Milosport

Milosport is the "local shop" to the nth degree. I grew up in Contra Costa county and I so wish this shop had been around when I was a kid, but better late than never. The experience that nailed the idea that I wanted to give this shop props on the blog was as follows. I had purchased some Jay lays and rode them pretty lightly for like 3 weeks and they began to give up the ghost. I hopped the Bart and smashed over to Milo to get some more sneakers, I kinda have a thing for shoes. When I got there I did some browsing and Jason the general manager was helping me and A. gave me some half cabs at a discounted price and B. took my Jay lays and sent them back to vans and got me credit for another pair. Man, those kind of experiences are few and far between these days and just make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Long live Milosport!! Jason took a few moments to field some questions and give us a view into the mind of a great small business.
http://www.milolafayette.com/

Christian


C: Your name and occupation.


J: Jason Watson – Store Manager



C: Can you give me a little background on Milo as a company?

J: Milsport started in 1984 in SLC Utah. George, who is the owner of Lafayette location ran that store for 12 years before moving back to California with his family in early 2000. He then opened this store and it has been running strong ever since. Milo is not a franchise, Joe Shmo can’t buy into it. It is just friends from all over that make up a huge family.




C: How did you guys decide on Lafayette as a location for a shop?

J: George grew up in Danville. Before signing the papers to this location he actually was trying to get the location of what was then “The Shop” and now “Skate Works”. In hindsight we are very glad we didn’t get that location and we did get this one. The community here really supports us and does their part to make sure we stay here.




C: As far as I can tell you guys have a pretty loyal following out in Contra Costa county, why do you think that is?

J: We make sure people buy the right product. More so on the snow side of things. Product differs a lot in Snowboarding and people often think they know what they want , even though it is not right for them. As a specialty retailer, it is our job to educate people on what they are buying. At a big box store they just point you in the direction of what they have the biggest stack of. We want to be the opposite of them.




C: It looks to me like you have all the board sports covered...does that lend itself to fairly good numbers all year long?

J: Well, we only do Snow and Skate, so winter is the busiest time. Summer is steady but mellow. The business is in good shape. But at the same time we aren’t greedy and we all drive shitty cars if you know what I mean.




C: Business philosophy overview?

J: As I said before, it’s all about educating the consumer so they can make the decision of what they need and don’t need. We want them to feel like they are making the right decisions. Basically being honest and providing a knowledgeable staff, the rest is easy.




C: How do you feel about large corporations infiltrating what has kinda been a cottage industry so far?


J: I hate it.
However, I believe the recession is going to be good for specialty stores. All the box stores are hurting very bad and board sports make up a small portion of what they sell. So when they cut the fat off their business they are cutting dollars from stuff we carry. So when the dust settles, the right people will still be here.



C: Does Milo involve itself in community events?

J: We do video premieres from time to time. We usually do a Snow premiere in October and try to do skate ones from time to time. We also donate stuff for the local school auctions. We try and give back to the community when we have an opportunity. Our community is what keeps us here and we appreciate it every time they support specialty rather than heading to the local mall.

Little to none

The most recent outing was a bit of a bust. I had a chance to go out with a different set of guys and this is always a good thing, or is it? I don't want to shed a bad light on the session and on the whole it was pretty fun, its just photo wise it turned few results. The one thing that definitely was an experience was going out with a filmer. Kinda hard not to get this person in the frame, unless the rider is willing to go and execute the move multiple times for a couple of different people. I guess thats how it goes some times...live more and learn again. Oh I did get a switch board slide...booya.

Christian

Ryan Hunter Interview

Fellow photographer I have had my eye on at flickr. Ryan has a pretty keen eye for the skate snaps and executes well. I hit him up and tossed the idea of a short question and answer along with a gallery of shots, he was down and what follows is that effort. Please enjoy and look him up on flickr to follow a rising star who loves the life.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanhunter/

Christian

C: So Cerritos huh, whats the skating scene like there?

R: It's nothing special to be honest. But Whittier, Long
Beach, Fullerton and Huntington beach are no more then 10
minutes in any direction from me so that makes filming
opportunities great.

C: I saw on your blog you got your first "art" show up, are
you juiced?

R: Yee it was tight just shot some portraits so it was a good
experience. I mean I've been shooting for less then a year
so I'm really thankful I got that opportunity.

C: How long have you been shooting skating?

R: 8 months!!!

C: I assume you skate too, is this true?

R: Yee I gets busy on my Shred Sled haha!

C: What drives you to keep shooting?

R: I just love skateboarding. And I get see hammers go down
before videos come out so its kinda like a backstage pass
haha.

C: Do you have a guy in your crew that you like to shoot the
most?

R: Matt Macehera, Mikey Leon and Joey Con.

C: Any shout outs or thoughts as we close this up?

R: All the good homies!
Fluent Skateboards
Furnace skate shop
And you for letting me get up on yo blog thx man!

