Stick It

Nick Adams Spotlight

2011-04-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

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!

Cleaning Up "The Spot"

2011-04-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

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

Ramping Up

2011-04-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

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

Header Gallery

2011-03-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Help me I'm drowning! This rain has been constant and it has seriously hampered my ability to get out and do any shooting. I have been able to cope but it's starting to get me down. Here is a small gallery of some of the past header content. I hope this weather lets up soon and I get out to some sun and street skating.

Christian

After This Honda

2011-03-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

I'm going to get to the title in just a sec. This is a quick post that I'm going to get up here. It's basically a few photos I snagged yesterday while hanging with The Pile Style crew. The crew was rolling deep and it was a full on media blitz. At the blue rail the cops rolled by and just asked us if we were filming a documentary, the answer was yup. Well carry on then.The last spot of the session was 61st and Hollis. There was consistently a fool working an obstacle that put them in traffic and we must have said "Ok your good after this Honda!" about 15 times, damn whats with all the Honda's?

Christian

Back In Here

2011-02-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

Yea kinda been stackin a few waiting to get a post up and I guess now is as good a time as any. The new header is probably my fave of the most recent set, but they all feel decent to me and that will do for the blog. You know what I hate? When you are out on a shoot and you come up short. You think you are good then your batteries die and you realize you failed to buy fresh ones. Guilt sets in. Folks are ready to get down and you are coming up short. Live and learn I guess. Boy Scout motto: Be prepared, damn I know that one...till next time.

Christian

Kyle Camarillo Spotlight

2011-02-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

I can remember meeting Kyle on an early fall morning at the Richmond skate plaza. I had shown up to meet with some homies and go and shoot some photos, Richmond was a good location that was convenient and warm up there is always fun. Kyle was working with Karl Watson on a project that we will touch on in the interview. I approached him and wasn't sure how it would go but I'm the type to just get in there and hope to meet another photographer that is good people and what do you know Kyle was one of those guys. Time passed and it wasn't till One In A Million that it hit me, hey I should do an interview with Kyle. Here we are. Kyle works both as a photographer and videographer and he is good at both. So take a few and check out how Kyle Camarillo gets stuff done.

Christian

C: Name, age, occupation, location
K: Kyle Camarillo, 26, videographer/photographer, San Francisco

C: How long have you been shooting skating?
K: For fun with the homies since 1997, professionally since around 2001.

C: Do you remember how and or what got you into shooting skating?
K: Just fun. Really it was just cause I was the one who's dad had the video camera. So I got to borrow it and we would all film each other. I think after I saw "Feedback" is when I got really interested.

C: Apprenticeships, formal training, or just get dirty and learn as you go?
K: I worked at Visalia Skatecamp as their first video intern. It was a rad idea/opportunity that the camp director, Dave Metty, came up with. Its still going to this day. It was a really cool learning experience and opened a lot of doors for me.

C: I met you shooting with Karl Watson for LRG, that's legit. How do you hook up gigs like that?
K: I edited LRG's video "Give Me My Money Chico". They were still interested in working with me when that was done so I started by shooting the photos for the "stop motion start skating" ads.

Give Me My Money Chico | Jack Curtin from LRG on Vimeo.

C: Are you traveling much to get material or covering events?
K: Not too much at the moment. It was the end of the year so travel budgets are usually thin. I went down to LA a few times. Once to film the LRG United Nations for the berrics, and another time to film a demo and shoot with Tom Asta.

C: What is one of the the things that gets you most hyped on a shoot?
K: I guess when everything works out. Quickly and painlessly. Cool spots and cool light as well.

C: Biggest bummer when you are out shooting?
K: That random person that walks by and says "you're not allowed to do that, I'm calling the police"

Brian Anderson Double Rock from Kyle Camarillo on Vimeo.

C: How about a brief run down of your equipment.

K: Nikon d300, hvx200a, and Canon 60d...the vx1000 is beginning to collect dust...

Visual Disorder from Kyle Camarillo on Vimeo.

C: I had a chance to see you on the "One in a million" series on Slap, your photos were dope. How was it working on that project?
K: It was fun. Although it was hard to set up for stills quickly enough, those dudes were hungry. But it was a cool two days. Some rad dudes for sure.

C: Be sure to keep you eye out for Kyle's work all over the place but here for sure http://getcreepy.com/videography/ and now that you know who he is it's very likely that you will see him all over the place.

WLLM Art Show

2011-02-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

Chris and I have been working hard on the e&b stuff lately cuz weather has been uber crap. Nothing better to do that tackle some business that has been put off way too long. After working all day yesterday we took a break in the evening and smashed out to Santa Rosa to the new White Label Ltd warehouse to be part of the first art event there. Stuart had put together a sweet line up of celebrity couple illustrations for viewing and purchase. A bunch of the homies came out and Drew showcased his video work and everybody had a good old time. Look forward to more events like these. Keep an eye on the WLLM site for all kinds of dope stuff skate and art related.

Christian

Weekdays With The Homies

2011-02-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

Any day can be a good day to get out with friends to skate and take photos. This past Thursday Steven, Kevin, Noah, and myself got to go out on a super nice spring day. We hit a few spots and managed to get some sweet photos. Sessions with these guys are always the best. Ninja was in the mood to handle some business and got down on a spot I have been wanting to get a shot at for a while. The rail jump got me super hyped! Thanks to good weather, the bay area, and friends!!

Christian

Brad And Boardertown

2011-02-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

This is a short and sweet one. Weather has been killer and yesterday I had a chance to get out with Noah to snap the header photo. Later we got a call from Pile Style head man Andrew Braswell letting us know he and some of the homies would be shredding Boardertown. Brad always puts it down and this day was no exception. Two hitters on the big wall.

Christian

Ricki Bedenbaugh Spotlight

2011-02-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

A videographer from down south that brought us the TRIO series from Element has been gracious enough to be on the blog and share a bit of info on his intro into the life he has chose. I have to say when I first saw th the Chad Tim Tim part I got super hyped and knew one day I would hit him up and see if he would be down to be here, and shablam here he is. So with out much more ho ha here it is the Ricki B interview complete with clips. If for some crazy reason you have not seen this footage here it is along with a few choice clips that he has put together. Keep an eye on his Vimeo page to see whats crackin with a man who knows the deal.

Christian

C: Name, age, occupation, location?
R: Ricki Bedenbaugh AKA "The Dude", or just plain "Dude"
38. Damn am I that old. Can I lie and just say 25?
Element Filmer/Editor
Long Beach, California

"TRIO" CHAD TIM TIM (PART 1 OF 3) from Ricki Bedenbaugh on Vimeo.

C: About how long have you been doing videography?
R: Started in 1995 so 16 years

C: How did this line of work come about for you?
R: Got sick of working a 9 to 5 in Florida. Moved out to California, stayed with Kris Markovich and his family. Filmed with Kris every single day and with the help from him and his family a lot of doors opened up. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for him and his family. There's no way I could ever thank them enough.

C: It looks like you do a lot of work for Element, are you a go to guy for that team?
R: Yeah, you could say that. After 411VM went out of business, Element hit me up and ask if I were interested in working for them. 3 years later, still at Element. Filming with all the guys on Element is like filming with my best friends. I love those dudes.

