Table//Contents
10
forewords Freeze Frame
22
fresh find Nick Rudzinski
14
guest editor Ryan Gee
24
fresh find Wyatt Woodward
18
insta-faves Instagram pulls
26
fresh find Eric Martinac
20
hammertime TRICK OF THE MONTH
28
soap box Visions
30
soap box sequenCe Vs stIll
34
rap sheet tHe Green seed
38
aestHetIC analysIs
Table Of Contents marCH/aprIl 2014 VoLUME ten ISSUE tWO
On tHe COVer: adam HrIbar [front crook shuv] PhotograPhy :: zander taKetOmO COntents: JaCOb Hayes [50-50] PhotograPhy :: alex papKe
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CO-OWNER / MIKE MAZUR EDITORIAL DIRECTOR mazur@focusskatemag.com CO-OWNER / JUSTIN HEISTER ART DIRECTOR justin@focusskatemag.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT / ZANDER TAKETOMO SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER zandert@focusskatemag.com WEB / ONLINE STEPHEN OLIVEIRA CONTENT MANAGER stephen@focusskatemag.com WEB SUPPORT MATT KOSOY gonzo@focusskatemag.com COPY EDITOR JAMES WILLIAM CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS MIKE BELLEME, DANIEL BLECKLEY, ROB COLLINS, SEAN CRONAN, LUKE DARIGAN, ANDY ENOS, RYAN GEE, Nick Ghobashi, KARIM GHONEM, MIKE HEIKKILA, JASON HENRY, BRIAN KELLEY, BEN KILPATRICK, STEPHEN KNIGHT, SCOTT KRAMER, RICHIE McCORKLE, CHRIS McDONALD, STEPHEN OLIVEIRA, ALEX PAPKE, DAVID STUCK, XENO TSARNAS, ALLEN YING, DAN ZASLAVSKY
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS BUDDY BLECKLEY, ANDREW CANNON, LUKE DARIGAN, RYAN GEE, Claire Laver, CHRIS NIERATKO, STEPHEN OLIVEIRA, ALEX PAPKE, ZANDER TAKETOMO, XENO TSARNAS Interested in Advertising and Supporting your Local Scene?
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Send submissions to info@focusskatemag.com or via snail mail to the address above Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/FocusSkateMag Join us on Twitter at twitter.com/FocusSkateMag Join us on YouTube at youtube.com/FocusSkateMag Join us on Instagram at @FocusSkateMag Read full issues online at issuu.com/FocusSkateMag Focus Skateboarding Magazine is published bi-monthly, six times a year by Focus Skateboarding Magazine Inc. All contents are copyrighted by Focus Skateboarding Magazine Inc. 2014. Reproduction of any material requires the written consent from the publishers. All letters, photos, editorial contributions, and advertisements are accepted upon the representation that they are original materials by the author and/or advertiser. The author and/or advertiser accept full responsibility for the entire content and subject matter of their ads and/or editorial contributions. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author and may not reflect the views and opinions of the editor, staff, or advertisers of Focus Skateboarding Magazine. Any similarities between persons or places mentioned or alluded to in the fiction and real places or persons living or dead are purely coincidental. Advertisers assume full responsibility for the entire content and subject matter of their advertisements. The author and/or advertisers also will indemnify and save Focus Skateboarding Magazine harmless from any legal claims. Now either read this magazine, or go skate!
Sean Cronan
Fore//Words
Freeze Frame WORDS :: Mazur
focusskatemag.com
Growing up skateboarding, I always had dreams of making it a professional career. I was that annoying little kid that would go out and make his friends film him doing 50-50 180’s on the local school bleachers. I’d then go home and use dual tape decks to edit my “Sponsor Me” videos. For most of you, you might be too young to know what a videotape is. Videotapes are a combination of some magnetic film and plastic that you’d stick in what was called a VCR that would read it and translate it on to the TV. Yes, they were just like the tapes you still might use in your VX1000’s except three times the size. Anyway, I’d make these tapes and give them to all the local shops and companies. Sometimes I’d even buck up the shipping money to send it out to major companies I loved.
