Red Bull Exclusive: Roy Mrad takes us through some of his action-packed photoshoots

Qatar Living has teamed up with Red Bull Qatar to bring you some unique content and highlight some of the unsung heroes behind the amazing work that goes into capturing the golden moments of some of the Red Bull athletes.

In the series, we'll showcase five of the best photographs selected by the photographers themselves. We'll also use the opportunity to get to know the photographers.

For this week's exclusive, we caught up with Red Bull photographer Roy Mrad to find out what inspired him to be an extreme sports photographer.

Tell us a little about yourself; where are you from, age, favorite discipline to shoot…

I am Roy Mrad, 39 years old born in Beirut, Lebanon and I love to shoot action/extreme sports.

How did you get into photography? Did you always have a passion for it growing up or is it something you discovered at an older age?

I was always passionate about action sports especially skateboarding back in the day and growing up in the 90s, we didn’t have much accessibility to media and information as it is now through social media at the palm of your hand. Even videotapes were not that easy to get your hands on, and our main window or portal to any of the fields of interest was mostly through magazines, and of course the most impactful elements were the photos.

I would sit and inspect each photo for hours trying to understand the whole story of it, what went around it, how is the flow, speed, confidence of the athlete, how he was feeling, did he fall etc. … I guess each photo would stimulate my imagination and would suck me into that world only. So, I guess across the years, I built a lot of love and interest for photographs but also an eye for it.

What is your advice to someone just starting out in photography?

I would always say enjoy the moment at any stage of the journey ... Photography is a form of expression and this is what counts!

No need to rush race but definitely practice is key especially for the technical aspect; so, practice, practice, practice :)

Every shot teaches something to that individual!

How do you overcome creative blocks in your work?

Many times, especially with technicalities you can have creative blocks. A lot of the time you have a vision in your mind of how you would see an interesting photo to be; but the results are not always achieved and that could be for various reasons. Some things cannot be controlled but some can be and with a lot practice/ trial and error these can be reduced.

1. MIND THE GAP

Mzaar Kfardebian, Lebanon

Every heavy snowfall season in Lebanon, while driving up towards the mountain tops and ski resorts, I would see the load of snow on the road and would always imagine how cool it would be to put together a nice little setup for a road gap through Skiing or Snowboarding. I would bounce this idea with the local riders to get a feel of their opinion, potential and excitement and “WOW that would be sick” was the most common comment amongst them.

So, I started considering it more seriously and thought more of the setup which looks pretty simple but the logistics and challenges behind it are not at all.

Some of the elements/challenges need to be assessed are reasonable road width, the difference between the launch and landing areas, the take-off space and speed, private or public property, safety aspects of the location and surrounding, permits and legalities, snow conditions, blocking the road etc.

I knew if I was going to go the official way it would most probably would not be possible knowing the procedure pace and mentality on these types of activities so I decided to find the perfect spot in order to pull this with the least logistical preparation and possible damage. 

I started looking around the different areas and it was very difficult to find it until one morning just before reaching the ski resort, I noticed a hill with what looks like the perfect road width right there in plain sight! So, I decided to quickly check it out. Boom this was it, a private and quiet road with a slightly large road width but with great take off space but a steep/challenging landing area but this was our best bet for it.

All I had to do now is wait for the perfect storm and hit this spot right after the earliest possible before people notice any unusual activity.

Next weekend we are blessed with a storm and here we go. A bunch of riders are to help the fastest possible with the kicker construction and prepping the landing side.

I park the Red Bull truck in the middle to add perspective to the overall action, organize my gear and equipment and wait for the first rider to hit it. This is the most difficult part of the whole, who will be the bravest one or ‘guinea pig’ to try it. A lot of hesitation, fear, reluctance on whether this was possible or not and at that stage I realized that consequences might be not as fun!

So, I reassured the riders by telling them that we do not have to do it, only if they are fully convinced with it and really feel it!

At that time, I guess inspiration and commitment hit and the first rider sends it with a gap clearance success but sloppy air and landing.

Then the trains of riders and try started moving, back to back as confidence picked up until some cool jumps started showing up! 

In less than an hour, most riders have had their tries and some interesting photos were captured.