"TRIO" LEVI BROWN (PART 2 OF 3) from Ricki Bedenbaugh on Vimeo.

C: Do you have formal training or just getting out there and figuring it out?
R: Nope. No training, I basically came out to California and picked up a camera and started filming. I got into editing through a job I got for a local TV show in San Diego called S.T.V. (Skate, Surf, Snow Television). It was ran by Benji Weatherly (professional surfer) parents. I met them at a party they had for Benji. I got really drunk and did a little freestyle for Benji while Blink 182 played. His mom asked me what I was doing there, so I told her I was looking for a job as a skateboarding filmmaker. She told me about their TV show and said they needed someone to do the skateboarding section. 2 weeks later I was working for STV with no editing experience and hardly any filming experience. I just learned along the way.

C: The TRIO project was so dope. When I first saw Chad Tim Tim's part I got hyped. Love all those intros. About how long to get something like that done from start to finish?
R: Chad's intro took about 2 days from start to finish. Filming and editing. We both had everything written out. So we knew what we wanted his intro to be like

"TRIO" DARRELL STANTON (PART 3 OF 3) from Ricki Bedenbaugh on Vimeo.

R: Levi's took a bit longer, just to get all the different shots of him with a map in different locations. I carried that damn map around with me everywhere we went for a couple of months. If I saw something I liked we would shoot a map shot. Editing probably took a few days.

R: Darrell's took about a week. I'd shoot at his house in the morning and skate in the afternoon. Then I would bring home the footage lay it out, and notice shots I should of got. So the next day I'd go back to his house to get the shots. Luckily all the guys lived with in 2 miles of my house.

Darrell Stanton "TRIO" Trailer from Ricki Bedenbaugh on Vimeo.

Once you get all the clips in order it usually doesn't take that long to put the puzzle together.

C: What kinds of things do you enjoy doing when not filming or editing?
R: Man honestly, filming/editing takes up so much of my time. A lot of times I just want to hang out with my girl and do nothing.
I have a couple Triumph Motorcycles, I'm restoring 1 of them so whenever I have free time I try to work on it. Photography too, its a hobby of mine that I've always loved.

SOLE TRAILER FEATURING DARRELL STANTON from Ricki Bedenbaugh on Vimeo.

C: Are most of the skaters you work with ok with taking time to set up for sweet angles, you know with sliders, tripods, ect?
R: I'm the King of asking dudes to do things "1 more time" so setting up isn't what bothers them, it's getting them to do things twice is what bugs them.

C: Who inspires you to keep doing what you do?
R: The skaters and all the guys that have been doing it as long as I have. Ty Evans, Chris Ray and Jon Holland at TWS, French Fred, Dan Wolfe, Greg Hunt, Kirk Dianda, man there are so many guys that are so good at what they do. Guys like Ty and Spike, pretty much anything they do is going to be brilliant. Collin Kennedy, he's always been one of my favorites.

C: Any thing on the horizon we should keep an eye out for?
R: I'm working on a AM Video for Element right now. We've been filming for about 6 months, it should be out by June, but we all know how skate videos deadlines are.

Quattro's 2nd Angle Totally Slow Motion High Definition edit. from Ricki Bedenbaugh on Vimeo.

C: Any advice you might give to filmmakers out there?
R: I moved out to California with a High School education and no experience in filming or editing. I knew I didn't want to go back to Florida and work in some warehouse again. If you want something bad enough you'll work your ass off to get it. Hell, if I can do this for over 15 years anybody can.

C: Thanks so much for your time, and for answering my questions. Any shout outs before we sign off?
R: Man this list could go on forever, basically everyone that has helped me out with advice, filming, editing, money, and life in general.
Especially Kris Markovich and his loving Family.

Mash Up Round Two

2011-01-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

As I had mentioned before last weekend I gathered quite a few images. Here is round two. This batch has a few sequences some of the homies. Don't have much to say here other than looking forward to more sessions out in Santa Rosa, or missions out in the Oakland area with these guys.

Christian

510

2011-01-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

The local shop is 510. It has been a bit since I have done one of these and how better to get into it again than with the local homies. Nathan Alton is the front man over at the shop and I hit him up with some hitter questions. Just kidding they were pretty basic. Anyway if you have a chance to get over there you will be happy and helped by some of the best from the bay.

Christian

C: Name, age, occupation, location
N: Nate Alton, 24, Chief Lurker at 510 Skateboarding in Berkeley CA.

C: How long have you been managing the crew over at the shop?
N: I have worked here for almost 7 years but have been managing for the last few years.

C: How long has 510 been a fixture in Berkeley?
N: 510 has been holding it down since 1998.

C: There was Oakland shop at one point, could you talk about that a bit?
N: We like to keep that on the LO. Just kidding. LO was the name but some things just aren't meant to be.

C: What kinds of things is the shop doing to stay viable in what seems like a pretty rough economic time?
N: We just try to sell the best quality products from brands we stand behind and be as nice to our customers as possible. We also try to do events and give back to our community as much as we can.

C: Staying active in the local skate community is pretty important. What do es the shop do in that area?
N: We try to do contests, demos, video premieres, etc. as much as we can. Im always working on ways to do more stuff like that. My goal for this year is to do more stuff for bordertown because that place is the best and it needs the public help.

C: Your relationship with the guys over at Real is pretty tight, that is a pretty positive thing right?
N: Yes those dudes are rad. They have helped us out with so much over the years. I am stoked to get to continue working with those dudes on different stuff in the future. Big shout outs to Jim, Pete, and the whole DLX crew!

C: Do most of the staff at the shop skate?
N: Yes, every one here skates. Some of us more than others. Me and Augie skate the most, but i think we both skate more than your average skater. I just had a flat ground session with Jerry the others day. Hes still got it.

C: Does this help as far as sales at the shop?
N: Maybe, maybe not. They say any press is good press.

C: Any plans for events in the summer of 2011?
N: We Out Here Again, or We Still Out Here? No but we got some ideas. There will be some stuff going on for sure.

"A Day In The Life" of Nathan Alton from Dustin Leary on Vimeo.

C: If 510 was a band what kind of music would it put out?
N: Oldies for sure. We like a lot of oldies in here.

510 Major Jones from T on Vimeo.

C: Thanks for your time Nate and thanks for fielding my questions. Best of luck in the future to you and the shop. Shout outs?
N: Thanks man, Shout outs to my staff, The 510 team, Jerry and Dandy, the Berkeley skate park crew, and all the Homies who support 510! We couldn't do it without you.

1 Month Down

2011-01-23T15:11:00.000-08:00

As we approach the end of the first month of 2011 things have been progressing nicely. Right now news to report is that I will primarily be shooting on weekends so content will be a little less frequent. This past Friday and Saturday I was able to generate some shots and I'm going to break it up into two posts. The content will not necessarily have a time table or anything like that its just going to be a mash up. Thanks to all the homies that go out with me to shoot, super appreciate it. Oh and the blog is having some technical difficulties and there fore will lack a header image, lame! I'm going to square it away asap.

