Today we’d like to introduce you to Leon MacCormack.
Hi Leon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The whole idea of Gnar Corp was born from my day’s longboarding hills with my friends in my early twenties. Everything was “gnarhill”, “gnar-run” and the like. We then started to muse about the possibility of us running a multi-billion dollar conglomerate but it was always just a joke.
As the years went on, I became more and more interested in photography but it was a very rudimentary level (first an iPhone, then a kit lens, etc.).
While at a house party, I was musing with a photographer friend about starting a gnarcorp.com website and while I was distracted, he set up a go-daddy account for me and thus gnarcorp.com was born.
But it wasn’t until Covid hit that I was able to sit down and really create the actual website and more importantly, the vision for what Gnar Corp would become.
I developed a plan to print business cards and start shooting tournaments during the summer of 2020 and in August of that year, I shot my first tournament. I’ve been traveling and shooting tournaments ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The main struggle is balancing Gnar Corp with my very demanding high-school teaching job. I’d love to write for and shoot for more events but my day job (which I am very much devoted to) takes up a great deal of time.
Is there anything else we should know about your work and what you specialize in?
I specialize in fight sports photography and videography. I’m most proud of the reception I get from competitors. They really seem to appreciate the work involved in showing their most intense moments from competition.
Also, I’m proud of the fact that’s it’s just me. My hard work and my vision are what brought me the success, albeit limited, that I’ve experienced.
I go for action. I go for sick submissions and gnarly face-punch shots. Surprisingly, very few of my counterparts share my affection for the more intense parts of a martial arts competition.
Also, I too, train jiu-jitsu and MMA so I understand the angles to hit and the importance of capturing every awesome moment from the fighter’s perspective.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Persistence. It’s only been one year since my first tournament and two years since purchasing my first professional gear. If I keep at this, I know I can create my own niche and be able to live off photography and videography.
Pricing:
- $10 photos and discount deals for packages
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: gnarcorp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gnarcorpphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GnarCorpProductions
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/gnarcorp?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJqsBjVLMg1QlbIf2c4u88A
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gnar-corp-san-antonio-2
Image Credits
Porterhouse Photography and Leandra Aguilar (picture of me orange vest), all others shot by me.