10
Nothing really ever came of it, and I just never seemed to get as good as my friends, and friends of friends. Since I was the only one in the group so heavily into editing, filming and such, I started to focus more and more on that side of skateboarding. Finding different and unique angles became an obsession of mine. I’d study the way people filmed and edited the bigtime skateboard flicks and tried to mimic it. Then, of course, around my sophomore year a new kid came to school, and with him came a fancier camera, special lens, better editing software and stuff like that. I sort of took a back seat to filming around then, and at the same time had gotten involved in
photography classes. For one reason or another I just found photography much more interesting than I did filming. I think it was mostly because of the idea of freezing a moment in time. It just seemed to be more of an art form to me than filming was. I also got such a high from when I’d develop my prints and see what came out… Especially in the beginning when I had no clue what I was doing. Learning how to push film and pull it… Double exposures… Cross processing. Even learning how to basically Photoshop, before there was Photoshop. I don’t think photography will ever loose its appeal… Even in a digital age, where more data is shared in two days then it was from the start of history ‘til the year 2000. Think about that for a second. Feel free to look it up too, its true. Just how crazy is that? In two frickin’ days, more data is digitally transferred and shared than in 2000 years. Baffling, right? But even with the instant gratification of the digital age, you can still get that same sense of high from photography more than cinematography, in my opinion at least. Although I didn’t make a career out of skateboarding in the act itself, I guess you could say I’ve made a career within the skateboarding industry. It was always something I was passionate about and wanted to be a part of, no matter what stood in my way. Photography was just the vessel I used to clear my path into a spot in the skateboarding world.
This photo of Dave Willis’ boardslide is a great example of time forever frozen. From the skateboarding, to the crosswalk timer, to the guy in the background on his cell phone and the black SUV pulling out of a spot etc. These people’s thoughts are frozen in time in a single moment of existence that will never again happen.
brandon westgate / IURQWVLGH ÇLS
watch now
zooyork.com
GuesT//ediTor
Film to digital WorDS & PhotograPhy hy :: ryan Gee
When I first started shooting skate photos back in 1993, yes I’m old, it was with 35mm film. I also tried my best to develop the rolls in my photography class, and boy did I suck at that. try spooling a roll of film in the dark and process it through chemicals. the effort really sucked! Even back then I hated it! I get the fact it’s good to understand the whole process of it. But in the end, I just wanted to shoot and not spend my days cooped up in a lab. after leaving college, all I wanted to do was pursue skate photography. I met a bunch guys in the industry and they gave me tips and such on how to shoot and have the film developed. It was all trial and error, but paid off over time. In the late 1990’s I started to experiment with 2-1/4 film, also known as medium format. that was on a whole other level itself. But like I said earlier, trial and error pays off. I soon had that format almost down to a science. I could look at the sky and determine what aperture I needed to shoot at; day, night, cloudy and etc. If you wanted to be reassured, you could always put a Polaroid backing on the camera for an instant test shot. at the time that seemed so advanced, for me at least. In 2002, grant Brittain showed me a Canon EoS-1 D, a 4-megapixel, sequence camera. I was so blown away by it that I bought one a month later. the days of carrying bricks of films were done! My first test with this camera was on a DC trip to Barcelona. the team was so psyched to see their sequence images right away! Instant gratification at its best! I still shot with my hasselblad for stills since the digital cameras were still to low in the pixel range for magazine print. Fast forward to 2006 and I was again introduced to a new Canon product, the Canon 5D MarK II. I once again embarked on a trip to Barcelona and did some testing with it. the results were awesome! Full frame 16.2 megapixel images. the days of going to the lab and writing down ‘push +1’ stop on the roll are a distant memory now. Plus I was able to FtP the photos to the magazines from 6,000 miles away. No more driving to the lab, waiting a day to pick up your images, drive to FedEx, wait a day or two for them to arrive in California to be considered. t technology just kept moving. My hasselblad started to become a dusty paperweight, and I sold it not long after.