Christian

A Great Day To Skate

2011-01-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I rounded up the crew and set off on what was shaping up to be a great January day. The sun was out and weather was shaping up to be unseasonably warm. We headed out to a rail in Castro Valley and got some stuff done. At the end of the day got a few from the "golden time". Both Jon and Augie are getting together sponsor me tapes. Keep an eye out for clips from this day on those , bangers for sure! Check it out.

Christian

Bro's From San Diego

2011-01-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

Just had a chance to meet up with my homie Andrew yesterday. He recently moved into Oakland and I hit him up cuz I had a bit of free time. Turns out he had some friends up from San Diego so we hit a spot and took some photos. Trying to keep the hype rolling, going out today also to get more snaps so stay tuned!

Christian

Rainy Day Skate Guy

2011-01-13T16:24:00.001-08:00

Seems like I always have it on my mind and when I can't be out doing it or shooting it why not go ahead and draw it. Here is a little ginger homie I came up with today. A rough drawing to scan to photoshop. I have been super inspired by some flickr friends who are illustrators as of late. This style is fun and I think this guy will re appear from time to time putting down some raw tricks. Anybody got some name ideas?

Christian

Fog City

2011-01-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

Pretty stoked I finally took the initiative to get a crew together and hit a couple of spots I have been wanting to get to for a while. Daily City was the town and the crew was Noah to film, Jon P, Augie, Andy, we also met up with some of the OULK crew. Eddie, Kevin and Steven rolled out and we all had a kick ass time. Jon had a mission and got broke working on a nollie krook at a 10 stair. Bummer, he is determined and will go back and get it. Augie really shined and was the man with the moves at Jefferson. All in all a great day.

Christian

Post Holiday Post

2011-01-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Finally got my head on straight after a holiday of excess. Had a chance to get out recently and shoot a few photos. Just a quickie to set off 2011. Always trying to get out and shoot, new folks new spots, hope to get it cracking this year. Peace.

Christian

2010 Review

2010-12-31T09:54:00.000-08:00

Phew...just got done going through the blog for the past year. 2010 with out a doubt was a banger year, I had the chance to do so much stuff and meet so many new people it was crazy, crazy good. I also feel like the photography has progressed to a different level. I was able to host a ton of artists and fellow photographers and give a bunch of local rippers a place to see some of their skating out there. I owe everybody who helped me out this year a HUGE thanks and much gratitude, all you guys and gals rock!! I can only hope 2011 will be as fruitful but no matter what "we out here!!" On to a photo recap.

Christian

SpongeBob WLLMshirt

2010-12-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

Chillin with the kids today at home in the rain usually means a drawing session. I had this idea for a fave character of mine lurkin in some White Label Limited gear and here it goes. First a quick pencil sketch, then a bit of ball point, a quick scan, then into Photoshop for a paint job. If you haven't had a chance get over to WLLM and check out the goings ons...good stuff also if you don't know who SpongeBob is then, I don't know what to say.

Christian

You Can't Hold Me Down

2010-12-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

The sun comes out, hop on the phone, and get some photos. Hit up Jon to see if he was game to get out and get some stuff done. He said yes and we were on our way to CCC. He has been wanting to film big spin front board so that was the first objective. A brand new board met its demise 7 tries later. Bend it back up and give it another go. Break that board again!! AAAAARGH! Call Karl Watson to see about getting another board to give it a go some other time. Karl says lets get it done so he swoops out. Build that bad boy and as the light is just about gone get it done! While we wait for Karl get some lifestyle shots. A year end wrap up will follow this post to wrap up a sweet 2010.

Christian

Going Nowhere Fast

2010-12-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

Sigh* Bad moon a rising. I think we are looking at a solid week plus of rain and crappy weather, so here are a couple I was able to get before this eminent weather came about. In the mean time break out your snow boards cuz I would put money down that the Sierras are crackin. If that's your thing.

Christian

Gettin Broke Off

2010-12-14T00:14:00.000-08:00

Trying to come up with something clever but sometimes its about going out and getting broke off, and yielding some pics along the way. As always the OULK crew is down by law. These cats are always willing to get buck for the lens at the cost of tail and well being. As usual Jt got busy and even though Tran took an early hit he was still down to drive over a stone. Tone was all about to get something by" krook or hook" and managed the biggest gap of the day. Fun times and look forward to linking up with all these fools again real soon. Always good times.

Christian

Robert Leidner Spotlight

2010-12-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Fellow photographer Robert has a great eye and is shooting some rippers in the bay area. I have yet to meet him but one does not have to have personally met someone to see that talent deserves recognition. Robert also feels like a good person, from the bit of conversation we have had. Very soon pints will be had and the true meeting will have gone down but in the short term have a look at some of his photos and try to get a feeling for who he is from the questions he has answered. One day you too may have a chance to have pints with him too, you know cuz pints with pretty much anybody is where its at.

Christian

C: Name, Age, Location, Occupation
R: Robert Leidner, I currently live in the Sunset District in San Francisco but I'm originally from Concord CA.

C: How long have you been shooting skating?
R: I first started shooting skateboard photos in High School, but after that I got into filming and that's what I was doing until about 2 and a half years ago when I started shooting stills again which I felt I always enjoyed more.

C: Can you remember when it hit you that this was something you wanted to do?
R: I knew from the time I started skating I was going to try and make it my life some way or another but because I'm a big guy I really suck at skating myself so I picked up a camera.

C: When you go out to get photos what might be the biggest downer?
R: Injuries for sure, I hate seeing my friends get hurt.

C: What gets you juiced up?
R: Just anyone who's down to make skateboard art!

C: Formal training, or just get out there and work it out?
R: Fuck anything formal I'm shooting skateboarding, its a independent sport so I'm trying to do it independently.

C: Digital or film or both?
R: Both. I just need to still be connected to my roots and film is where it all stated for me. Plus film is still number one in quality.

C: How often do you submit photos to publications, and what might those publications be?
R: As often as I can, I'm still in the beginnings of my career so I think I am paying my due's right now.

C: Have you ever had folks not use shots due to exclusivity issues?
R: No, not yet anyway.

C: Could you give us a brief run down of your gear line up?
R: Hasselblad with the 30mm fish, Nikon D3, and Lumedyne flash kits.

C: How long have you been working Moose Knuckle Mag? Give me the skinny on that name.
R: I started this up about 4 months ago when I was talking to my friend that I wanted to start a online and printed mag, then about a week later he Facebooked me and told me I should call it Moose Knuckle so I said fuck it and did.

C: How good are you at popping wheelies?
R: Good so long as you don't ask me to do them off the nose.

C: Ok bro we are done. Thanks for taking time to get up on the blog and fielding my questions. It's time to do the shout outs.
R: I want to say thanks to everyone who has supported me over the years you know who you are.

Brothers On A Day Bound For Rain

2010-12-03T00:10:00.000-08:00

A proper mentality is what it took to get it done today. The day held rain and the easy path would have been to pile out and get a whole lot of nothing done but...hail the " get it done masters" or something like that. I got a crew together and Oakland/ Alameda was the grounds for the achieving. Ninja aka Steven Tran, Josh Bozzuto, and an old fave Noah Scott stepped up and were down to throw down for my magic camera. It was a chill session and rain could not stop the hype. The bottom line its all about the homies...one love.

