Focus: Gregg Boydston

When I preach the whole “work hard, play hard” thing, I mean it. And this fella fits the mold. To not only put in the work to get to the Biltwell 100, he did it on an old Triumph that eventually lost the rear rubber. So here he is skipping across those infamous Ridgecrest Railroad tracks on a rim with his eyes set on just making it to the next mile marker. That’s the type of people I want to put myself around.

Questions and Intro: Bill Bryant | Photos: Gregg Boydston

Gregg is one of those guys you want on your side in the middle of nowhere. It’s his sweet spot – fighting fires, riding dirt bikes, putting up camp or splinting your leg, he’s your guy. We recently hit him with some questions about life as a firefighter, photographer, Coors enthusiast and avid outdoorsman.

How does wildland (is that the proper term?*) firefighting, motorcycles and photography intersect for you?

You know, as far apart as all these items are, I think it’s the sense of adventure and the people that really intersect them all. Between my fire career, motorcycles, and photography, all of them revolve around great adventures and good people. I think each one on its own without the good people along the way or neat places they take me, would be a whole lot different and a much less interesting hobby or line of work.

*“Wildland firefighting” is the correct term. This is what I did 100% of the time while working for the U.S. Forest Service. That was about 8 years between Oregon, Northern California and Central California as home base. Majority of it being in Mammoth/Bishop zone as basecamp. But it started in Oregon living out of my Volkswagen waiting for calls. This has now taken me to almost 8 years in on the “municipal” side of firefighting where I work for a significant Fire Department in Southern California. Although we still go to wildfires, the majority of our tasks are medical aids but also can consist of wildfires, structure fires, traffic collisions, gas leaks, remote rescues, stuck elevators, the list goes on.

It’s not always ideal when you see your Hotshot crew listed under Night Shift on the IAP for the day. But when you do see it, you usually hope you’re burning. This specific fire – we spent 14 days straight on night shift burning miles and miles of prepped line in order to protect one of the west side of the Sierra’s largest Giant Sequoia Groves. Hot, cold, sweaty, tired, smiling, dirty, away from home, with your friends, lighting things on fire for the better.

Do you have a favorite spot to camp?

Woof, This is tough one to answer. I camp so much, in so many different places its difficult to pick just one. I think anywhere in Baja would be up there, and many places along my stomping grounds up and down the 395 would be close to the top as well. I also really enjoy the Southwest through Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and into Colorado even. But at this point, anywhere I can set up camp, feel safe, have some fun near camp, and be able to bring the family is the top spot for me. Sometimes that’s close and easy but in the summer give me a swimming hole, and in the winter give me that wide-open desert. When we hitting the road?

Any advice for aspiring photogs? What’s your usual camera set up?

First off, make sure it’s fun. You have top enjoy doing it as you do in any creative world. In a very saturated world of photography these days, I think you have to make yourself stand out. Everyone has a camera now and between the wild world of influencers and freelance artists, you just have to make yourself different. It’s okay to be influenced by artists you follow along with but being yourself will allow you to be different and hopefully separate from the rest. On top of that carry a camera that comfortable, fun, and one that you know. The equipment doesn’t make the photo, you do. I have a professional level work set up but I also have a for fun set up. And as you might guess, the for fun set up often bleeds over in the work setting. Small, quick, convenient, and compact along with some style is the most enjoyable for me.

Who motivates or inspires you?

There are a lot of who’s and what’s that inspire me. I have my hands in so many things that my motivation and inspiration comes from many different angles. When it comes to regular life stuff – I have people that motivate and inspire me to be better, do good, kind, successful, etc… and my family that relies of me, my parents, and my little brother all play a roll in that. When it comes to work, yes I have a photography role, but I also have a full-time career within the fire service which comes with its own motivation and inspiration. Good leaders, strong and smart people, role models, etc… and that comes from people I have worked for, around, with, and so on that have made an impression on me. As for photography… I always seem to get hung up on people that shoot in a way that make you feel a certain way. Like you’re there in the moment they are capturing. It either puts you in their shoes or makes you wish you were. Without a doubt the person who does it the most is my main guy Drew Martin, who I have not only shot Biltwell events with, but have travelled, shot major campaigns, slept on the ground with, camped off motorcycles with, raised a family side by side with, and have learned and grown within the photography world with. Beyond that, I like to watch adventures like the Biltwell Alaska trip, anything from Filson and Yeti, and habitually watch documentaries  like 180º South to keep the motivation and inspiration high!

Not much else will compare to the feeling of putting in line with 19 of your favorite sweaty and dirty pals on the side of some mountain. It’s miserable and it’s fun. It’s finding a way to be comfortable being uncomfortable. And for a small chunk of change. I set down my Stihl 460, threw a few links on the chain, and sent my swamp back to help the scrape tie in our line to the Hotshot crew coming at us. Wrapping some fire in Northern California some time ago.