1998
steVIe WIllIams [fakie 5-0]
I used to be tripped out on photographers who never experienced shooting with film. Who am I to judge? It’s not their fault… they’re just going with the times. I mean, why regress back? that’s like trying to buy a tape player for your car. a few years back I did a small article in Focus, and all the skate tricks were taken with my iPhone 4S equipped with a few iPro lens attachments. I honestly believe that’s probably all you’re going to need for certain photo shoots. the only thing that’s holding it back is flash sync and good manual aperture settings.
focusskatemag.com
In the end, I say embrace the way things are changing. anyone can shoot skate photos, but it’s how you capture and light it up… Film or no film!
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1997
mIKe maldOnadO [melon]
1998
rICKy OyOla [wallride]
4%!- 2)$%2 */%, -/2'%.7%#+ 0(/4/ -!44 #2/7.%
S K AT E B O A R D I N G C O L L E C T I O N
STRONG MADE STRONGER
E X C L U S I V E LY AT S K AT E S H O P S W O R L D W I D E
L E V I . C O M / S K AT E B O A R D I N G
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insTa//Faves
1.
insta-Faves #FOCussKatemaG #eastCOastexCellenCe
1. @chazzledazzle720 photo: @christophermgleason 2. @julianlewis photo: @rickyapontephoto 3. @chackie_jan photo: @skateupstate
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4. @gabecolls757 photo: @gabecolls757
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the mission is simple, if you’d like to see your handy work featured in Focus as part of our, “Insta-Faves,” you better start following us (@Focusskatemag) and use the hashtags: #Focusskatemag and #eastCoastexcellence on your rad photos. We’re always browsing and reposting finds from our hashtags, and in addition to that, we’re also picking 9 each issue to put in the mag. here’s your chance for 15 minutes of internet fame to be solidified in print for a lifetime.
5. @biggesthouse photo: @tylernol_am 6. @shaneaiken 7. @mikelynchhh photo: @comin2anend 8. @theokorkidas photo: @dumpstermax 9. @willie_ammons photo: @chadmeyer
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Stephen Knight
HAMMER//TIME focusskatemag.com
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Chad Poore
[Front blunt kickflip to fakie] WORDS :: MAZUR
So, here we have Chad Poore performing the classic ‘front blunt kickflip to fakie’ on a rail that looks like it was built more for skateboarding than a rail to guide your hand along to help you up and down the stairs. At first I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do with this flick. But after hearing about how he had gone back to film this bad-boy twice, and not getting it due to the film heads of the camera being wacked and recording nothing but a blank blue screen, I felt it should see the light of day. And what better spot in the magazine than this issue’s hammertime? I mean, it’s quite the epic trick, and it’s done with a mass amount of flair.
22
Nickodem Rudzinski [Back Smith]
Hometown: Roslindale, Boston, MA Sponsors: Orchard, Chocolate (flow), Huf (flow), Spitfire (flow) Spot you’re sick of seeing in videos: Skatepark footage Trick that always gets you a letter in S.K.A.T.E.: Inward heelflip Guilty Pleasure: Spliff Worst injury: Primo to broken foot One word to describe the future of skateboarding: Paralyzation
Rob Collins
FRESH//FIND focusskatemag.com
“We first met Nickodem back when he was just a li’l dun that would quietly lurk out at our first shop location. Back then the shop was in a random neighborhood in a tiny little clubhouse of a location primarily occupied by grown-ass men, so when an 11 year old kid asks to watch the shop copy of Jeremy Elkin’s Lo Def, you kind of notice it. Over the years we got to see his skating progress from skate jam to skate jam and then eventually see him ripping spots all over town. In true East Coast all terrain ripper fashion, Nick will get down with anything he comes across. Humble yet confident, critical yet casual, Youngblood carries himself well beyond his 17 years in both his attitude and approach to skateboarding. With a solid head on his shoulders, and agile feet keeping things moving, the future is bright for Nickodem.” ~Armin Bachman Orchard Co-Owner
~TJ Gaskill Filmer/Friend
Mike Heikkila
FRESH//FIND
“In today’s world full of chaos, many people are always frantically in search for something. But there’s one dude out there laying back and living life without a care for much of anything. Whether it be money, where he sleeps, eats or skates, Wyatt Woodward only cares about having a good time with his friends.”