Christian

First Calling

2010-11-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

Had a chance to get behind the pencil and paper some more recently and that's always good times. When I was younger I was a big comic book Larry and as of late my oldest son got into Ghost In The Shell and man it re kindled a fire for me. All that stuff is killer, so I got crackin' on a Tachikoma desktop. I was stoked on the results and if you like it hook it up to adorn the face of your machine I'm sure you see way too much of. Also gonna get up a little piece I did a while back for the crew....y'all know whats up.

Christian

Get What You Can

2010-11-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

We were on a mission out to a Richmond spot to wreck a 12 stair rail with Ninja, Eddie, Jake, and Jon, but due to a fence closed up blocking access we opted for a stair set on the campus. The rail will wait...its not going anywhere. Hope everybody had a great holiday. Till next time....

Christian

Stills to Match

2010-11-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

I have a couple of stills that have the sequences to match. I have been wanting to do a whole series of this type of thing and gather maybe about 5-6 images and the sequences to go along with them...on the list of projects I guess. Crisp days and short on light but always more content to come. Keep it real.

Christian

Ok What Day Is It?

2010-11-19T00:09:00.000-08:00

Been gone for a minute and to be honest with you I have been kinda in a photo funk. I can't really explain what has been going on but I seem to have lost my flow. My good friend Steven Tran got me out a few days back and I was shooting again and it felt good. As usual hanging with the OULK crew got me hyped and we hit a few Richmond spots. Here are a some shots from that session and please stay tuned for the Robert Leidner Interview that will be getting up in here real soon....should be dope.

Christian

Damian King At D-Structure

2010-11-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

Friend Damian King just finished up a group of killer work and had a show at D-Structure out in San Fran. Great food, drinks, DJ, and folks made the show a complete success. Thanks to all the players, Mobile Libations, Stoop Kitchen, and D-Structure for hosting. Keep an eye on Mr. King, his art is tight and will be showing up all over the place I'm sure.

Christian

Guerrilla Marketing

2010-11-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

The second installment in a video series stemming from Chris and I having short term access to a Nikon D90. Like I said before, something more gritty. Less is more is the philosophy on this one. Big shout out to The Pile Style!

Christian

Guerrilla from christian ericksen on Vimeo.

Recent Wastelands

2010-10-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that the Wastelands is still intact and ready to rumble. There was some talk that this epic DIY spot was going to meet it's demise at the hands of Cal Trans but it looks like it is alive and well. Thanks to Karl Watson and a generous donation a fresh quarter is in full effect. I had the chance to get over there and shoot some fools that I have been running with lately and also meet up with Funktion rider Matt "Atreau" to hook up some shots. Lets all hope the rumors are false and this great underground spot will stay alive and well.

Christian

A First Montage

2010-10-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

I know its got a bit of cheez melting off it but man was this fun to do. Going to be trying some more gritty content down the line on other projects. Stay tuned.

Christian

At The Park from christian ericksen on Vimeo.

Rail In Waiting

2010-10-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Jack London Square is a pretty sweet bit of Oakland with its fair share of skate spots. I have been passing a rail for close to a year waiting for someone to step up. Enter Weston. He called it out as our second spot and put in work. These are a couple of shots including one of myself shot by Noah as I got up to a higher vantage point to shoot. It's pretty classic.

Christian

Sweet Light

2010-10-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

So I have posted non skating stuff up here before and the other day I caught my friend and colleague strumming away in some killer light conditions. Rain and overcast can be a drag, but it can also make for some bomber portraits.

Christian

Fall Comes Falling In

2010-10-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

I sit here in front of my computer keeping things going as the cold and wet start to make themselves known outside. I know dry weather will come back but I cant help but stress a bit on how shooting will carry on as winter knocks on the door. Eh the bottom line is I know it will all come together, cuz it always does. Here are a few I have snagged recently please enjoy if you are sitting in front of your computer too.

Christian

Rainy Day Session

2010-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was on a mission to score some photos for the upcoming Skidmark. Weather was not with me, rain put up a pretty serious block. But blocked a session will not be. Log Shop has a kick ass ramp and so there we went. Here are a few shots from the session that went off. Hand held strobe action, at a quick and furious time. A little portrait session cracked as we were gearing up to go and Jake actually caught yours truly like a pro!! Great job my brother.

Christian

DWNTWN

2010-10-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

The kids over at Team Jaded put some new equipment to the test. Results look smokin' and DWNTWN gets a promo vid out of the test. Looking good!!

Christian

A Crispy Shot

2010-10-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard on getting shots as of late with the new Skidmark magazine coming out. Here is a cherry shot of my man Jon Perez hookin' a lip slide on the CCC rail. Be sure to look out for the November release of the zine. Its gonna be packed with all kinds of goodness.

Christian

ROUGHNECK 7th Annual BART Tour

2010-10-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Johnny Roughneck is a wealth of great ideas and one that he hatched 7 years ago still going strong. Bart tour is something that came into my view in the early part of this past summer. I was chopping it up with some of the locals at Berkeley park. We were discussing my adventures on the Phoenix am road trip. Most of the guys were familiar with Johnny and I asked how they knew about him. They all chimed in BART tour fool!! As far as I can tell there will be an on going batch of those locals where ever they be, telling someone some where one of the ways they know Johnny Roughneck is cuz of BART tour fool!

This year the tour took the crew from DWNTWN out across the bay to Richmond park. The street plaza park provided a ton of bomber tricks and the local crew definitely was appreciating the product toss. Next the crew headed over to the Wastelands. DIY goodness was appreciated by all. The last stop, which I regrettably did not make was back to SF to Potrero park. I hope the crew wound it down in style. I definitely look forward to another 7 years of ROUGHNECK sponsored BART tours. "I thought I told ya....I'm a Roughneck Soldier!!"

Christian

Ready Or Not Here I Come...

2010-10-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Finding time to shoot these days is like Hide and Seek. Counting to like a million then everybody has the best spot to hide. You are about to holler Olly, Olly Oxen free! Then you spy something and lo and behold its a chance to get out there and score some shots. YES!!! Found you sucker. Here is a hand full of stuff from a few of those types of missions as of late.

Christian

Joe Brook Interview

2010-09-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

As I began to shoot skating and became oriented to the local shooting scene one name was heard often. That name was Joe Brook. It was never just Joe or Brook always Joe Brook, like one could not stand with out the other. Anyway I started to look at his work and was definitely stoked on it. Great lifestyle and the skating stuff was top notch. Had a chance to meet him at a little show put on by 510 and knew then that at some point I would endeavor to get him up on the blog. That day has come. So with out further ado I give you the Joe Brook interview.

Christian

C: Name, age, age, occupation, location

J: Joe Brook, 38, Photographer, SF

C: How long have you been shooting?

J: 17 years

C: Formally trained? Apprenticeships or just getting out there
and getting it done?

J: All of the above. I went to City college of San Francisco for a few years. Barged SFAI darkrooms when some of my friends worked there. Learned a lot form listening. Did some assisting and learned quite a bit there.

C: I recon you travel a bit to get material...is this true?

J: Yeah we get t travel a lot. I love it! Skateboarding, Photography and traveling! We are really lucky!

C: Could you talk to me a bit about the van?

