Smythe.

This is an interview Young photog Andrew Smythe did with Phil Gallagher.

It’s time to Le Boogie

After years of being the most sought after and respected surf photographer in the business, Phil Gallagher has decided to throw down the gauntlet with the launch of his own all-photography magazine – Le Boogie.

In the wake of the cancellation of Riptides Photo Annual, word of the creation of Le Boogie has aroused excitement among the masses. In the past the bodyboarding population has suffered a long wait for the Photo Annual, a single issue showcasing the year’s most amazing images captured by those who do it best. Le Boogie aims to curb this craving by delivering the best images by photographers from all around the globe in a gallery experience, but without the wait.

Sitting down to talk with Phil Gallagher brings up mixed emotions; you’d love to hate the guy. Containing the jealousy is a hard task as he casually talks about tropical adventures with the likes of Jeff Hubbard and Spencer Skipper, or reminiscing about the day’s session over a beer with Mike Stewart.

But these experiences aren’t taken for granted by the guy whose first shots were taken on a disposable camera in his home town of Urunga on the NSW mid-north coast. Since that time Gallagher has been passionate about photography, and now through Le Boogie he is able to give something back to the industry that has allowed him a life most only dream about.

While Gallagher said the concept of a magazine run and designed by bodyboarders isn’t new, it is something he wants to encourage, and in doing so “give photographers another avenue to shoot bodyboarding and make a career of it”.

“The most rewarding thing about Le Boogie is the idea of seeing young photographers advance through the magazine, teaching them new skills and then displaying their latest work to the public,” Gallagher said.

Le Boogie also embodies the changing way we receive information.

With technology allowing us to access news instantly from anywhere on Earth, by the time magazines go to print the information is often old or irrelevant. Gallagher believes if people want the latest news they will access it through other means ( internet). But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a future for magazines in a world which is becoming increasingly digital media orientated.

“I don’t think people will ever want to stop buying magazines, there will always be people who appreciate being able to walk over to the shelf and pick up a hard copy of the latest issue.”

And for those who want to see the latest photo galleries printed large on high quality paper, Le Boogie will be there – four times a year.

As Gallagher says, “I want Le Boogie to appeal to everyone, be it a kid who wants to get stoked on photos, or a guy who has bodyboarded for 10 years, they all appreciate good clean images”.

But everyone will be glad to hear Phil Gallagher plans to make the best of both worlds by using the latest pop culture icon, the iPhone. One of the most anticipated things about Gallagher’s new venture is the Le Boogie iPhone/iPod Touch app, which means the magazine can be delivered to anyone, anywhere in the world.

The idea of being able to page through the latest issue of Le Boogie when you’re stuck at work or on a train really is something to get excited about, especially when you consider the calibre of photographers and riders already getting involved, with the mag attracting both veterans and fresh talent.

“All the riders from the moment they heard about it have been so stoked on it, they have put a lot of their own time and effort into the first issue of le Boogie, and I will never be able to repay them” Gallagher says.

“Everyone has wanted to help in any way they can. Riders have a lot of pull in these things, without them there would be no Riptide, Movement or Le Boogie.”

- by Andrew Smythe

Le Boogie will be available to purchase online in early September. You can preview the mag at www.leboogie.com and place your order. The digital format will be available through iTunes. Shipping: 5 days nationally, 7-10 days international. Subscriptions offered in issue two.

You can view Andrews Blog here- http://www.andrewsmythephotography.blogspot.com/