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Photo: Jamie Sellers
Swimmer’s Ear Magazine
issue#12
Unknown - 5-0 - Michael Stenerson
Fall 2003 The Photo Issue Photographers -Michael Stenerson -Dan Monick -Jamie Sellers -Joe Blum
-Ryan Atienza -Ashley Brookins -Colin Simmons -Chris Pernula
Editors
Contributors
Adam Sever Chris Pernula
Jack Boyd Jake/Trent Halfdal Nicole Neally Ryan Leege Ben Olson
Photos Nickie Kessel Adam Sever
Since 1998, Swimmer’s Ear Magazine has been an outlet for Minnesota’s skateboarders, snowboarders. and musicians. If you’d like to help out with photos, stories, interviews, articles or anything else, let us know. You can contact us at SwimmersEarMag@aol.com.
FINDING
REED IT NOW
Someone once said that a photo is worth a thousand words. If that’s true, there is a lot of damn words in this issue. Welcome to the Photo Issue #2
First... Before Burton or Sims, there was the Snurfer. It was invented on Christmas day in 1965 by a man named Sherman Poppen. He had created the board for his daughter by strapping two 36 inch skis together. Eventually the Snurfer was mass produced and roughly a half a million were sold. Unlike the snowboards of today, the Snurfer was only thought of as a child’s toy. I found the board pictured at a thrift store about five years ago. It serves as a reminder that snowboarding was once nothing more than standing sideways on a board and sliding down a snow covered hill.
News At Eleven Events
DAMN AM RESULTS
The finale of the Midwest BowlRiders Competition is Saturday Oct. 25 at 3rd Lair.
The second stop of the Damn Am Series was held at 3rd Lair on Sept. 21, 2003. Local skateboarders Nate Compher took 2nd and Jamiel Nowparvar took 5th in the Finals. Other local contestants were: Casey Morrisey, Jeremy Reeves, Jake Smith, Tom Beggs, and Elijah Collard. Check out www.damnam.com for full results.
The 3rd Lair's Video Festival is now Sunday, Dec. 21st at 6:00 pm. The deadline to have your video in is December 19th. This is a really cool thing that 3rd Lair is doing, so if you have a video, you should enter, it’s only $20. Check out 3rdlair.com for more information.
Local Skate News The Thurman lewis promo video is now available, check at your local skate shop or email matt@thurmanlewis.com Mike Munzenrider won the $500 O.U.T. contest in Rochester. Jake Smith is getting flow from Adio. Steve Nesser placed among the top three at the Bayview Rumble rematch in San Francisco along with Dustin Dollin and Sean Stockton. Ryan Leege placed third in the "Shop Owners Contest" at the same event. Benji Meyer is working on another sure to be midwest classic...he's currently filming with Dan Jackson, Andy Paulsen, Sam Mcguire, Nate Compher, Ben Ragsdale and Seth McCallum.
The new cement park in Edina is now officially open. Minnesota finally has a real cement park. I’ve seen photos of it and it looks amazing.
Music News The Crush played their last shows ever at the 7th Street Entry on August 30, 2003. The show was rocking and The Crush will be missed among the local music scene. Davey and Dan of The Promise Ring and Eric of The Dismemberment Plan have formed a new band called In English. There debut album should be out in the late fall/early winter on the Anti Label.
Justin Lynch Longtime Minnesota skateboarder Justin Lynch was involved in an altercation at the G Shock Skatepark and may be receiving jail time. Justin got into an argument when some dumb kid wouldn’t remove the grind rail he was skating on top of the vert ramp. After the dumb kid started his tantrum, he breaks Lynch’s new board and in the end Justin flicks the kid’s face with the force of flicking off a booger. Crybaby then calls his soccer mom, and she wants to press charges. Justin’s will find out if he’s off to jail at his court date on October 22nd. To read Justin’s full story check out hardflip.com
Foundation Camp/Mayhem in the Midwest Contest Finally there is something fun going on in the Midwest this winter. Matt Peterson in conjunction with Fobia Board Shop and Wild Mountain are putting on the 2nd annual Foundation Snowboard Camp at Wild Mountain ski area in Minnesota.. The camp will feature guest pro coaches Chad Otterstrom, Seth Huot, Micah McGinnity, Matt Peterson, and Ryan Thompson. The camp session will go on from Dec. 28-31 and feature a special set up park design for this event.. Following the camp, the first ever Midwest contest will occur called Mayhem in the Midwest. This will be open to the entire Midwest and will feature Pro and Am divisions with cash prizes. For more details check mayheminthemidwest.com.