Wyatt Woodward focusskatemag.com
[Kickflip boardslide]
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Hometown: Daytona Beach, FL Sponsors: Energy Skate Shop Spot you’re sick of seeing in videos: Jkwon Plaza Trick that always gets you a letter in S.K.A.T.E.: Nollie varial heel Guilty Pleasures: Modelo Especial, Double Stuf Oreos, and Blend No. 27 Worst injury: I broke my elbow, broke both my wrists, and I also got a concussion skating up to Vans Skatepark (I didn’t even make it into the park). One word to describe the future of skateboarding: Bizarre
Sean Michon
FRESH//FIND
“Little Eric used to always be the little kid at the park making jokes and running around like he drank 20 Rockstar energy drinks. As Dave and I left Lowell to pursue skating, we would randomly see clips of Eric here and there. Dave and I always knew he was talented, but it wasn’t until like a year ago where Elliott (filmer) showed me his footage that I realized he is actually taking it seriously. Not only has he pushed himself, but he pushes skaters around him to be better. I’m glad to say I have been watching Eric grow not only as a good person, but also as an insane skateboarder. You’ll see soon enough!”
focusskatemag.com
~Manny Santiago Friend
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Eric Martinac
[switch hardflip]
Hometown: Lowell, MA Sponsors: Zoo York (flow), Persona Boutique, Bolts Premium Spot you’re sick of seeing in videos: Belmont 9 Trick that always gets you a letter in S.K.A.T.E.: Fakie Hardflip Guilty Pleasure: Eating all the food in the house Worst injury: Broke and dislocated ankle One word to describe the future of skateboarding: Excited
soap//box
mIKe steInKamp [boardslide]
visions
WorDS :: mIKe steInKamp PhotograPhy :: JOrdan lemmOn My fiancée and I have been house hunting for the past couple months, and one of our biggest struggles is having vision. as soon as we walk in and get the first glance of the homeowner’s poor housekeeping and lack of upkeep, we instantly become close-minded and unable to see the true potential of the house. Without the big picture in mind it can be hard to look past all the filth and problems and imagine the beauty that could be. Likewise, when your goal is to skate something out of the ordinary and less than perfect, it can be difficult to get other people on board. I live on the coast of North Carolina in a small fishing town called hampstead, and apart from the infamous “Skate Barn,” there aren’t too many places to skate in this quiet little city. I’m not complaining though. We are overly blessed with a great community of skateboarders in our area and the lack of spots has caused us to think creatively when it comes to street skating. Sometimes I tend to lose people though, because I have a tendency to go way farther outside the box than I probably should, and I have a hard time getting other people to see the diamonds in the rough that I see.
focusskatemag.com
one day a friend and I were exploring an old trail into the woods when we stumbled upon this abandoned boat. It was a gutted and hollow shelled 12-foot boat, filled with water, logs and tree branches. I noticed though that it had perfectly banked walls, and with enough work it definitely could be skatable. of course my friend Jordan didn’t see the vision at all, so it took a lot of convincing to get him to make a second trip back into the woods with supplies so I could skate this crusty boat. after about an hour of moving logs, bucketing out water, and stabilizing this rickety ship, we made somewhat of a clean surface to skate on.
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out of the numerous treks into the woods that we had to make, and all the work that it took to be able to skate it, I was so grateful that I somehow managed to land a few tricks on the old abandoned boat. having vision is essential to life. It is so easy to only notice the problems or surface level setbacks when faced with situations or opportunities, in skateboarding and just in life. true vision though isn’t seeing things for what they are, but seeing them for what they could be.
