Have Camera Will Travel
A Conversation with John "Doogie" Howell
By John Pellan
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From gas station attendant to editor of the most highly anticipated ATV magazine of all time, John "Doogie" Howell has arrived! In my opinion he's the most qualified and professional photojournalist in the sport today. If you have ever read a news piece written by John Howell, you can be sure that what you read was a well calculated and thought out piece of journalism. Instead of yet another adventurous Saturday night on the town, John and I decided to sit down and have this little talk. Here's how it went...
ATV Scene: How long have you
been an editor in the ATV industry? What made you want to do this type of work?
Doogie: I started working for
ATV Action back in 1991—at the time it was still called 3&4 Wheel
Action. I’ve always been into ATVs. I started riding three-wheelers back
in 1980 when I was 10 years old. My life has pretty much centered around ATVs
since then. I was so into it while growing up that I used to cut out pictures
from magazines and use them as wallpaper. I could name all the Team Honda guys
from the ‘80s, the bore and stroke of a particular model, etc. I was hardcore
into it! It still cracks me up that I actually had shots of Doug Gust on my
bedroom wall when I was in high-school and today I’m taking pictures of
him for my job!
ATV Scene: I hear you bro. I
was racing 200X three wheelers back in the day and looked up to Curtis Sparks
a lot. I had plenty of Sparks wallpaper myself. So how did you get your start
as a magazine editor?
Doogie: I was going to college,
taking some journalism courses but I didn’t have any “life goals”
so to speak. One day I decided to write a freelance piece on a Mickey Dunlap
project bike and I sent it to the magazine. A few months passed and I hadn’t
heard anything from them, so I decided to call Mickey just to see what was new.
He told me that he had been trying to reach me for weeks—the magazine
had been trying to contact me for a job. Well, during that time I had changed
my phone number, not even thinking that anyone would be trying to get in touch
with me from the magazine! And you’ve got to remember, this is back before
the days of cell phones, pagers, etc. So I got the number for the magazine and
called them. I talked to Steve Casper. He told me that their associate editor
had quit and he asked me if I’d like the job. I think from the time I
hung up the phone to the actual time I was crashed out on his living room sofa
was roughly 4 days.
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| You can spot Doogie at the track easily. He's the guy with the biggest lens and the happy-go-lucky look on his face. Here's a guy who really loves his job. |
ATV Scene: Stick (Steve Casper)
is good company. He taught you well. So how did you get the nickname “Doogie”
Doogie: Steve Falk, one of the
ad reps at Hi-Torque, gave me the name. A few people along the way have tried
to claim giving it to me, but it was Falk. At the time, the television show
"Doogie Howser MD" was on, and I just so happened to be one of the
youngest editors at the mag. I was 19 but I looked like I was closer to 15 years
old. The best part is that the owner of the company, Roland Hinz, is terrible
with names. So along the way, my nickname suffered through a series of changes
by him, "Doodie", "Dookie", "Doofie", "Doobie",
"Doopie" -- you name it, he threw it my way. It has just stuck with
me ever since. I’ll be in my 60’s and I probably still won’t
be able to shake it.
ATV Scene: So what did you do
before you were an editor for Hi-Torque?
Doogie: I was pumping gas …
pretty crazy, huh? I guess not a lot of people go from gas station attendant
to magazine editor. Like I said—I was 19 and not too career oriented at
the time.
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| John is the editor of TransWorld's new Quad Off-Road magazine. The magazine goes on sale July 5th. |
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| Expect to see a lot of adventure stories in the new Quad Off- Road Magazine. Here editor John stands atop a broken off piece of glacier in Alaska while taking a break from riding. |
ATV Scene: What magazines have
you worked for?
Doogie: After ATV Action, I headed
over to Dirt Wheels for a short time, and then I left Hi-Torque to go back east
and work for a radio control car magazine called R/C Car Action. A few years
after that I went back to Hi-Torque to start another R/C mag and then began
working for ATV Action again. I’ve also done some freelance work for ATV
Sport, and most recently I handled all the race stuff for ATV Rider. And now
I’m heading up TransWorld’s new Quad Off-Road magazine.