MUsic I’m Dying to Tell You I’m Dying Less Than Jake “Anthem” Sire Records The cool thing about Less Than Jake’s new album “Anthem” is that they collaborated with underground artists to create paintings for each song. Artists like Shepard Fairey and Jeff Soto mixed with LTJ’s signature punk/ska sound makes a great combination. The cd also has photos and the video for “She’s Gonna Break Soon.”
The Lawrence Arms “The Greatest Story Ever Told” Fat Wreck Chords The new album by Chicago’s Lawrence Arms has a nice blend of smooth vocals and gritty vocals. Each singer sings half of the 14 songs on the album. The smooth vocals are on the slower songs and the gritty voice on the fast songs. It would have been nice to hear both vocals on the same track to create a different vocal effect, but it’s a good cd nonetheless.
None More Black “File Under Black” Fat Wreck Chords NMB is Jason from Kid Dynamite’s new band. It sounds almost the same as Kid Dynamite but has longer songs and the songs are really good. “File Under Black” is a good punk CD that will keep your arms flailing and your feet kicking.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes “Take A Break” Fat Wreck Chords The Gimmes are back and this time they brought all the best covers by black artists with them. “Take A Break” features covers by Whitney Houston, Boyz 2 Men, and R Kelly. As with all Gimme albums, “Take A Break” is another great punk CD. What comes next for the Gimmes? Covers of punk songs perhaps.
These Arms Are Snakes “This is Meant to Hurt You” Jade Tree TAAS features members of Botch, Nineironspitfire, and Minneapolis’s Kill Sadie. “This is Meant to Hurt You” is a great rock album. The first song starts every thing off heavy. Then in songs 2 and 3, things slow down and get complex, leading into track 4 “The Blue Rose” which is the best on the album. Song 5 wraps up the album nicely, and you’re ready for bed.
Hey Mercedes “Loses Control” Vagrant With every ep and full length Hey Mercedes releases, they move further and further away from their former selves as Braid and “Loses Control” is no different. What you’ll find on “Loses Control” is 12 rocking tracks. The song “Quality Revenge At Last” is very catchy and “Boy Destroyers” and “Go On Drone” are definite stand outs.
Mars Volta "De-Loused in the Comatorium" If you do not already own this album, then you have not lived. No, in all seriousness, you have yet to own a pulse. So go out and buy this album. Be born into sound. Give your fetal ears a melodical treat. -Ryan Norton
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And, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
Strike Anywhere “Exit English” Jade Tree If you like punk with personal and political lyrics, then the new Strike Anywhere album should please you greatly. “Exit English” is 12 songs of ferocious guitars and growing vocals.
Killing Joke “S/T” Zuma Recordings Knock Knock. Who’s There? It’s the Killing Joke dipshit. The Killing Joke’s new album is no laughing matter. It will probably make little kids cry, because the music is downright scary, not to mention the horrific “It” like clowns on every page. Thundering drums and guitars with a deep evil gravelly voice makes a boogy man effect. Boo.
Okkervil River “Down the River of Golden Dreams” Jagjaguwar A couple parts Songs: Ohia, a few parts Ben Folds Five, and a small part Beatles can sum up the sound of Okkervil River. Beautiful songwriting with intricate instrumentation makes a great album.
The Wrens “The Meadowlands” Absolutely Kosher Records The best thing about The Wrens is the story behind the band. If you ever get a chance to read it, please do. “The Meadowlands” captures every struggle the band has faced over the years. Stand out songs: “Faster Gun”, “She Sends Kisses” and “This Boy is Exhausted”.
The National “Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers” Brassland It’s hard to classify the National’s sound. Some songs are indie with a little bit of alt folk/country feel. Other songs are just plain indie. Just a bunch of good songs on a plastic compact disc.