Noah Scott spotlight

The following is a picture package along with a short interview with Noah Scott. To be honest I have known Noah for only a short time, but he seems like a solid person with a great style and a genuine appreciation for the folks around him. As far as his skating goes he is a monster. Big pop and steez to spare. Peep it and decide for yourself. I'm out.

Christian

C: Name and occupation?

N: Noah Murillo-Scott, yeah it's weird. Skate camp dude/ skate park dude, Berkeley

C: About how long have you been riding?

N: Close to like 10 years I guess, give or take. Injuries and s*#t

C: Is this your first year working at the park?

N: Nah, I've been working there for about 3 years now

C: I heard you say the other day that you used to ride with Joe and Sean
alot. When and why did that kinda stop?

N: Whoa, you got some heavy hittin' questions here, haha. Well this dude Allen used to live out here and we would all just go skate and he had this canon gl2 which is just like the canon version of the vx I guess, and he would just film us sometimes. So we were just getting tricks and getting hyped off each other, but then he moved to Stockton. I guess he was just having some trouble with his housing situation so he had to peace. But whatever, its cool, Sean, Joe, and I still skate together. Just probably not as much as we would be had Allen stayed out here.

C: I know you told me but gimme a little run down on what brought you out
to the west coast and how it went down.

N: Well I've always lived on the west coast, i just grew up in socal on this little spec of a town called Avalon on a tiny little spec of an island called Catalina. Its a square mile town of bars and nothing that's only poppin in the summer, and its catered more towards tourists than the actual islanders so in the winter the town is totally shut down, ghost-town status. People are kinda old fashioned as well and the cops are all douche bag rent-a-cops from LA. I mean its like beautiful and everything. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're going there for a week you'll have a f*#king blast, but growing up there is a whole different story. I mean $60 round trip boat tickets??? Your pretty much trapped unless you're rich.

C: Can you gimmie 3 things that get you psyched to ride?

N: A good video part, new spots, chicks

C: You and your girlfriend are tight..does she back you up on skating alot?

N: Yeah for the most part as long as I get my half of the rent

C: When your not riding what do you tend to do with your time?

N: Wish I had Michael Jordan's flying abilities

C: How do you feel about contests?

N: Eh jams are cool

C: Do you think this plays a big role in getting sponsored?

N: Sure, getting your face out there and being seen is never a bad thing, right?

C: Dream sponsors.

N: Hot wheels, red bull, boost mobile and club med

C: Anything you wanna get out there before we wrap this up?

N: Poop, but I'll wait till after

Ben Kilpatrick interview

The following is a short interview I conducted with fellow photographer Ben Kilpatrick. I originally found Ben on flickr and have always been super inspired by him. His work and attitude make him a jem of a guy. One day I hope to meet Ben face to face but for now keeping contact through the net is gonna have to work. Please enjoy his photos and insight, I know I do.
www.benkilpatrick.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/benkphoto

Thanks,
Christian


C: How long has skating been part of your scene?

B: I have been skating since 7th grade..so since 2000. I
skated a lot from 2000 to about 2006, and then kind of faded
out for a little while.. I started doing concrete work after
high school, and I was just so tired every day after work,
that I just basically worked and slept. But thankfully once
that was all over I slowly started skating again in late
2007 or so. Now I'm skating almost everyday. I couldn't be
happier honestly.


C: Whats the ratio of skating photos to non on any given week?

B: Ratio hmmmm.... I've been shooting skating a ton lately. I
want to say about 90% skateboarding, unless a photo job
comes a long. Need to start doing some marketing. haha. I
have noticed that I don't play around with my camera very
much outside of skateboarding and photo jobs. I have been
shooting film a good amount lately though instead and I love
it, I just love getting the prints back after a week or so
of taking them. It's like a present. haha


C: Your strobe work is the s#*t was this a trial and error process or did you have mentoring?

B: Thanks man. I really do appreciate that, makes me feel
confident in my work. A lot of it was reading. The internet
has a retarded amount of information on it. Big ups to Steve
Laclair at Skateperception.com and all the guys on the forum
that are willing to share their information. That site
helped me out a ton. Trial and error did add to the equation
for sure though.

This is the way I set up my strobes:

1. Find the angle
2. Meter for the ambient, and decrease the aperture a stop
or two.
3. Place the main flash to light up the spot and the skater
from the front. ( I always set up one flash at a time )
4. Place my second flash for the rim light. Usually a
higher output then the main light.
5. Check and make sure everything looks good.
6. Click Click.



C: Fave place to travel and take photos skating or otherwise?

B: Anywhere but Tallahassee. haha. Traveling I can never do
enough of. I wish I had more money to do it more often... I
went to Hawaii for 2 weeks during christmas and it was
amazing, NY was unreal, Ireland too. All those places are
soo nice, scenery wise. I wish I was shooting skateboarding
at those places though. But recently my homies and I have
been traveling here and there. Went to Atlanta for 4 days
the other week, and Jville not to long ago either. Had a
blast. It's just so nice to shoot skateboarding somewhere
else. New spots are the best!