This is one of my favorites because the boiling of the idea was across a couple of years and the whole preparation behind it while pushing the limit of the riders’ capabilities; but also, the setup and color combination of it makes it dear to my heart!

2. ARCH OF TRIUMPH

Bcharre, Lebanon

A natural arch located in the highest mountain range in Lebanon, which creates a cool playground for some extreme sports. 

In this case it was a BASE Jump, and that was a spontaneous one since we spotted this beauty on the way to another location. 

With not many people to prep, I had to choose what would be the best angle to show the arch and the jump which was tough since there wasn’t that perfect spot; but being close to the athlete was the best bet as it justifies the arch. The athlete needed also some support in holding the pilot chute for his rig because of the lack of height and to quickly deploy his main parachute. 

So, in this shot, I had to sit on the ledge and bend slightly forward, hold the pilot chute and focus on the athlete jumping in order to try and best capture that sequence.

The tension is very high as the stakes are if a mistake happens, especially being on that ledge with no support for my own! One of the most intense situations in my life for a photo!

3. FREESOLO

Baatara Sinkhole, Lebanon

This is a very unique location in Lebanon, a 3x bridge sinkhole with a waterfall in the spring season. The possibilities are many in what could be done there, but the environment is very challenging. 

In this photo, a potential BASE jump was being examined in terms of space, run in, cave height, wind, exit etc, but the spots where the full spectrum can be seen are very limited. So, a slackline was set in order to have a perfect top-down view of the whole sinkhole. That’s an opportunity by itself for a cool shoot especially that was a free solo; means that the athlete not tethered to the line and was totally free so no room for mistakes at all. 

That put pressure by itself and on top of where I was standing to be able to take that angle since it’s a very tiny and humid ledge from the inside of the cave holding heaving gear and focusing on the top. 

So much tension and focus not to lose balance for both the athlete and I!

4. AVAATARA

Baatara Sinkhole, Lebanon

One of the most difficult climbing routes in Lebanon being established by the late David Lama.

Very technical one staring from inside the cave of a sinkhole then horizontally into the ceiling of the rock then out to the wall visible in the photo.

After a few days of trying to free climb it, the skin and fingers of David were getting worn especially after failing to cross that transitional segment of the crux which was very difficult.

This was most probably David’s last try before probably deciding not to try again for some time as no more skin left, he finally nails it, and this is the moment which feels that he is setting his freedom onwards and out of the sinkhole. He even skipped clipping/securing himself for the rest of the route because of that sense of freedom and empowerment. 

For me this photo is special because of its location, colors and making history!

5. WORK HARD, PLAY HARDER

Megapolis - Doha, Qatar

What’s the 1x common thing between 3x different athletes [from left to right: Brian Capper, Abdo Feghali & Petr Kraus] from 3x different disciplines [Motorbike Trials, Drifting, Bike Trials]? 

PLAYFULNESS

It’s not very common to have the opportunity to get some break/off time with athletes after a photoshoot so having 3 different ones at once was very interesting, as they always have that playful spirit so even off assignments they want to play. 

I like this shot because it's polarizing and puts the athletes in a very unusual context creating a fun picture with a contrast.

6. ROCK THE LINE (BONUS)

Raouche, Lebanon

This is one of the most famous landmarks of Beirut and is hard to miss from the plane window while landing into the airport.

You grow seeing the two rocks apart pretty much all your life, so being able to connect these two through an idea and image is special.

The challenge mainly was looking for the best show during the limited time of sunset but the logistical nightmare of the location. Being in a non-stable boat which moves and shifts position very fast due to the tide, then directing the pilot where to move and park etc.

Then heading to the closest dock available, running extremely fast to the top of the opposite land cliff with very few minutes left to be able to take additional shots in search of the best one. All of this is on a bet as well since we cannot guarantee the athlete will not fall or will be able to cross or be on the line at that moment! So much pressure!

This is my favorite one as it shows the full landmark with the nice and warm colors of the sun and Alex Mason rocking the line :)

Stay tuned for our next feature in this series next week. If you like what you see, follow @RoyMrad and @redbullqatar on Instagram.

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