Thurman Lewis Promo Video Interview with Matt Roesch This was your first time filming and editing a skate video, how did it go for you? It was fun and annoying. Fun to see the video progress as I worked on it and made changes. Fun to sculpt and mold it into the personality of a Thurman Lewis video. Annoying in how long video editing can take. And annoying how my lack of video-editing knowledge limited so much of what I wanted to do. What was the hardest part of the whole process? For me the hardest part was getting the footage. I was always editing the video in my head a few days or even weeks ahead of where I was on the computer, so that just all fell into place. But I was unable to film everything, and so I got help from Joe Blum and Benji Meyer who together filmed all of Dan Jackson's footage and most of Andy Paulsen's. Are there plans for a full length video in the near future? Definitely. I'd like to start work on it this fall, both filming skaters and coming up with new ideas. I guess we could've extended this video another 10 minutes and had a full video, but besides wanting all new footage, we wanted it to have more of theme with character and light-heartedness - a reflection of how Thurman Lewis sees skating. How long did it take to complete the video? I have no clue. Andy Paulsen and myself went out and filmed all of the black and white footage for the intro one afternoon, probably back in April or May, and that weekend I put together what would eventually become the intro. I then worked on it quite a lot up through July. The 3 weeks before it premiered, I dropped everything and video edited non-stop. Are there any plans of adding new members to the team? For sure. We postponed the idea of a new team rider until after the video was done. Now its done. Maybe 1 or 2. What can we expect from Thurman Lewis in these last few months of 2003 and in 2004? Benji Meyer and myself are gonna work on a new website. We're gonna continue to sponsor local events and try to keep the MPLS scene strong. We're pushing Thurman in Amsterdam through our boy Flip, letting them know the good news of Thurman. Brainstorm for a full video. Demo. Appreciate dry concrete while we have it. Hang out and grill burgers and watch the leaves change to orange and yellow and then gone. Wait for the snow to melt.
Review The Thurman Lewis Promo Video captured everything that Thurman Lewis represents. The video showcases the talents of Andy Paulsen, Dan Jackson, Sean Hanley, Dom Hess, and Jesse Reed. There is a lot of great skating by all the members of the team. Andy Paulsen brings together some old school flair and some new school trickery with a well skated part. Newest member of the team, Dan Jackson, proves he can skate and does some technical heelflip variations. Sean Hanley and Dom Hess are up next. Sean skates rails that most pros would skate and even has some footage from Tampa. Dom does the biggest kickflips in MN and has a very solid part. Jesse Reed’s part was my favorite. The music and editing went so well together. Then add Jesse’s skating and you got one hell of a part. The credits have a section with late Co-Founder Jason Everhard, which is a touching ending to the video.
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The Fire Theft “S/T” Rykodisc The Fire Theft is 3 members of Sunny Day Real Estate. Now before you go running off to buy this CD, there is something you need to know. This sounds nothing like SDRE. If your expecting the same sound from SDRE’s “Diary” “LP2” or “The Rising Tide” you won’t find it here. The Fire Theft is way better. Give it a listen and grow up.
I picked up these two magazines at Extreme Noise in Minneapolis. Both magazines are similar but different. Both magazines are magazines done by record labels. Both also have too many pages devoted to music reviews. Slave Magazine #8, $4 (left) is from Virginia and is the better of the two. Lots of good articles about screenprinting and gardening. They also have fiction and music interviews. Status Magazine #19, Free (right) does very well with their band interviews, but falls short on design. All the good design is in the ads, which by the way, there are a lot of. This issue includes interviews with Rocket From the Crypt, Thrice, and Poison the Well. Check out www.slavemagazine.com and www.statusinc.com/magazine for more information on both.
Zine Reviews You can’t rely on the Internet for everything. Paper Is Better. It seems nowadays that you can get anything over the internet. I mean, you can shop, watch movies, meet people, make payments and a billion other things. One thing that I totally despise is e-books and web zines. What is so hard about leaving your house to go to the bookstore? I don’t understand why anyone would want to download an ebook, just to read it off of their computer. Think of the eye strain. Web zines or e-zines are equally stupid or worse than e-books. I can understand that web sites are less expensive and are easily updatable. But what good is it if you can’t take it anywhere. Paper zines allow you to read it anywhere. You can read it in line at the DMV or while taking a crap. You can read a paper zine just about anywhere while doing anything. With all that said, the following magazines are a good example of what can be done in the name of paper.