C: Anybody out there who provides inspiration to keep going out and doing what you do?

B: The most inspiring person I know would have to be my mom.
She has been a huge influence on my life. She is an
entrepreneur herself... She started a bakery here in town a
couple years back that is blowing up. Cheesecake, cookies,
breads, brownies, all that tasty goodness. Check it out.
www.threesonsbakery.com. Watching her grow is amazing, and
she sees me slowly developing my business, and my life. I
just see that she is happy with what I'm doing, and it makes
me happy. We feed off each other and our thoughts on things.
It's the best . Couldn't ask for more.


C: Last words before we wrap this up?

B: I just want to say thanks to you Christian for putting this
together. So big ups to you and what your doing. You know
I've been a fan of your work for quite awhile. Shout outs to
the homies. Steve, Jerry, Timmy, Josh, Rob, Morgan and all
you others. Without you guys I wouldn't have anyone to take
photos of. haha. Shout out to Phaze One!

All over the place

Man...this edition takes us well you know. The original plan was to get over to Benecia to the new x park, I kinda hate saying that. X park sounds all goofy, but that's whats its called so eh. Anyway got to the meeting place with the van and the original crew had gotten all jumbled and it looked like I drove that big ass van to haul Dukie and Jonathen around. After chillin for a minuite it came together though. The next bridge to cross was where to go...which was also set up initially but once the crew fell apart it was tough to keep every thing on track. Bottom line first destination town park in down town Oakland. Pretty cool spot but kinda ghetto, I had never been and so it was good to go and peep it out. Steezy had kickflips over the barrier dialed and Donovan stomped a big kickflip on the pyramid. Jonathen and Luca bridged the gap between the half pipe and the quarter pipe, tight. We then packed up and headed to the Walnut creek park. This park has very little square footage and even the local kids were hooriding it. Jon mashed on the 7 stair and both Dukie and Jon did a pretty intimidating rail. Oh and Steezy broke his board, wack! Last up was ugh...x park. Super cutty in deep Benecia, but this park is dope. All kinds of cool stuff in a big area. The mission on the whole pretty tight just a little taxing due to the meandering nature of it, but more time skating and shooting which makes every thing else no problemo. Shots to follow.

Peace,
Christian

Quick Sesh

I don't know if somebody said it...but being a stay at home dad is raw. Which brings me to my current post. After a "day" with my kids I gave the wife a tired look and asked if I could get out for a bit. She asked what I was going to be up to and I said work. Pssssst work for me is taking photos or working on photo related stuff. So off to the skate park I go, you know to take photos. When I get to the park I see David and we cook an idea to pack up a couple of guys and hit some spots. Dukie, Jonathon, Jorge, and David pile into the Volvo and we go to king rail, peace wall, and a 7 stair on Berkeley high campus. At the 7 stair it was a kickflip fest and once again Dukie would not be denied, oh and Mosiah called for redemption and killed it. It was pretty sweet and yielded a couple of shots that feel proper. To be honest if on an outing I get one shot that feels solid I'm happy. This photographing skating is tough but crazy fun!

Peace,
Christian

Robbed!

Location: OSH
Time: eve
Objective: Mosiah kickflip the loading dock rail

Well 2 outa 3 aint bad. And Mosiah that's not a dis. So this outing entailed an evening shoot at OSH in berkeley. I had seen this location on Mosiah's facebook and wanted to get some strobes set up and shoot. Kevin, Dukie, Donovan, Mosiah, Tobias, Miles, Luigi, and Jafin were on deck. There was a short warm up session then we went across the lot to the rail. Luigi and I got set up and started shooting. Another reason to bust this shoot was to let Luigi get some exposure to the working of the strobes. The stunna was Miles getting a super clean kickflip over the rail just as security was ousting the crew. Skating and shooting were not done yet. We headed over to Willard then to a 8 stair rail right across the street. Dukie will not be stopped! He sized up the rail and kept at it till he pulled it off, this kid is determened. Shooting that late is rough and I learned you need portable intense lights. Live and learn. Enjoy these shots and stay tuned for more from "stick it."

Christian

V-Town

"Who's van is that?"

Quote from one of the guys when I pulled up to the skatepark with my mother in laws Econoline 350. The plan was to pack up crew and troop over to Vallejo to skate the park and rip 2 schools right in the same neck of the woods. The team consisted of Noah, Dukie, Avery, Donavon, Sean, Luca, and David. The drive was cake...carpool, you know. It was pretty classic when we got on site I heard a kid say "I think these guys ride for LRG." When you roll deep and everybodys board is plastered with LRG stickers folks would think that. Warm up started at the park then we put in work on the schools. We met up with Joe, and Paz and got footie and I caught some stills and sequences with the nikon. On the return trip Noah asked to peep my ipod and proceeded to bump Micheal Jackson dont stop till you get enough, thriller, and everyone's fave PYT. It was hilarious. Good times.

Christian