Meet Paul Deach, a wonderful British journalist, photographer and professional Mobile Creative in Surrey, and discover his path and adventures.
1- Why did you choose your path and how did you get started?
I became a professional mobile creative by accident. It all started when I founded the Surrey Residents Network which is a large hyper-local media outlet for the region of the UK I live. I use mobile technology to cover news stories in the community and exploited media formats podcasts, video & photography to make the content more engaging and compelling. Some local companies liked what I was doing and I started to get work creating content which is used for marketing purposes. Now I am working with companies of all sizes from local small independent business through to large regional and national companies and organizations. It’s been an incredible journey and a lot of fun.
2- How did you hear about the XShot camera extender?
I heard about XShot when researching selfie sticks. I had bought a few cheap ones off eBay but they kept breaking so I did some research and found that XShot are the market leaders and bought my first XShot selfie stick on Amazon.
3- What do you always carry in your camera/travel bag?
My equipment bag comprises of OlloClip 4-in-1 and Active Lenses an XShot selfie stick and ShoulderPod S1 Mount. I also carry 2 Go Pro Hero 4 black editions. One is set up on an XShot selfie stick for still images and the other is on a FeiYu Tech G3 Steady Cam Gimbol for video. I also have a juice pack and 1.5m lightning cable, spare GoPro batteries and a Rode i-XY Microphone.
4- Where is your favorite location to take pictures?
I always like to shoot landscape photography for fun. Most recently I enjoy Barossa Common Nature Reserve in Camberley. The wildlife is incredible, the landscape outstanding and the flora, fauna & insects make really interesting macro photography.
A Belted Galloway Bull
‘This image was taken with a GoPro Hero 4 Black edition attached to an XShot selfie stick. I did not want to get in to close because it was a nervous bull so the XShot gave me the confidence to get in a little closer.’
5- We noticed that you had been very creative with the XShot, how do you think you will use it the most?
The XShot gives me fantastic creative options. I like to go for the un-obvious shot, so from high up or low down. The XShot allows me to achieve these shots.
6- Tell us about your new exciting trips and projects to come.
My latest project is providing social media content coverage of the Imperial which is the worlds biggest and most prestigious shooting competition at the spiritual home of shooting in Bisley UK. I use lots of different media formats such as photography, video and podcasts. I have also been using Periscope quite a lot. Shooting is a difficult sport to get compelling photography of due to the obvious safety issues. Also the competitors need to concentrate so they don’t want a photographer distracting them while they are shooting. The XShot allows me to get in close to the action without being a distraction but also lets me get some very interesting angles in a safe way both to me and the shooter. During the event I have two XShot’s set up one for my iPhone and the other for my one of my GoPro’s.
About ‘The Shooter” photo above: ‘This image was also taken with an XShot and GoPro Hero 4 Black edition. The angle would not have been possible without the XShot unless I was prepared to put myself in considerable danger.’
About Paul Deach
Paul Deach is a social media marketing consultant and mobile creative based in Surrey, England and works with companies of all sizes producing social media content. He is the founder of the Surrey Residents Network, which is a hyper local media outlet where he has exploited Internet technology to bring citizen journalism to a large audience.
Follow him on twitter @PaulDeach , on Instagram @deachy