City One #6 - San Jose, CA. - Free -This is the zine that Adam got the idea to do a magazine. This zine was done by Erik Olson, who does the Powell Skate One Magazine and who is a wonderful photographer. Unfortunately, this zine stopped publishing a few years ago, and it would most likely be very hard to find. City One was well designed and a well written magazine that was a lot of people’s favorite. Almost Famous #2 - Texas - Free - When I first saw this zine I almost shit my pants. Full Color and a very high output when printed makes for a beautiful magazine. This is definitely one magazine everyone should checkout. It’s designed by Travis Howell and showcases the skateboarding talent of Texas. The photos are crisp and clear, and the articles are great. Email travish@skatenet.com for info. Copper Press#12 - Michigan - $5 - Copper Press is an 8 x 8 music magazine that also features skateboarding, snowboarding, and art. This magazine is very well put together. This is the first magazine that I’ve read that has made me want to check out the bands in it. This can be found at the smaller bookstores or you can go to their website www.copperpress.com. Kingpin #4 - Europe - $6.99 - Kingpin is probably the best major skate magazine that I have seen. It is formatted like Skateboarder Magazine. Kingpin features articles and interviews with Europe only skateboarders. Kingpin is very intelligently written. Each issue features “Here Comes the Rain” which includes reviews on books, films and music that you should buy. It also features articles about re-threading your axel and overthrowing the government. Kingpin can be found at most major bookstores. The only bad thing is it’s 7 bucks because it’s from the UK. Skatedork #1-4 - New Jersey/Oregon - $1 - $2 - Masterminded by skateboarder Steve Voss, Skatedork features skateboarding from a very amateur level. The articles aren’t about the top pros or which am is on fire. The articles lean toward getting a small town a skatepark, finding an abandoned concrete skatepark, skateboarding in the rain, and various non-fiction stories. If you’re not into the glitz and glamour of current day skateboarding, then Skatedork is for you. Check out www.skatedork.org for more info.
photographer
When did you start taking photos? I started taking photos of my friends with a borrowed camera at Del Mar Skate Ranch in 1979. I worked and skated there. I worked there from 1978 to 1984. I was the manager for 5 of those years. What was your first camera? My first camera was a Minolta SRT 201 with a 50mm lens and then a 20mm. How did you get into photography? I got into it by being around pros coming to the skatepark and thinking that it was a pretty good opportunity to shoot these guys. I knew nothing about photography. I matched the exposure needle and focused and shot. I learned by looking in Skateboarder and then Action Now magazines and figuring out the angles and lighting. I then shot hundreds of rolls.
How long have you been taking photos? Started in 1979, so 24 years, started in 1983 for Transworld. I am the only Photo Editor since then. Do you have any formal training? I shot skating first and then took every photo class that was offered at my college. It all helps my skate stuff. How is taking pictures now different from when you first started? Skate photography was more basic back then, manual cameras and one flash at night. It's more technical now, slave units and multiple flashes, fast flash synchs, digital cameras.
Of all the pictures you take in a month how many make it into magazines? In the early years I did 50% of the photography. now I might have a couple of photos in an issue. I can't and don't shoot the top skaters. I shoot my posse and the other photogs shoot theirs. I run the photography department, working with photographers and picking photos, a lot of office and computer stuff. I shoot studio photos, product, portraits, etc. I shoot ads too. I shoot skating one or two days a week. Has there ever been a photo where you’ve been like “man, I wish I was there to take that.”? Every time I see a great photo or a great moment, I wish I had been there. What is the hardest thing about being a photographer? The hardest thing is when you misread a situation and blow the shot. Where has being a photographer taken you? Physically, it has taken me to Europe 6 times, Japan 2 times, Australia, Canada many times and all over the US. Mentally and spiritually, photography has taken me to the highest places. It is as much to my life as eating and breathing. I think about it constantly. What advice can you give people looking to get into photography? Start with the basics, don't get caught up in the gear. Take a class to learn the shortcuts. Shoot loads of film of your friends, they are great guinea pigs. Once you get better, shoot for local shops and work your way up from there. What do you think of digital photography? We are actually shooting the digital Canon EOS1D for sequences. 8 photographers for TWSkate have them, we are the first skate mag to switch over. Digital is here, can't stop it. What kind of effect does digital photography have on film photography? It saves money and heartache of missed tricks. It is instant, it cuts out the waiting for film and scans. I still love film though. Do you shooting black and white, or color photos? I shoot both b&w and color. B&W is so beautiful though, it can be so dramatic and photojournalistic.