[wallie]
Soap//Box
Ish Cepeda [nollie heelflip noseslide]
Sequence VS. Still WORDS & Photography :: Stephen Oliveira
Growing up, I’ve always been around guns. The first gun I ever shot, besides a little BB gun, was a Ruger .22 pistol that my dad has owned forever. I thought it was incredible how something so small, if landed in the right place could make something explode and fly into the air. You may be reading this wondering, “What is he saying?” See, I didn’t shoot a paper target or anything. We’d shoot old, personal-size propane tanks. One shot in just the right place could make those things whistle and twirl in the air as a stream of white smoke spewed out of its newly formed orifice. But you had to hit it perfect, that was the thing. The accuracy was what made it all so appealing. You could aim for the tank, miss, and hit the dirt and have nothing happen but a dirt mound swallow your bullet and leave you having to try again. You could even skim the tank by not hitting it directly, and just have any leftover propane drain out without any cool explosion whatsoever. Once again, this leaves you having to try it again. The tank’s destiny sat in the hands of the shooter’s accuracy. It was a challenge at first, standing far back trying to hit this little green tank with a pistol since all you are given is one single shot at a time. Then I was handed a shotgun... For those of you who don’t know, a shotgun’s pellets spread, giving you a far better chance of hitting your target. Of course, once I got a shotgun, I was propelling rusty old propane tanks right into the sky, as a tail of white smoke took it higher and higher like there was no tomorrow! Tank after tank, hit! Hit! Hit! The spread of the pellets made it so much easier to hit the propane tanks, since I had more than one shot going out at a time. It was fun hitting it easily, but it was an even better feeling when I picked up that pistol again and put in the time to perfect a shot and hit the target that I once couldn’t hit with that gun. I feel like sequences are the shotguns of skateboarding photography. You can post up, blast away, and know that one of those shots is going to hit your target because there are so many. But honestly, where’s the fun in that? Where’s the challenge?
focusskatemag.com
Would you rather use a shotgun and naturally increase your chances of striking your target and in turn practically rely on the spread of the pellets to make up for a lack of accuracy/confidence? Or, would you rather put the little extra effort in and let one solid shot do the talking? Sure your friend may get mad when he hears you shout, “ONE MORE TRY, please?! I swear, I’ve got it right here,” about four times, as he has to continue throwing himself down a handrail. But the feeling of walking away with one perfect (in your mind) shot, makes up for any temporary hatred thrown your way by your peers.
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When it comes down to it, photography is another way of storytelling. As a photographer you are an author and you can write about that moment however you would like. In my eyes, grabbing a “shotgun” and nailing a sequence of a trick that could have worked out perfectly as a still with a little more work, takes away so much from the story and actually gyps the viewers. Composing a shot and making sure your lighting is correct and that everything is exactly how you want it to be, is the story that people want to read. I’m not saying that sequences shouldn’t be shot, but there are too many times where people would much rather take the easy way out and shoot a sequence of a trick that could just as well be a still shot. When I shot this photo of Ish Cepeda’s nollie heel noseslide, somebody asked me if I was going to shoot a sequence of it. I replied, “No, a still. Why would I shoot a sequence of this?” If a photo can be shot as a still, even with a challenge, shoot it as a still. Trust me, it’s worth it!
Ira Canada Photo by Nicholas Raciti
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Rap//Sheet
The Green Seed
Interview with M.C./Producer R-Tist WORDS :: Mazur Photography :: Cary Norton So, what is there to do in Birmingham, Alabama? Isn’t that the Bible Belt area? Actually, there is a lot to do in the “big salty Ham.” Of course, I’m a lifelong skateboarder and I’m always looking for spots to get footage. The entertainment district here is growing and we have some of the greatest bars/music venues in the world. The hospitality in Birmingham is second to none. We have all the things any major city like Atlanta or Nashville has, like music festivals, nice restaurants and hot girls. Birmingham just has more of a small town family appeal. Plenty of nightlife, lots of young cool people and a rabid skateboarding community. In fact, we are about to partner with Faith Skate Shop to try and get a skate park built here. There are no parks within 30-40 minutes from Birmingham and we are too large to not have a park so inexperienced skaters don’t have to be in the streets. You’d be surprised to see all of the skaters here. And if you happen to visit, everyone should go see Vulcan and have a drink at The Upside Down Plaza. That’s where we went every night after recording to blow off some major steam. Love that place man. So do all of you skateboard, or just some of you? No. I’m the only skateboarder.