J: Big Blue was the Birdhouse team van. I was in Tucson finishing up a Suski interview. Seamus was the TM at the time and said that was going to be the last trip for the van since they were getting a new one. I told him I wanted it. He checked with his Bosses and they were down. It got broken into at Birdhouse and they fixed the brakes and window and smogged it.They wanted $500.00 for it now. Fausto wanted me to get it, Unfortunately he passed away. RIP Fausto Miss you!I told Brian Brannan I couldn't afford it. That was that. 6 months went by Brian calls me up and says you can have the van for free it you get it by friday. I told him I'll see you tomorrow morning. Flew down to LA got picked up by Kurt Hayashi was at Birdhouse at 9am. signed the papers drove it back to SF with no tire jack or tire repair equipment. On my way to SF got flashed by some Spring break chicks nice racks! haha. Must have been the skate stickers on the van. My intent was to take it to Skatopia and blow it up. It sat around High Speed for 5 months I was traveling a lot. Ben Sanchez that skated for Chocolate was working in a garage. He fixed the AC and put 2 tires on it. He said it still had a life in it. So I took it to Portland Seattle to work on a gravette interview with Guzman in tow. I told everyone it might not make it! The crew was down to roll! It's been on the road ever since across the US quite a few times. Lots of good times and the American flag too! It just broke 238,000,00

C: What is the longest you have road tripped to get shots?

J: 2 months all around Europe for my first trip there.

C: You have shot some heavy hitters in the industry. How have
some of those relationships come about?

J: I met a lot of people when I was skating a lot. Around the EMB days in 1991
I met Aaron Meza and some Dlx heads and lot of skaters. I didn't shoot then I just wanted to skate. I would trip out on Morf and Tobin shooting photo's I thought it was a cool job. All I wanted to do was shred and feed myself so I worked as little as possible. Those were Awesome times! Not a care in the world!

C: I see your work every where is there any advice you might give to aspiring photographers about getting work published?

J: Work hard,love skateboarding and shooting it. Do it for the love of skateboarding. Try to see stuff differently.

C: Mostly film or digital?

J: 50/50 I like both

C: Can you give me a brief list of your set up?

J: Nikon D3/Nikon F100/ Contax T3/Toyo 4x5/ Hasselblad 501cm

C: Shooting in broad daylight...any tips?

J: Motion blur sucks! Short flash durations.

C: As far as I can tell you are the main guy over at SLAP how did you hook that up?

J: Mark Whiteley got me the job. He s the back bone of Slap he works super hard and has an Awesome vision.We work really good together and.Had a lot of Fun times!

C: That's enough grilling...I really appreciate your time and you answering my questions if you wanna give any shout outs this would be when it happens, so go for it.

J: All the skaters that let me shoot them! Everyone in the industry that gave me a chance. High Speed Productions for being my Cali Family!

Folks And Their Wood

2010-09-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Over my time shootin I have taken time to hook up portraits with skating shots. Here is a collection of those types of shots up to this point. It takes two baby.

Christian

POKER RUN

2010-09-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Release party times 2, totally epic concept for a contest, bands, good friends, and great times. That's my summery of the Poker Run Contest put on by 621, Pile Style, Skidmark, and Vertical Smile. So let me give you a quick run down on the format of the contest. 5 spots with a judge at each spot. Throw your trick and get a card. Collect your cards and build a hand. At the end the player with the best hand wins. This time Adam Emery was holding all aces, and took home the cash. Congrats bro you deserved it. Other things were jumping off as well. My boy's over at Pile Style have been workin hard to get a web presence going and they wanted to party with folks when they got it done. Also Mike O over at Skidmark was handing out fresh copies of the most recent magazine. Life B4 Death put on a sick performance and Bukue 1 and Del closed it out big willie style. I have been horse for 2 days and wont forget that night for a long time. Definately get over to the Snuggleblog to get Bruce's take on things.

Christian

Draw Some

2010-09-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Something I like to do when not being a full time dad, taking photos, or any of the million other things that eat up my time is bust out a drawing or two. These are a couple of recent things one was done as a combined effort by myself and my brother in law Niko for a little competition put on by 621 for a graphic and the other is a collab piece done inspired by the Skidmark Stick It team up. Thanks for looking.

Christian

DWNTWN Soft Open

2010-09-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

DWNTWN skateshop recently closed its doors on Hyde in SF and started gearing up at a new location over on Howard also in SF. This past weekend they opened the doors for a little soft open party. Pizza was being whipped up, beer and wine was flowing and everybody seemed pretty hyped on the new spot. Best of luck to the whole Roughneck crew on the new endeavor, but I think they got it sewn up.

Christian

Last Runs On A DIY Bowl

2010-09-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Last week I got an email from Vertical Smile rider and friend Ryan Carpenter. Recently I had shot Ryan for an upcoming interview in Skidmark Magazine and asked if we could try to lace up some pool action. Enter the email.

R: alright buddy, so here it is. Next Saturday my friends are having a final blowout bash for there mini DIY pool in their backyard. I think it would be an awesome stick-it piece. These dudes have a lot of history and there will definitely be some OGs there. try to make it.
peace

C: sounds good thanks for the heads up...got it on my calender. hit me back with your # and some details and im up in there!!
C

R: 555.555.5555. probably start around 11am - 1pm in Modesto

C: that's whats up!!

Called my homie Jake and made plans to go out shoot and session. There was a great turn out to bid farewell to what seemed like a well loved bit of DIY magic. As it turned out a couple of the guests were Ladonna and Frank from The Ranch. They let us know about a BBQ and jam that was to go down that eve and we should get our tails over there and do it up, so we did. People drink, people skate, I drink, I take photos and its an all around good thing.

Christian

Damian King Interview

2010-09-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes great creativity can just not be seen cuz its something that is done purely for the love and folks don't put it all up in your face, like "check out what I can do." Case in point is Mr. King. I have known Damian for a decent chunk of time and had no idea he was such a kick ass artist. Recently the photo business I am part of was doing an engagement session with Damian and his fiance Erin. We all wound up at his apartment and some of his work was lying about. BAM!!! here we are. Read and look and definitely mark your calender for his up coming show.

Christian

C: Name, age, location, occupation
D: Damian King, 35, Berkeley, CA., Freelance Illustrator/Graphic Designer, and Fine Artist

C: How long have you been doing illustration/design?
D: Been drawing forever.
Doing it professionally since my first gig in 1992 or so.
As a career since 2005.

C: Formal training or self taught?
D: Both, I graduated from CCA in 2006 with a BA in Illustration.

C: Can you chop it up a bit about your methods when it comes to your painting?
D: I try to keep it simple, to me, less is more. Most of my paintings come from random sketches that come about organically, without any intention of becoming a fully rendered painting. I will enlarge a sketch and transfer that onto a large surface, usually wood. I then go in with ink and do the line work. After the inking is finished I will go in with layers of Acrylic paint washes, very similar to watercolor. Sometimes I will go back over the line work with ink because the layers of acrylic have dulled the black to grey.

C: Anybody doing work out there currently or past that give you inspiration?
D: Too many to list.
Deth P. Sun, Travis Millard, Jim Phillips, Mike Giant, ESPO, Craig Robson, Mr. Gauky, John Kricfalusi, Gregg Abbot, I could keep going but I won't...