Do you have an idea on how you want a photo to come out before you take it? I sometimes know in advance or right when I see the spot, but then it might be a happy accident or the second angle. I like when it's more spontaneous. What is important for people to know, who want to get their photos into a major publication? You need to start from the bottom like in any field. If it was easy, everyone would be in the magazines. It's hard work and perseverance. I shot for 3 years before getting published and that's when there were 4 photographers. Find a style to work in to set yourself apart from the others. Who and what are you favorite subjects to shoot photos of? I love to shoot any type of skating except sequences, I am not a robot. I like to shoot skaters with good style and are fun to hangout with. Anybody who makes skating look great! Have you ever opened the camera before rewinding the film? Opening your camera before rewinding is so dorky, I do it a couple of times a year and I feel so stupid. It’s always the sequence they made too. What makes a quality photograph? The "quality" photo is the one where all the elements come together and the stars and planets are in line. Light, exposure, angle, action, attitude all meet and create that photo that makes you want to go skating. It's the photo you pause on for one second more before turning the page. Who are some of your influences? I was influenced by the photographers that came before me (Cassimus, Bolster, Stecyk) and am influenced by the guy's photos that pass across my light table everyday, I learn from them too.
What is your all-time favorite photograph? Of my photos,the Chris Miller pole cam photo and the Chin Ramp 4 handplants. What did your parents think of you making a career out of photography? My parents knew I would have a creative job, I was always drawing and had planned to go to Art school. They think it's cool, they know I love it. What’s the biggest expense among photographers? Equipment is costly, especially if you are a gear junkie like me. Is there anything in you camera bag that you wished you had, but you don’t? Hasselblad 120 Macro lens and a bottle opener. Is it important to take courses in photography to become a good photographer? Taking courses saves time, money and film. You have been taking photos for a long time and you’ve put a lot of money into it, what has kept you taking photos and not quitting? It's better than digging a ditch. It is the best job. I have done others and this one has those beat by a mile. What is the most amazing thing you’ve seen on a skateboard through your lens? Alan Gelfand doing the ollie at Del Mar ( I wasn't shooting back then). He defied gravity. I once saw a guy balance a raw egg on his nose while doing a ho-ho.
What exactly does a photo editor at a magazine do? I control all of the photos that come into TW and I take care of and direct the photographers. I also work on ideas for articles with the Editor and work closely with the Art Director on the look of the mag. We are all a team...seriously. What qualities do you see in a good photographer? A good photographer is someone that works well with others and gets "The Goods"! What do you do with all the photos you take? I have 25 four drawered file cabinets of over 20 years of photography... no joke. What is the price difference in film now, and when you first started? I think it doubled, but I haven't paid for film since 1984. Gas has quadrupled. How many rolls of film have you gone through in your career? I have tried to figure that out. I guess many tens of thousands. More? Is there anything you don’t like about skateboard photography at its current state? I am 47, so there is a lot I don't like about it. Negativity is one big thing I don't like about it. I try to focus on the good things. Anyways, it's just skateboarding, kind of small in the realm of very serious global events. What is the biggest mistake most photographers make? Quitting. And forgetting to put film in their camera.
Check out www.jgrantbrittain.com to view some of Grant’s personal work and skateboarding photos.
All Photos by Mark Beemer With Paint it Black, why did you decide to do the vocals? Basically, When I write music, I have a very specific idea of what the vocals should sound like. Finding the right person to do the job, someone with the right voice and the right ideas, is very difficult. At the same time that I was thinking about how hard that would be, I was also realizing that something about the songwriting process was starting to feel really incomplete to me. I’ve always written music, but had very little influence on the ideas that are expressed in the context of that music. That’s no longer satisfying to me. Plus I’m a big control freak… How have you made Paint It Black different from previous bands (Kid Dynamite and Lifetime)? That will be instantly obvious to anyone who hears us. The music is harsher and more serious, and the content is more directly political. I don’t think that it’s necessarily political in a preachy abstract way, but more in a way that reflects my own personal experience. I don’t think it’s particularly useful to sing about politics in manner that isn’t personal, because it tends to come off as phony and naive. The change in direction form my old bands is in direct response to the things that have happened in my life, and to the proliferation of shallow music in the underground scene. What opportunities have you gained being the vocalist? The opportunity to feel like I’m going to throw up for twenty minutes straight, and the opportunity to run my big mouth, and the opportunity to feel even more self-conscious than usual. Seriously though, it’s harder work onstage than playing guitar ever was.