focusskatemag.com
What was the appeal of skateboarding? The freedom, primarily. But for the last 5 years the progression of skateboarding is the appeal. Skating switch and having complete body control is the mark of a good skateboarder (i.e. P-Rod, Westgate, Nyjah Huston). I love spending hours practicing tricks both regular and switch. It has never been about popularity of the sport, it has always been about progression and I intend to skate ‘til I can’t walk.
34
Do you think that helped lead you to making music? I grew up listening to punk and metal… Black Flag, Minutemen, Slayer, etc. You can hear those influences in the productions. Skateboarding led me to those music choices. I especially loved a lot of the SST label recordings. All thanks to skateboarding videos highlighting bands that possessed energy and focused aggression. One person that heard our album said it was “intense.” Not sure if we agree, but everyone is entitled to call this album whatever they want. And with opinions running rampant in this day and age, we are sure to get different viewpoints. And we embrace that.
Being from the Bible Belt, are you guys religious? We are all Christians and attend church regularly. Most people would call that “religious,” but we call it being thankful for all God has given us. Like this interview... Can you elaborate on the night, or day, or weeks of getting the group going? How it started, your name, etc.? Well, DJ FX and myself were performing together for about 3 years and thought it would be more fun and envelope pushing if we added another MC (Complet). Then, adding DJ Jeff C (Sizzla) was a no brainer. We believe power, and fun, is in the numbers. As for the name, Complet and I thought of the name while talking on the phone about song topics. The name originates from growth. A green seed needs nurturing care to grow, and once its root system forms, it can be as large as the caregiver wants it to be. And The Green Seed wants to grow. Into what? Only the listeners (caregivers) decide. We are very dedicated to anyone who listens to our music and their growth along with us is something we don’t take lightly. In hip-hop it’s so easy to get full of yourself and be arrogant. We intend to try and keep that $h!t under wraps best we can. We have been a band for 7 years, approximately, and we have tried to treat our peers and our fans with respect. Even when most people would say that they don’t deserve it. How did adding a DJ increase the fun-factor? Having one DJ is really fun because they don’t write rhymes and you always have someone to bounce lyrical ideas off of. Having 2 DJ’s makes that process even more fun. More ears. But as for the DJs, they have more fun because they push each other to be better. And it shows now more than ever at our rehearsals. They are constantly challenging each other to improve and to make a name for themselves as proficient DJs. And lastly, these two are some of the funniest dudes you’ll ever meet. They act real quiet and reserved around the fans but when the show is over they will bust your gut. If there were only one of them it wouldn’t be as exciting. Oh and DJ Jeff C’s freestyles are world famous laughter machines. What was it like recording your first album recently? How long did it take? The album took about 3-4 months to record. It was
probably the most fun we’ve ever had working on our music. Our executive producer, Jeffrey Cain (Remy Zero, Dead Snares), is a very relaxed taskmaster, so there were no tense moments. Everything was thoughtfully planned out and we pushed ourselves creatively. That’s’ very cliché, but we feel that we left no stone unturned creatively. This is the first time we ever worked in an expensive studio and with experienced engineers. Kyle Ginther was the engineer, and he brought a lot of positive feedback and expertise. He is a musician and it gave us a chance to bounce ideas off of him. There were a lot of long nights looking for the right sounds, a firm energy and a unique delivery. We like to think we did those things but again, only the listener can tell us that. Is The Green Seed everyone’s only ‘job’? What did some of you do before this? Well, we still have menial jobs to pay the bills and we own a local hip-hop station, Vulcanite Radio. But our major FOCUS, no pun intended, is on making our live show increasingly better. Hip-hop live shows are way too predictable, and we’re working to be more enigmatic on stage. More chances for improv with on the fly changes. Where would you like to see The Green Seed in five years from now? More than anything, we would like to have fans that understand our commitment to lyrical mastery, turntable wizardry and varying subject matter. If our fans understand that we are attempting to grow, then they won’t expect us to be like everyone else or expect us to repeat ourselves. Winning a Grammy or being on the cover of Rolling Stone would be great too, but in order to get there, you have to write great songs that connect with people of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities. We definitely wanna see Europe. I only want to see Europe so I can skate Barcelona, but we know that they love hip-hop over there. Maybe they’ll love us, but that remains to be seen. Well thanks for the time R-tist. Do you have any shout-outs or anyone you’d like to thank? We really wanna thank Communicating Vessels, Jeffrey Cain, Travis Morgan, Rebekah Fox and anyone who supports or has supported us on this awesome journey. We also wanna thank Focus Skate Mag for thinking enough us to do this interview.