ATV Scene: How did you get on
board at TransWorld’s new Quad Magazine? Who else is on the Quad Magazine
team?
Doogie: I got a call from Brad
McDonald, who is the Group Publisher at TransWorld Media. I was well aware of
all their titles in the motocross, skate and snowboard scene, so I knew that
they were more than capable of putting out a serious magazine. TransWorld is
an amazing company—they’re so driven to do the very best. We just
wrapped up our first issue, and I can honestly say that I’m totally blown
away. We’ve got a really strong team too. Cassandra Clawson is on board
with us. A lot of your readers may remember her from her days over at ATV Sport
and ATV Sport TV. Keith Mulligan is our photo editor. He comes to us from the
BMX world, and you guys will all be stoked over his shots. We’ve also
got some really good contributors lined up too.
ATV Scene: Is it a monthly publication?
Doogie: Right now it’s
going to be bi-monthly, but we’re going to ramp up to monthly after our
first year.
ATV Scene: Can you tell us more
about Quad Magazine? What can people expect to read about in it? What’s
in the first issue?
Doogie: The one thing that I
can tell you for sure is that it’s by far the best mag I’ve ever
been fortunate enough to work on. We’ve come up with plenty of unique
features and photos—we’re seriously going to raise the bar like
you’ve never seen. There are tons of cool things in the first issue. We
have everything in there—race stuff, adventure stories, cool how-to’s,
and sneak peeks at some of the hottest ‘06 machines. We even broke a major
story on the new Suzuki QuadRacer 450.
ATV Scene: How the hell did
you get that?
Doogie: I can’t tell. But
whatever it takes to get the scoop, we’ll work night and day to try and
get it first. We’re all super competitive in the magazine biz—I’m
stoked that I could get this one first. I think it’s going to be the biggest
release in ’06, so it was fun digging up all the info that early.
ATV Scene: This magazine sounds
like it might be a winner, but are you sure there’s room for yet another
ATV magazine?
Doogie: I certainly think so.
Let me ask you—do you think that an ATV magazine can be done better than
what’s currently out there?
ATV Scene: I know
what you're saying. I think there are currently a few journalistic embarrassments
to our sport. I'm excited to have a professional publication like Quad enter
the scene. What do you think is the coolest feature in the new mag?
Doogie: I can’t really pinpoint just one feature—that’s
hard to do. We have a great art director and an awesome photographer, so the
magazine looks really phenomenal. There’s a poster in every issue too,
which is totally unique to the quad market. You’ll dig it Pellan—there
are girls in bikinis on each poster and a big action shot on the other side.
Hey the first poster is with your Miss Scene February, Tanya
Hofmann. And I think our stories and features are really kick-ass and they
are huge too—we just did a feature on Tim Farr’s factory Honda and
it ran 10 full pages. I guess that’s another thing—we have tons
of stories in there. Sorry, I know you asked for one, but I’m too proud
of everything that’s in there to pick just one.
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| How cool would it be to take Tim Farr's factory Honda 450R for a ride? Here, Doogie gets ready to tackle the Budd's Creek National course on Farr's equipment. He said the power was amazing. |
ATV Scene: When and where can
someone get Quad Mag?
Doogie: I don’t think people
will have a hard time finding it. We’re printing 280,000 copies (issues)
and TransWorld has the strongest distribution in the world thanks to its parent
company, Time Inc. They also produce Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports
Illustrated. We’re doing massive cross promotion with our sister magazines—we’ve
sent out close to a million subscription offers to readers of those magazines
to help promote our magazine. Or you could subscribe online at quadmagazine.com.
ATV Scene: You’ve been at
hundreds and hundreds of race events, ride reviews, ride spots and product intros
over the years. What’s one of your most memorable moments as a photojournalist?