How long did it take to write and record “CVA”? That’s really a long story. I basically never stopped writing after Kid Dynamite broke up. The song “Less Deicide, More Minor Threat” was actually written in the studio while KD was recording “Shorter Faster Louder” in September of 1999. The Paint It Black album was ready to record in the spring of 2002, but due to Dave Wagenschutz’s touring schedule with Good Riddance, and Dave Hause’s touring schedule with The Curse, we couldn’t schedule recording until September 2002. Then Dave W. injured his back the day before we were supposed to record, and we ended up postponing until March 2003. When we heard the finished product we decided in needed to be remixed, so we postponed the release yet again. It’s been one long fucking frustrating farce. But it’s finally finished and coming out this summer, and I love it. How many songs were written for CVA and how many made onto the CD? Anything I wrote that wasn’t satisfactory got scrapped before it reached the point of even showing it to anyone else in the band. Will future Paint it Black albums be as short as CVA? I hope so. From the live photos I’ve seen of Paint it Black, it appears you’re not playing guitar in this band. Was it your personal decision or was there no need for a second guitar? We need a 2 nd guitar desperately because Dave H. never comes to practice, and we need someone to cover for his mistakes. I don’t play guitar in this band because it’s physically impossible for me to do that and scream at the same time, and also because it’s much easier for a band to give a dynamic live performance when guitarists aren’t saddled with vocal duties. As a musician, do you think it’s important to have a cause that you work and stand for? What causes do you think are important? I think that it’s important to stand for something. Some people feel that “it’s only rock and roll” and that content isn’t important. I think that’s a lazy approach. Music is about passion, and I sing about things that I’m passionate about. I’m not going into a list of important causes, because we could fill up a lot of space, but let’s start with Peace and Justice, neither of which seem to be priorities in our country at this point in time. Did having the stroke effect the way you play music, and how you act on stage? Yes, absolutely. It changed the way I understand life and death, and the intensity with which I try to live life. I think that this comes across in the music, both live and on record…
“Racism... Do I even need to say that it’s one of humankind’s greatest evils?”
How do you feel about these topics: TV I have a love-hate relationship with TV. On one hand, I think that it’s one of many devices in our world that relieves us of the responsibility of thinking critically, and in that sense it can be very dangerous. On the other hand, it’s only a tool that’s as bad or good as the person using it. I do watch TV, but I recognize that it makes me lazy, and I constantly struggle with the idea of getting rid of it altogether, an option which has made some friends of mine much happier. It’s an easy way to shut my brain off after an exhausting day, but ultimately there are better things to do. Racism. Do I even need to say that it’s one of humankind’s greatest evils? Government, the economy, and war We didn’t elect this administration, so in a very real sense it is fraudulent. Our president is certainly one of the stupidest, most dangerous men in power in the “first world.” The economy is fucked for several reasons, first and foremost too many resources devoted towards waging illegal warfare. Which gets us to #3. The war the U.S. is currently waging was initiated under false pretenses and is clearly an imperialistic action aimed at expanding the U.S. sphere of influence. Contrary to what GWB and his propaganda team would like us to believe, this war was never aimed at promoting democracy or defending American lives. Education We need effective schools more than we need bigger prisons. But we continue to invest in the latter and divest from the former. There is a caste system perpetuated by the fact that a community’s school budget comes solely from property taxes. It systematically limit’s opportunities for children from poor communities. A community full of homes valued at $20,000 will of course have fewer resources per child than a community full of $400,000 homes. This is fundamentally fucked… Clear Channel Fuckers… Since the FCC’s recent decision to further deregulate media ownership, a single entity can own several news outlets and cultural outlets in a given city. When one company can own most or all of the “competing news or music stations in a given community we lose diversity of perspectives and opinions, and we allow a multinational corporation to define the limits and parameters of discourse on a given topic. It’s pretty obvious why this is so scary. If a certain perspective on a given news story benefits the corporation in question, we can bet that other perspectives won’t be available to us. Clear Channel in particular tries to monopolize live music promotion in some cities, and they tried to fuck with our independent scene here in Philadelphia. What do you want to achieve with Paint it Black? World domination, baby… Any thing else you want to add? Thanks for the interest and the support…
Atiba What got you into photography?
Do you prefer 16mm or Digital video?
What else do you do besides take photos?
My friend Josh Wildman.
16mm
Play music
When did you move from Colorado to California?
What do you think about digital photography?
1995
I love it. It has it's place.
How’d you get a job at Transworld?
What is your favorite photo taken by someone else?
Grant Brittain didn't want me to work at 7-11.
Spike Jonez, kickflip melon of Jeremy Klein.
Just a side pipe, that’s all.
Do you prefer shooting b/w or color photos?
What photographers do you look up too?
What equipment do you use to make music?
Both.
Spike, Grant, Walter Iooss.
