Monday, April 18, 2011

Nick Adams Spotlight

On the road that keeps the local homies out there we bring you Nick Adams. To be totally honest I have yet to meet Nick but his work is tight and I have to give props to anybody who is out there putting in the hours to get shots. The interview has shed some light for me on Mr. Adams and in the near future I hope meet him and for all of you I hope the interview and photos help you all to see what Nick has to offer to the photo community.

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!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Cleaning Up "The Spot"

A place has been developing over the past year or so over in Emeryville called "The Spot". A ton of DIY effort has gone into creating a destination for the local skating community to come and meet up to kick it as well as skate some pretty sweet terrain. The key to keeping this place ok with all the city officials is cleanliness. No graffiti, no ruckus, and most of all not letting the place turn into a trash heap. Recently the folks over at 510 got people out to work on keeping the latter a reality. Clean up day held all the locals coming out to collect trash, skate, BBQ, and celebrate what it means to be responsible members of a community that wants to keep a classic DIY spot alive. I was proud to get out with my 3 kids and do my part to help. Here are a smattering of shots I was able to grab while I got down and dirty helping to keep the underground legit.

Christian



















Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Ramping Up

It's been a little slow going as of late but here are a few photos. Getting pretty hyped on the nice weather we have been having and definitely will be getting out there and generating more fresh posts.

Christian