Christian
C; Name, age, occupation, location?
N: Nick Adams, 25, Grad Student, Berkeley CA
C: How long have you been shooting skateboarding?
N; I've been "seriously" shooting skating for somewhere around 3 years.
C: Self taught, training give me some dirt in this area.
N: Well I a good friend of mine growing up was/is a great photographer and skateboarder and he was constantly shooting us and that's how I got interested in shooting skating. I picked up a camera my freshman year of undergrad and was constantly calling him and asking questions if I didn't understand something in a book I was learning from. I studied art throughout my undergrad but there was no photography program and I really wanted formal training so I decided to work on my MFA in photography at The Academy of Art University. It has helped immensely! The professors sometimes don't quite understand skating and keep wanting me to have the skater "jump over the camera" but other than that I've learned a lot in the year I've been there.
C: What is the thing you think is the most important thing to think about when shooting at a spot?
N: When I look at a spot the first thing I think is how am I going to make this a visually interesting photograph. Coming from an art background I don't simply focus on the trick and skater, I try, sometimes very unsuccessfully, to create an image that would be interesting and strong even if the skater was taken out of the shot.
C: The thing that gets you down about shooting skating?
N: The thing that gets me down the most is when I feel I can not make the image visually interesting. I want to do the skaters, who are often my friends, justice with my images. It's also never fun to see a homie get broke off trying a trick especially if I had to ask them to do it again. Missing the shot is an ultimate bummer.
C: The thing that gets you most hyped?
N: Oh man, getting the shot definitely. Having your lighting dialed, trick is rad, location is interesting, and it all just comes together! Then you get to show your homie the shot and if they're stoked on it then it's all good! Then once you get the shot and show your homie the only reasonable thing to do after that is crack a brew to end the sesh!
C: Can you give us a break down of your gear?
N: Well as of now I'm working with a Canon 40D, due for an upgrade but it's working for me so no complaints. Canon speedlites for skating and some cheap ass strobes and umbrellas for my portraits. I've used and still use my fair share of DIY gear and light modifiers, anything I can do to save a little bit of money.
C: Film or digital or both?
N: I would prefer to shoot stills of skating with film but as of now my gear and money are not up to par so I shoot digital.
C: Tell us what a dream gig would be.
N: That is such a hard question. I just want to shoot photos. I mean getting to shoot skateboarding and travel with some homies and skate and shoot and have my work published would be excellent.
C: Are you submitting photos to places, mags, web, ect?
N: As of now I just post things on the web, nickadamsphoto.blogspot.com and flickr.com/photos/irisimaging, I've submitted a couple things here and there but nothing crazy. I plan on submitting a lot of my work around different places soon.
C: If you played in a band what instrument would you rock?
N: This is an awesome question. I used to be a HUGE metal head and played guitar for about 6-8 years or something like that. Guitar players are rad!
C: Ok brother that should do it. Thanks for taking the time to field some questions for the blog it was tight. Any shout outs?
N: Gotta say YO to my brother Logan, www.flickr.com/photos/fnphotography, & to all my Central Ohio homies and the Lost Kause Crew who were my first test subjects, sorry for all the bad shots! My girl Sara for putting up with my constant stressing over shots and all the new homies I've met out here in Berkeley who I've annoyed with portraiture and asking "can you do it one more time?". Thanks!