C: What would be the dream gig?
D: I would love to do a logo/branding package for someone like Independent Trucks or Levis.

C: You have a client list. Can you share with us some of your more memorable pieces and who they were for?
D: There have been a lot of memorable pieces. My first paid commissioned piece was for the cover of a textbook about 'Antisocial Boys'. I was really into graffiti at the time so the cover was essentially a photo of a 'piece' I did depicting some hoodlum smoking a joint.
Some more recent pieces have been things like covers for the SF Bay Guardian, poster designs for the Vapor Room and Audiodub, design work for TOMS, and Choke on Color.

C: Have you ever collaborated with other artists before?
D: Me and this guy Jimmy used to collaborate on tshirt designs via computer. Someone would start a sketch, scan it and send it to the other guy. When he was done he would scan it and send it back. Then we would take the sketch into Photoshop and do the same thing, take turns tracing the sketch and adding color. Those were fun to do.

C: Can you tell us a bit about the show you have coming up?
D: I have a solo show at the D-Structure SF (DSSF) shop on Height street in Sf in November. I can't say too much about it other than it will be roughly based on the SF hipster/skater/cool guy scene.

C: How do you prep for something like this?
D: First I brainstorm on the concept. I try to pick a topic or idea that is rife with imagery, something personal. Then I do lots and lots of sketches, and then I do some more. Then I sift through those and pick the best, often combining two sketches into one. Narrowing and condensing sketches till I have a collection that I feel are worthy of painting. Sometimes I have random sketches lying around that fit into a theme, and sometime a them can come from a random sketch.
From there it is all about time management, painting for 10-12 hours a day.
A couple days before the show I go in and Prep the site for my installation. Paint the walls, do window displays, smoke a fatty and open up shop!

C: How much stuff is done digitally, and is this a preferred medium?
D: I do a lot of digital work for things like T-shirt designs, poster designs, stickers, fliers, postcards, logo work, etc. Basically anything graphic in nature gets finished on the computer with Photoshop and/or Illustrator. This part of my work seems to be getting larger all the time. Currently I spend about half my time doing computer based work. But, almost all of my work starts with a pencil sketch.

C: Well that just about does it, thanks for your time and if you wanna give any shout outs now would be the time.
D: Shout out to my wifey to be Erin, the Vapor Room, E&B photography, and my Moms and Pops.

Dylan Reider Promo

2010-08-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Just got my promo video attached to my current The Skateboard Mag and damn it makes a great coaster but it is also a real piece of work. If you havent seen it check it out and be sure to watch it the whole way through....it BANGS!

Christian

http://gravisskateboarding.com/dylan/videos/dvd/

The COMMITTED

2010-08-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

A while back I brought you an interview in the attempt to shed some light on the enigma that is Lord Cherry. The interview was killer and revealed a bit while still keeping the whole story clouded in a veil of mystery. This morning I woke to find I have been inducted into the COMMITTED category on the AMX69 web site. I am juiced to say the least. Big thanks to Lord Cherry for lookin out and representing good folks. For those about to rock!!

Christin

CREEP RIDE

2010-08-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

Over this past weekend I was able to tag along on the first "CREEP RIDE". This was a collaborative effort put together by Joel J over at Metro, Jake Crawley, and Mike O from Skidmark magazine. The word I would use to describe this little mission would be success.

It was slatted up to go a little something like this...meet at Metro at about 10:00 am on Saturday morning group up then hit the road for Benicia X Park. After that back on the road to Vallejo to ride at that park and grill up some grub. It should be known that at this point being flexible had to come into play, there were parks lined up and a final destination but good times, a chill mentality, and beer can often wreak havoc on the best laid plans.

After grilling and skating at Vallejo we got on the road to Santa Rosa park. Traffic was pretty dense and it took us a bit of going around to finally get on site. At that point the Rosa park was voted down for Sebastopol park. This park was killer but Jake almost got a ticket and we literally were there for about 15 mins. Strict helmet rules can really crash a good time. Feeling a bit bummed we packed up and got out to Willits...also a slammin park but dawn till dusk hours put us at our last destination too late. No worries, hop the fence and skate till the last bit of light goes then figure out where to crash/camp. Sugarloaf ridge campground was the spot. We all got there at about 9:30 set up camp started to wind down and get some vittles cookin. I proceeded to get tossed and woke the next day super hung over and feeling pretty useless. A few hurl sessions and some major crash time the next thing I know we are at St. Helena park to finish up the mission. Skating at this park was super fun and although our bro nutted on a rail and weather was crazy hot it all went pretty smooth. A big thanks goes out to all the folks who made this little mission come together, all the bros who rode their bikes, and everybody who helped to make the over all thing just kick ass. That's whats up!!

Christian

Diego Gamez Interview

2010-08-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

Bay Area Photographer who has been out there doing it for a bit. I have to admit I do not know much about him so when I approached him about the interview I figured this would be a good way to inform myself. One thing I did know going into this, his photos are tight. Enjoy the snaps and gleam a little info on a chill cat who man's the lens box.

Christian

Name, age, occupation, and location
My name is Diego ATL Gamez, Im a full time lurker and Im from Oakland, and Berkeley,CA

How long have you been shooting skating?
I've been shooting skating for about 7 years now. Had my first photo published when I was 18.

Self taught or schooling...or a bit of both?
My mom taught me the basics and I went from there. I took some classes on photo history which was rad but mainly self taught.

Can you give me a little juice on The low life cult?
The Low life Cult is just a place where I can post bullshit and express myself I guess. I need to update it though but I've been busy with other projects.

Digital or film or both?
Both!

Who out there inspires you in your photography?
Estevan Oriol,Roberto Oriol,Brian Gaberman, Glen Friedman, Boogie

Do you have a dream gig?
I never really though of it. I guess I'd like to have my photos in exhibitions all over the world.

Do you submit photos to any publications?
Every day.

Could you give me a break down of your equipment?
Nikon D700 with grip
Nikon 16mm fisheye
Nikon 50mm
Nikon 35mm
Hasselblad 501cm
Hasselblad 150mm
2x a12 backs
1x polaroid back
5x pocket wizard trancievers
3x sunpak 555's
1x sunpak 544
1x Quantum Qflash T2

If you could shoot anywhere in the US where would you and why?
New york city. I love the spots there and the way photos look. Especially when shot with film. New york city go. I shot some modeling stuff there but never skate photos.

What instrument would you play if you were in a band?
Drums fo sho, I love to make noise and its the only instrument that would take out my aggression. I'd also fucks with some turn tables get all qbert on that shit.

All right then that ought to do it. Thanks for your time and if you have any shout outs now is the time.
my mom at aidagamez.com, my girlfriend for letting me do what I love, 510 skateshop, Jamie hustle, All the oside homies, berkeley homies, sf homies, oakland homies, portland homies, La mission and everyone who has let me shoot a photo of them.

Good To Be Back

2010-08-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

So in the prior post I mentioned getting away to visit some fam up in Portland. The trip was a lot of road time but was definitely worth it. The city was great and I'm glad I can say I have been up there, but nothing makes you appreciate home like being away for a bit. To that effect it was pretty great to hook up with Dustin and Weston and do some shooting and filming this eve. Weston continues to kill it and gives Dustin a good reason to come out with us. Here are a few choice shots from the Portland trip and a couple from this eve.