Doogie: Damn….there’s
been so many. It’s hard to pick just one. Going to the Pismo dunes for
the first time with Bill Lanphier ranks pretty high on my list. I had never
seen anything like it. I tell all my buddies back east that until they get out
to the dunes, they haven’t seen anything yet! Working on the pit crew
for Wes Miller when he solo’d the Baja 500 a couple years ago was pretty
crazy too. But I guess if I had to nail down one, it would be going to Japan
for the release of the Suzuki Z400. That was an insane trip for a number of
reasons. Any time you get to hang with Rod Lopusnak…well, it’s always
an adventure. Something you know a little bit about too, right Pellan? Remember
that stop sign?
ATV Scene: He's a character.
That's for sure. Now that he's not with Suzuki, should we tell some favorite
Rod stories, like the stop sign?
Doogie: I guess we should keep
that under the hat for a while and talk more about actual ATV stuff.
ATV Scene: Yeah you're probably
right. OK, here are a couple of quick ones. What’s your favorite track?
Doogie: Southwick—awesome
scenery and great nightlife. Macon is a close second.
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| Left to right is Wayne Hinson, John Howell, Rod Lopusnak and Gary Denton at the inaugural Suzuki Fish Fest in Kentucky. |
ATV Scene: Favorite ATV of all-time
(so far)?
Doogie: Wow! I’d have to
say the original Suzuki Quadracer 250. My neighbor got one in ’86 and
I thought it was the baddest thing on the planet. That machine totally revolutionized
the sport of quad racing. If I had to pick a modern-day machine I’d have
to say the Yamaha Rhino. If you haven’t driven one, you just wouldn’t
understand.
ATV Scene: What’s the best
thing about being an ATV editor?
Doogie: Getting to see the new
models months before anyone else.
ATV Scene: Worst thing about
being an ATV editor?
Doogie: Keeping all those new
models a secret from my buddies until we’re allowed to talk about them!
ATV Scene: Person you respect
the most in the industry and why?
Doogie: Wayne Hinson. Besides
being the absolute nicest person at the track, his knowledge is unparalleled.
He is just the most down-to-earth guy you’ll ever meet. And think about
this—he started out in the quad world with Gary Denton then along the
way his clutch components become the most sought after products in the dirt
bike world. Every big superstar on a dirt bike uses his stuff—he’s
personally tight with all the major players in supercross like Ricky Carmichael
and Jeremy McGrath, yet where is he every weekend? That’s right, he’s
at the quad races with Doug Gust wrenching on his bikes… He could have
easily walked away from the quad world, but he hasn’t forgotten us, or
where he came from. I think that speaks volumes for that man’s character.
I look up to him very much.
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| This is one of Doogie's favorite action shots. Check out the lighting and brilliant colors gleaming from Doug Gust as he leads the pack. Tag Metals purchased this shot for an ad. Seeing this shot in print is night and day however. The word vibrant is an understatement. |
ATV Scene: We’ve noticed
your photos are close to being on par with the legendary shots of Adam
Campbell. How did you get so good?
Doogie: Yeah, Adam is a sick
photographer—I put him up there with any action photographer on the planet!
Plus he’s one of my best bros in the world. To be compared anywhere with
him at any level is the best compliment I could ever hope for.
Last year at the races I finally got a few shots that I felt were pretty decent.
That one shot of Gust leading the pack in the first turn (the one used in the
TAG Metals ad) is my favorite shot from last season. I think it’s one
of my only shots where I thought I nailed it though.
It’s funny—when I got my job at ATV Action in ’91, it wasn’t
until I was out there at the job that I was told the gig required you to be
a photographer too. Luckily, Steve Casper, (my boss at the time) taught me all
the basics and from there I started working on my own style. Plus, believe it
or not, my photography skills really ramped up once I started shooting RC cars!
They’re so fast and small -- they’re a pain in the ass to shoot.
I’ve told all my photo buddies that if they can get a nice sharp picture
of an R/C car doing 30mph, they can shoot anything.
ATV Scene: Care to give away any
secrets to pulling off top-notch photography?