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AESTHETIC
ANALYSIS
Skater: Daniel Kim Trick: Nosegrind Photographer: Zander Taketomo Location: NYC, NY Camera: Hasselblad FILM: Kodak E100VS 120 Ektachrome Exposure: f/5.6.5 @ 1/250 Other Equipment Used: Lumedynes, SB800’s Over the summer of ‘13, DK and I were going on leisurely photo missions in New York, having just moved to Brooklyn. Being under a bridge, on a bike path, we figured this would be a visually easy shot. As we were packing up, ready to continue to the next food location park rangers came an gave us tickets. But hey, at least we made the photo issue!
AESTHETIC
ANALYSIS
Skater: John Gardner Trick: Gap to 5-0 Photographer: Xeno Tsarnas
Location: Summit, NJ Camera: Nikon D300s ISO: 200 Exposure: f/8 @ 1/250 Other Equipment Used: 2x Sunpak 120J’s, 2x Sunpak 544’s
I don’t even consider this a spot. Big gap, low ledge, and a high drop all add up to more than most would want to handle. John’s got soul, and that’s how he manages to always roll away from things. Plain and simple.
AESTHETIC
ANALY
Skater: James Klimek Trick: Frontside Smith Photographer: Nick Vespe
Location: Philadelphia, PA Camera: Leica M9 ISO: 800 Exposure: f/4 @ 1/1000 Other Equipment Used: None
The week before this photo was shot, I made it clear I was done with skateboard photography. However, discovering this abandoned factory with my best of friends sparked my imagination. Selling my skate-photo setup days before, all I had was a rangefinder, a fast lens, and this spectacular light to make one of my favorite images to date.
Skater: Eric Testerman Trick: 360 Flip Photographer: Stephen Knight
Skater: Brandon Gironda Trick: Frontside Bluntslide Transfer Photographer: Mike Gugliada
Location: Gainesville, FL Camera: Canon 1D MKIII, 50mm lens ISO: 100 Exposure: f/8 @ 1/320 Other Equipment Used: PCB Einstein, 2x Nikon SB-25, Pocket Wizards
Location: Nyack, NY Camera: Canon 7D, 28mm lens ISO: 250 Exposure: f/5.6 @ 1/500 Other Equipment Used: None
This was only the second spot on a mellow day trip, with a small crew. This stack is at the University of Florida, which is loaded with campus cops, longboard bros, and tons of frat jocks. Dodging them all, and winning the wheel-bite driven battle of sticks, we ended our day early and headed home, everyone stoked.
This day started off as a total bust, on a whim we ended up in Nyack where Brandon really came through, eventually doing this blunt with a back 180 off the bank and over the sidewalk for his “PFP� part. I kept it simple, used natural light, focused on the composition, and let the spot/trick speak for themselves.
AESTHETIC
ANA
Skater: Frankie Spears Trick: Frontside 50-50 Photographer: Scott Marceau Location: Midtown Manhattan, NY Camera: Canon 1DsIII ISO: 800 Exposure: f/2.8 @ 1/1250 Other Equipment Used: EF 50mm f/1.4 Frankie spotted this kinker from the backseat while we were heading to a spot uptown. He insisted that we stop, and before we knew it, he was jumping on the rail. He made a compromise with a security guard and rolled away from this one but wasn’t satisfied. We stopped again on our way back downtown and he got it cleaner than imaginable.