MPC 2000
What kind of equipment do you use?
Have you had any formal training in photography?
What do you see yourself doing in ten years?
Canon.
No.
Taking pictures.
Do you take photos everyday?
What advise can you give other photographers trying to get their photos in major publications?
What is important to know for those just getting into photography?
Atiba Jefferson
I try..
How did you get into making beats(music)? I just wanted to play piano and I got a keyboard..
Is music a side project or something that you’re trying to pursue?
Patience.
Only do it if you love it ‘cause if not you will stress out.
What is it about photography that keeps you taking photos?
Who are your favorite people to take photos of?
My brother put me in contact with a guy at the NBA.
The final results.
Everyone.
How is taking photos different than filming people for you?
How often do you mess up your photos?
What skateboarders are the easiest to take photos of?
Lighting is very important.
Everytime I shoot.
Lee Dupont
How’d you get into shooting for NBA players?
Dan Wolfe What is Closure? A retrospective skate video of stuff I filmed from 1993-2003 How long have you been working on Closure? How does it feel that you finally have it done? Almost two years off and on. Feels great to be done. A big weight has been lifted off my shoulders How many hours of footage did you go through to find footage for this video? 865 hour long tapes. So 865 hours. Why did you decide to make Closure? It would've been ideal to film for 10 years and then put out the video so all the footage was new/never before seen, but that really wouldn't have been possible. I just wanted all my favorite stuff crispy & clean on one DVD. VHS looks crappy and deteriorates. I’m assuming that you didn't use all the footage you had shot over the years for Closure, will there be a Closure 2? Probably not, I used all the best stuff, so I wouldn't want to make a throw backs video. Who’s in it, and how long is Closure? All my favorite street skaters and friends. It's 50 mins long. How was making Closure different than making your previous films? Was it harder or easier? Harder organizing all my thoughts and the footage, easier cause I only had to answer to me. How do you think Closure compares to other videos released this year? Definitely not as hyped and 'gnarly'. Just good street skating. I think you get your money's worth, none of the footage has been on DVD and I packed a lot of tricks in there for ya. Now that Closure is all done, what’s next for you? School. I-Path. Rasa Libre.
Check Out www.danwolfe.tv for more information on Closure.
These Arms Are Snakes Photos by Robin Laananen
What other ex bands is TAAS comprised of? Brian was in Botch, Onalaska and is currently also in Roy. Steve was in Kill Sadie, Joe was in various bands around Washington, Ryan was in Nineironspitfire and TAAS is Jesses first band. Why did you choose to release an ep first and not an full length? We chose to release an ep first as an introduction to a band no one has ever heard of, and it was something we had always planned on doing when we first recorded the songs on our demo. How long have you been together? We have now been together for a little over a year as serious band. We all played together for a while before we really started writing songs that we felt were actual songs. A lot of what we did in the beginning was just space jams and getting to know each other musically, and then it started to formulate into what we are now and decided to make it a full time thing. What can someone expect from your live show? Hmmm... Well we've been told that we're extremely loud, which is a good thing, I think. Steve is usually climbing around in rafters or pipes or something if it's available to him. He can't really seem to sit still which is also a good thing, but we've also been told that we're a "very-high-energy-band" to watch live. We also do our own lights, so watch out for those. We just try and provide entertainment value for those who watch us. It's extremely boring to see a band that just stands there and sounds exactly like they do on record. It's rather disappointing, so we try to provide something entertaining for everyone to see. Has a full length been written or recorded yet, if yes, what is the release date? No, the full length isn't done yet. We're still working on that bad boy. It should hopefully be done and recorded by this winter. It kind of depends on our and Matt Bayles schedule, but we're optimistic about it being recorded in the winter for sure. Next to touring, getting our full length going is our top priority. You're on tour with the Blood Brothers now, how is that tour going? The tour with the Blood Brothers was amazing. We couldn't have asked to be on tour with better people and a better band. They were amazing to be able to watch every night and hang out with as well. Not only that, but it was really nice to be able to play in front of a packed house every night thanks to them. I could never say enough great things about them. It was definitely one of the best tours I've ever been on. How is TAAS different than other bands you've played in? Well I've had the fortune of playing with some really good people throughout my playing "career" and that extends into TAAS as well. So, I feel really fortunate to have been able to play with the guys in Nineiron and now TAAS. As far as differences go, I think just personalities in general will always be extremely different from person to person. This band probably wouldn't sound anything like it does now if any one person in the band wasn't there. So it's definitely interesting to figure out everyone's eccentricities in any band.