Christian

Hittin' The Road

2010-08-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well folks the family and I are getting ready to hit the road up to Oregon. The past few weeks have been super productive and I feel like I have been working really hard on my skills. This is a little gallery of some recent stuff. When I get back I'm hoping to have some fresh stuff for ya and I will for sure be getting on a weekend trip with the kids from skidmark mag and definitely securing some killer stuff there. Have a good one and see you all when I return from my family road trip.

Christian

Other Stuff

2010-08-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

So if there are folks out there who don't know, I shoot things outside of skating. This weekend I went and shot a wedding in the sierras. On the way back from the destination my partner and I made a slight detour at the Altamont Pass to shoot some sweet wind turbines. These are a couple I'm pretty into...enjoy.

Christian

Who's That Crossing Over My Bridge?

2010-07-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

I have been spending a bunch of time over at the Wastelands and Lurkside lately, so much it feels like I'm a character from the 3 Billy Goats Gruff. I will say shooting down there is fun and results get me stoked. I have to give it up to all the folks past, present, and future who keep these spots alive. I swear I shoot other places just cant post that stuff yet...

Christian

"We Out Here" Finals

2010-07-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

It all comes down to the finals held at the East Oakland Park grand opening. All the players were there Johnny Roughneck, Jamie Hustle, Nate and Jimmy. Of course the finalists were in effect to skate the sweet street plaza that has been put together at the Youth center and things were crackin'. Dustin Leary and I rolled out to cover the event and it was short and sweet. Bangers went down and it was a lovely day on the whole. Once and for all thanks to the sponsors who made this series possible and thanks to the folks over at 510 for bringing it all together. We love you Nate!! *Cough* in a bro kind of way...

Christian

Cookin'

2010-07-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have a few things in "the hopper" right now and I just wanna keep folks aware. On the come up we will have a couple of profiles that will break some new ground as far as content and format, also the last stop on the 510 tour is bubbling. Of course yours truly is out there trying to get new photos all the time and as fresh stuff gets done you will see it. Thanks for watching and keep a weather eye on the horizon mates.

Christian

"We Out Here" Alameda

2010-07-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

The second stop on the "WE OUT HERE" series put everybody out at the skate park in Alameda. As I got on scene Johnny was setting up sound system out of the trunk of his Prius. I got the skinny that security had come by and started to shut it down due to lack of permits. Some sweet talkin' and a "bro come on..." got the static over with and the fun started. Same format as the Berkeley event but different terrain. The location was great and a big thanks to all the folks who came out to skate and those who came out to spectate. The next stop will be the East Oakland park and man its gonna be tight!! Oh and you will notice a 3 shot sequence of Major and Holden bottom line they landed it and I just barely caught it going down in the deathmatch format. It was epic!! See all yall in Oakland.

Christian

New Folks At Wastelands

2010-07-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Wastelands are a place for good times and DIY goodness. This afternoon I spent sometime at the spot and got to know some new folks who rip. I'm hoping that coincidental meetings make for some new photos of some good people at some new spots. Lets all try to keep the underground lit!

Christian

Metro Summer Camp

2010-07-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

Man I wish when I was a kid there was skate camp as a summer camp option. I just got thrust into the wild and did some crazy stuff like blowing up arisol cans, shooting my friends with bb guns and stuff like that, which now that I reflect on it was pretty cool but not as cool. This post is some shots from the last day of Joel and Metro shop company's camp. The park was out in Modesto and damn it was hot but it seemed to me that all the kids had fun and enjoyed themselves. Next season I'm gonna try and hitch a few more rides out with these guys "to cover the skaters" nudge ya wink wink.

Christian

510 "We Out Here" Jam

2010-07-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

USA, USA!! Ah the fourth of July..BBQ, sunshine, beverages, flags, and a jam format contest at Berkeley park!! Local shop 510 set off a series of events that started this past Sunday and will get over to the Alameda park and finish up in Oakland. The series will be grouped by age and if this first event is an indicator, we should see some great skating through out the series. There are a bunch of great sponsors, folks like Roughneck, Shake Junt, Altamont, Spitfire, Thunder, and Hustle skateboards. Johnny Roughneck and Jamie Hustle were out there shot calling and helping 510 GM Nate keep the tallies and eliminations proper. All in all the event was a real success and everybody who signed up to skate, walked away with something. Results shape up a bit like this...

12 AND UNDER
1ST DEVON, 2ND REWAN, 3RD LORENZO, 4TH AMIR, 5TH DAVION.
13-17
1ST JONATHAN P, 2ND STEEZY, 3RD JOSEPH, 4TH DOOKIE C, 5TH DAVID N.
...18 AND UP
1ST NOAH SCOTT, 2ND JOE VILLAVICENCIO 3RD D'ONTAE SMITH, 4TH MAJOR JONES, 5TH TREVOR MORGAN.
BEST SLAM DONOVAN REID, BEST TRICK OF THE DAY JOHN STALLINGS.

Big thanks to all the folks who came out and supported this local event. WE OUT HERE!!!

Christian

Trying To Be Out There

2010-07-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

This is kinda a collection of shots that reflects being out there with all my folks that wanna get out and get it done. I have been looking forward to the summer and having opportunity's to be out with the homies and skating /shooting. In this little group we have Noah Scott, Antonio Gilman, Chris Jatoft, Ron Allen, Ryan Carpenter, and Yanaki Lopez. Thanks you guys for being there to shoot and getting hyped on the process!!

Christian

Metro Back To Summer Contest

2010-06-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

Got out to Metro and damn, thank god the contest was taking place on the quarter pipe in the shade!! Weather dealt a hand of like 100 degree hell for the troopers to trick to. The dude manning the grill was sweating profusely but for sure dishing out some tasty vittles. Bands jammed while the open session went down. Music starts skate, music stops its over. A quick pop but I personally could not handle much more, don't know how the skaters did it. Results shook out to be 1st place Ratface, 2nd Frank Faria, and 3rd was brought home by a dude named Nick. Thanks to Ace trucks, Final Sin, and Chump Change for the help out. Look for more from the Metro team and big man Joel Jutagir in the future.

Christian

Death Match 2

2010-06-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

When I hear it in my head its kinda in a demonic style voice...if you know what I mean. Death Match was frickin awesome. Our great hosts at 621 really did a killer job getting the ramp and the shop all done up for this event. Ramp got a sweet extension and the shop got some sick graffiti work done up by some local artist. Shot calling was handled by Andy B and Ron Allen, killer combo. Sponsors were thick for this little party, folks like the mighty VS, Spitfire, Antihero, Thrasher, ASF dist, and Lowcard. Musical entertainment locked up by Drunken Starfighter, and Regulator. Of course the skating was off the hook. That new portion of the ramp got a through working, and it definitely took the session to another level. I actually found myself hopping up and down on the deck and going "Ohhhhh damnnn!" many times. Winners were 1st Brad McClain, 2nd Ratface, 3rd Ryan Carpenter. Another note worthy goings on was the release of the new Skidmark magazine...icing on the cake. Great work Mike O!! Good friends, great time. Thanks to everybody!!