Skater: Austin Kanfoush Trick: Wallie Photographer: Xeno Tsarnas Location: Pittsburgh, PA Camera: Nikon D300s ISO: 500 Exposure: f/11 @ 1/1200 Other Equipment Used: None A complete disregard for everyone and everything, Austin shreds. If fact, so do all the Yinzers. This is my favorite shit right here. Middle of the highway, fuck all. They get down in The Burgh, that is for damn sure!
Skater: Jason Ross Trick: Switch Backside Frontside Noseslide Photographer: Liam Annis Location: Woburn, MA Camera: Nikon D300s ISO: 200 Exposure: f/3.2 @ 1/200 Other Equipment Used: Nikon SB80-DX Speedlight Vivitar Thyrisol 285 Pocket Wizards Jason is a hard worker on a skateboard, dedicating this day specifically to finishing his video part in Kevin Manning’s video, “Sack Lunch.” After breaking his board at the first spot and dealing with a salty security guard; he used Kevin’s board to stomp frontside noseslide on a late night in early January.
Skater: Kevin Coakley Trick: Backside 50-50 into Bank Photographer: Rob Collins Location: Holyoke, MA Camera: Nikon D4 ISO: 500 Exposure: f/9 @ 1/250 Other Equipment Used: 2x SB-910 1x Sunpak 622 4x Pocket Wizard Plus II Nikkor 24-70mm Think about the perfect spot, now imagine the opposite. Kevin came to this spot at least 5 times to try the trick he had in mind, but each time was something else. The spot, after all, was a fountain. The water from the rain would get stuck for days, it has a terrible run up, it wouldn’t grind, it needed more work... Everything seemed to get in the way until one day, one try, Coakley handled this back 50-50 into the bank with ease.
Skater: Matt Lane Trick: Gap 50-50 Photographer: Sean Michon Location: Los Angeles, CA Camera: Nikon D300 ISO: 400 Exposure: f/8 @ 1/125 Other Equipment Used: 2x Alien Bee B800 flashes triggered by Cybersyncs I had freshly moved out to Los Angeles. This was one of the first skate missions I went on here with Matt Lane, James Messina, Kevin Phelps, and some local homies showing us a few spots. It was about 9:30pm, and the spot was at a church. A worker had shown up to kick us out, although that changed quickly when he decided that what we were doing was actually kind of cool and let us continue. This thing is just long enough to get both trucks on for a quick one, and Matt pulled it off a couple times for the media’s sake. Good job Matt.
Skater: Brian Clarke Trick: Nollie Crook Photographer: Zander Taketomo
Skater: Fritz Mead Trick: 50-50 to Pillar Bash Photographer: Xeno Tsarnas
Location: NYC, NY Camera: Hasselblad FILM: Kodak E100VS 120 Ektachrome Exposure: f/5.6 @ 1/30 Other Equipment Used: Lumedynes, SB800’s
Location: Boston, MA Camera: Nikon D300s ISO: 250 Exposure: f/5.6 @ 1/125 Other Equipment Used: 2x Sunpak 120J’s, 2x Sunpak 544’s
For whatever reason, this spot is called the ‘Terminator Rail.’ Until this day, I never thought I’d skate 40 blocks with my camera gear to a handrail in NYC... Of course Brian wanted to get down with a trick that would normally be shot as a sequence, but shooting a still made it worth the trip for me.
That pillar doesn’t leave you much room for error. Gap or bash? Of course Fritz would wanna run into the pillar rather than avoid it.
50,000 sq. ft. indoor skatepark
Brian Nevins // Nora Vasconcellos
RYE AIRFIELD SKATEPARK 3 Concrete Pools / Wood Bowl Street Plaza / Vert Ramp Flow Section / Mini Ramp Micro Section
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