Doogie: First and foremost, you
need to fill the frame more than you think. I’ve seen some really good,
dramatic action, but the subject is usually so small in the picture that it
really lessens the overall impact. It’s ten times harder the closer you
get, but in the end, if you nail the shot, you’ve really nailed it. Keep
your back to the sun, keep an eye out for cluttered backgrounds (telephone poles
in the shot, etc.) and shoot faster shutter speeds than you think you need to.
ATV Scene: You put me on the
spot when you interviewed me when you were at ATV Rider. Remember when you asked
who my “dream MX team” would be if I had to pick a five man team?
Well, now the tables are turned—who is your five man dream team?
Doogie: Damn…I knew that
would come back to bite me one day. Wait a minute, if I remember correctly you
punk’d out and picked an alternate team with another five extra riders
(laughs).
ATV Scene: All right, lets split
the difference. I’ll give you two more. Let’s make it seven riders
total, but please explain why they're on your list too.
Doogie: Well, you were man enough
to step up and put your picks in print, so I guess I have to now. (editors note:
about 10 or 15 agonizing minutes goes by with Doogie only saying “damn”
a lot). Alright, here goes...
#7 Marty Hart. He just won so much, and he was so versatile. He was almost untouchable on a three-wheeler, and when he started racing quads, the transition was so seamless… He was just a pure racer. Hart was insanely fast no matter what machine he was racing. #6 John Natalie. John is fearless…that guy has balls of steel. This year he’s really upped the game. People are just going to have to push a whole lot harder to catch up to him. #5 Jeremiah Jones. He’s an animal on the track. It’s so much fun watching him race—he always keeping it pinned, no matter what. I once saw him land sideways off a jump at Macon and he just manhandled his bike back into shape. I think most people would have eaten it hard… I rank him and Natalie together, but I give Jones the nod based on his number of titles. #4 Jimmy White. When I was growing up as a kid, I was a big Team Honda fan, so it bothered me whenever Jimmy would go out and beat them on his Kawie Tecate three-wheeler. Jimmy was literally that first “underdog” guy that I rooted against in any kind of sport. But it didn’t take long for me to appreciate what balls he really had to go head-to-head against the juggernaut of Team Honda. That really opened my eyes to what competition is all about and from then on I started to have mad respect for him. #3 Tim Farr. Tim is the most fluid rider out there today. He’s super-smooth—he never ever looks ragged when he rides. You almost get lulled into thinking he’s going slower than he actually is—he’s makes it look that effortless. But when you get closer to the track and he passes by, you realize that he’s got it “controllably pinned”. # 2 Doug Gust. What else can you say about this guy that hasn’t been said a million times. One word best sums up Gust—hero. #1 Gary Denton. I should be the president of the Gary Denton fan club. I remember I got to spend a week with him in Guam for a race in ’92 and I was just so nervous around him. He is a true legend in the sport, and a real class act too. He’s the best of all-time, and I’m just fortunate enough to say that I actually saw him race in person. |
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| If you see John in the pits say hello, rest assured he's one of the good guys, trust us. |
ATV Scene: Awesome list of riders.
It's not easy getting put on the spot like that is it. Now you know how it feels.
Doogie: Tell me about it. There's
a lot of top notch riders to choose from. It's not easy.
ATV Scene: Last question, you’ve
made a few killer images of female models over the years. If the opportunity
came, would you abandon all this to become a photographer for Playboy Magazine
or Sport’s Illustrated?
Doogie: I think it would be pretty
crazy to go along on one of those SI swimsuit shoots. They put some serious
time and money into those events and they go to some crazy locations too. And
I’m sure it would be real tough looking at that scenery all day. Now that
I’m working for that company, who knows! Just kidding—I don’t
think I will ever want to leave this industry. I love it too much. The people
are amazing—the sense of community between ATVers is great. I’ve
met some really cool, down-to-earth people during my travels (especially from
this site), and I honestly wouldn’t give it up for the world.
ATV Scene: I think that's an
excellent ending point. Let's call it a night on that, cool?
Doogie: I agree. Let's do this
again though.
ATV Scene: Sounds good to me.
Check ya later bro!
Doogie: Thanks for having me.
I'll see ya at the next one.