Christian

Jason Arnold Show

2010-06-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

Those who keep an eye on the blog and have been with us for a while will remember a post showcasing Jason Arnold's super sick paintings. Well just this past Friday he had an opening at 66 Sixth st. gallery. I was juiced to get out there and show my support for a friend and also see these pieces of art up close and personal. The show was killer and it was good to see Jason chopping it up with all his homies. Great job on the work Jason...keep it up and look forward to the next session at Berkeley!

Christian

Ryan Young Interview

2010-06-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

I have never actually met Ryan. Like most folks I head hunt for the interviews, he does great work and gets here cuz someone I know suggested I give him a peek. I look forward to meeting him and the process of the interview sheds some light on his character. Everybody out there take a few moments to get to know a bit about Ryan the same way I did by reading the interview and peeping out his photos. Maybe you know him or maybe you will meet him, what ever the case he is or will be a solid person either way.

Christian

C: Name, age, location, occupation
R: My name Ryan Young, I'm 22 years old, and I shoot photos.

C: How long have you been shooting?
R: I've been shooting photos for about 6 years.

C: Formal training, or a more hands on get it done approach?
R: This question is an interesting one. I find it unique because I struggle with the difference a lot. I go to a school where I am influenced to make pictures as opposed to take pictures. The element of design and intent is sometimes awesome to understand, but at times it can be an unhealthy obsession. Sometimes you gotta just let go and free yourself from what you think is universally right or wrong. There's a beauty in both.

I consider my formal training to be what I am told and shown technically and conceptually. On the other side, my hands on training is simply the knowledge I attain put into action.

It's somewhat like skating. Skaters learn new stuff at a skatepark, but most would want to film what they've learned on a unique street spot so they can call it their own.

C: Most folks who shoot skating also put in some ride time is this the case with you?
R: Yes. Skating will always be my number one. I still feel the same about skateboarding as I did when I was in middle school rushing through my homework so I could get down to the skatepark and do my thang.

C: Your American Dreams series is killer how did you come up with that concept?
R: Thanks. It started out as a self-assigned school project. I got ideas from things I've seen in person, movies, and NPR.

American Dreams is actually a work in progress. Its a social narrative covering contemporary issues ranging from home foreclosures to discontent suburban families. The series is supposed to convey the feeling of being caught in between reality and fantasy. There's always an underlying element of tragedy in every photo. I guess I'm drawn to the way people react to things before, during, and/or after moments of struggle.

C: What is your current fave thing to shoot?
R: Portraiture. I know that's speaking in a rather broad scope, but it's what I'm into. I feel that every artist has their own idea of what a portrait is. There is no specific definition. A still life can be a portrait. A portrait can be a still life. One of my favorite portrait photographers said it best, "The subject must be thought of in terms of the 20th century, of houses he lives in and places he works, in terms of the kind of light the windows in these places let through and by which we see him every day." -Arnold Newman

C: Who is inspiring you to keep at it?
R: I get inspiration from a lot of different sources. Everyday it seems to come from something different. Sometimes it's a movie, sometimes it comes during a critique in school, and other times it comes from simply looking around at my environment.

My favorite artists who inspire me are; Pablo Picasso, Albert Watson, Brian Gaberman, John Cardiel, and Quentin Tarantino.

C: Other than your camera what is a bit of equipment you could not live with out?
R: Film and a reflector.

C: What is your best advice to folks out there getting into photography?
R: Hmmm... Spend a lot of time obtaining the technical knowledge so you aren't limited. Look at all kinds of artists for inspiration, not just other photographers. Have fun.

C: Dream gig?
R: Some sort of editorial project in an awesome environment, with amazing light, that pays extremely well... I wish I could be more specific, but I guess I like to take things as they come.

C: If you were in a band what would you play?
R: The drums always peeked my interest.

C: Ok bro that ought to do it...thanks a bunch for your time. Any shout outs as the curtain falls on our little interview?
R: Shout out to my SPC homies, Jenna, Sam Muller, BK, D-Money, K-Duff, Mom, Dad, and Bro.

Two Things

2010-06-14T23:48:00.000-07:00

So talk about a kick in the pants. Tadashi's Fresh Crops on The Skateboard Mag web site got me inspired in a couple of ways. Way #1 try to compose and shoot more long lens. Fisheye is cool but damn, it's like crack on a camera. Way #2 try and keep a lid on some shots and work on getting stuff published. Wish me luck!

Christian

Wednesday Vert

2010-06-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

"The Book" can be a life sucker, a total drag, and or a great place to meet people and get your net work on. This post is case in point. Last weekend you all remember Man am? Well at this event was a guy who is basically a super player from back in the day. Jeff Hedges is the man in question. The event was hectic to say the least and I was unable to actually meet Jeff but post event I took some initiative and friended Jeff on Facebook. One thing lead to another and BOOYA!! Last night I was able to watch and shoot a full blown Vert session. I cannot remember the last time I had a chance to get up close and personal with an 11 1/2 foot ramp. Steve Caballero was there even!! Super fun and got a hand full of photos. Thanks to Jeff for getting me lined up, Brad for driving, and everybody else who was there putting it down.

Christian

On Assignment

2010-06-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

This is a first. In my brief tenure as a skateboarding photographer I have been fortunate enough to have a ton of opportunity's to work in a variety of ways with either organizations or events to provide coverage. The aspiration has always been to cover anything but a high hope was to get into covering an individual and shoot images to couple with an interview or spotlight in a publication. My main man Mike gave me this opportunity at the tail end of the Memorial Day weekend. His mag Skidmark will be using some shots of mine to go along with an up coming interview of a pro rider. The whole session that day was super fun and it took us all over the southern part of the Bay Area. As a bonus I had a chance to meet some new folks from the Small Beating team and grab some pics of these people as well. Bottom line I'm juiced to have had this chance and I hope it means more of this type of work will get next to me. Thanks Mike and all who participated that day. Keep you eyes peeled for the next Skidmark skate zine to peep the whole 9.

Christian

Man Am

2010-06-06T19:27:00.001-07:00

Shindig, party, event call it what you want all I can say is a down right kick ass time! The folks over at your favorite Livermore spot, Six Twentyone, cooked up one hell of and idea and served it up pipng hot! The basic jist is a competition set up to give the bros out there killing it the time and attention they deserve. Oh and also have an excuse to have a rager complete with strippers, bands, tattoo booth, hard alcohol, beer, and food. Sponsors included Skidmark Skatemag, Jim Beam, Santa Cruz, and Krux. Of course the Pile style crew rolled out Andrew was on the mic calling the shots, and keeping eyes on the strippers. Bruce was there with a collection of the VS folks and they were holding it down. Tadashi was having such a good time he became partially undressed for most of the event. The bottom line was good times and friends, some newer than others, all getting together and getting it done. Thanks to all the people who made this first of hopefully many "Man AM" events so much frickin fun!

Christian

As of Late

2010-06-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Trying real hard to keep content flowing and so as of late I have had evenings available to go out and shoot. My homies Steven and Tone have been around and are always ready to roll out so they have been the victims these past few days. Kinda feels like I'm in a bit of a rut, but gotta keep on keepin on. Hoping to score some new strobes in the near future...fathers day is right around the corner don't ya know. Anyway hope you folks enjoy these snaps.

Christian