge gains. I was able to expand my abilities.Motocross photography kinda fell into my lap,i was good friends with justin fisk and he would invite me out to shoot. i was horrible at first but i look at all the other publications getting ideas and cool angles to go off of.
Last year you attended a Canadian Pro national and the Spring Creek Pro weekend. What did that do for your knowledge of moto photography?
I got to look at the other guys out there and see how they approach things. where they were getting the shots and what have you. It’s really easy shooting at the nationals. Every rider is fast and has good style.
You took most of the pictures for GR at the first Bismarck race of the year. how did things go there for you?
Things went real well. i learned alot about what i need to do on the publication side of things. you have to focus on every rider individualy. i think things will improve as i learn more of course, i got some really good shots and people will notice them when they see the pictures of the week and in print.
I've had a chance to check out most of your photos from Bismarck and they look very high quality. If people want to get prints made of any shots you've taken where can they get a hold of you or view some of your material?
You can email me at reissleonard@hotmail.com or hit me up on www.rustydean.blogspot.com. I have some things in the works for a legit website where you can just go on the site and pick your shots, size and quantity and get it shipped right to your house.
Alright Reiss, thanks for your time. Can we look forward to some more great North Dakota Motocross Shots in the future?
Yeah, for sure. I am going to try and hit up as many races as I can. I can't thank you guys enough for giving me the opportunity to get my name out there.