What direction is TAAS heading? It's tough to say at this point since we're still writing what will end up being only our second release. It's hard to be subjective about it when I personally still have no idea what direction we're going in. But as long as we're still challenging ourselves then I'm going to be happy with the way it comes out. We're not trying to rewrite any songbooks but as long as we present ourselves in a way that's refreshing to us and challenging to us then I think we're definitely doing our job correctly. Was Jade Tree an obvious choice when looking for a label? Definitely. Jade Tree is a label that we've all respected for a long time. They've always put out records that they have enjoyed and have been able to get behind 100%. That's saying a lot when many labels have started to put out releases that they think will just make them money, and while that might be fine for them, it's just not something that we can get behind. So it was obvious for us to go with Jade Tree when they showed a genuine interest and explained what they were all about.
What are you doing to keep yourselves occupied when between shows? Most everybody except for Steve and I had jobs to return to from this tour, so I've actually been concentrating on trying to write more music. That's about all I can do since we'll be going on tour again soon. Brian and Joe will be going on tour with Brian's other band, Roy in September, so watch out for that. They'll be on tour with The Weakerthans. What do you want people to get out of the ep? Well, to be honest, it's not really meant for that. Hence the title of the record. It's more of a release and for us to get something off of our chests. That's not to say we don't want someone to not get anything from it. Because really, we hope everyone does take something from it, but I'm not really sure what that is or what I think it should be. It seems as though TAAS is already a popular band, did you expect this much hype before the ep came out? No, not at all! We've been feeling overwhelmed ever since our first few shows. It's not something any of us ever expected. We've only been a band for just over a year. So it's really strange to get this much hype before the release of any kind of record. Is Robin Laananen a big part of the band, she seems to take a lot of TAAS’s photos? Hmmm... yes and no. We've all known Robin for quite some time and just about all of us have been shot by her at some point in time over the past four or five years. So I guess it wasn't even a question of who to use for photo's. She's extremely professional without feeling like we're in a professional environment. She also makes it very easy for everyone to have their photo taken without feeling uncomfortable. She's good like that, and we think she's one of the best photographers around right now anyway, so we feel lucky to be shot by her. She came on tour with us also, which was awesome. She was there to document it and sell merch for us as well. So expect to see something regarding the Blood Bros/Dance Disaster Movement/TAAS tour soon.(www.redhedpictures.com if anyone is interested)
This is Meant to Hurt You
What is the scene like in Seattle, and how does it compare to other music scenes? Seattle right now is great. There are a ton of great bands to play with all the time. It's very nice to be able to play with different sounding bands all the time. We've had the fortune of playing with everyone from Playing Enemy to Cobra High and Minus the Bear. So it's nice to be able to play such diverse shows. We're very lucky in that regard because Playing Enemy could never be able to play with Minus the Bear and we're able to play with both bands and nobody thinks anything of the billing. If possible, can TAAS be in a specific genre of music, if yes which genre? Or are you creating something new? You're probably asking the wrong person this question. I'm sure we fit in somewhere but we'll argue that we don't. Just for the reason that we can play with such diverse bands and people don't really think anything of it. But then again, I don't really think we're creating anything new. I think we're presenting it in a way that we feel is refreshing and different take on it. But to call it something new would be a little weird and probably not true. "Riding the Grape Dragon" has been the only song released off of the EP. Is that a good representation on how the EP will sound? Yeah definitely. I think that song is a healthy mix of what we've got going on on the rest of the ep. Some of the ep is a little more crazy and some of it is a lot more toned down.
The Duluth Bound High Roller Escapades We received our invites from Master Jack Boyd of the finest clothing manufacture in the world, Stacked. It seems they were throwing a multi million dollar movie premier for there first big budget summer hit, The Stacked Video. I was extremely interested in attending. Plus I would get the chance to rub elbows with some of Minnesota’s finest movie directors and skateboarding celebrities. I was in a bit of a pickle though. On the same day as the premier, I was supposed to fly to Paris with Mark Gonzales to do a photo shoot for our next issue. I called Mark and told him I had to reschedule the trip to Paris. The day of the premier started with a 30 foot Hummer H2 Limo picking up the Swimmer’s Ear Execs and 25 of their closet associates. The H2 was 24 Carat gold plated with platinum trim. It included a 56 inch flat screen TV, with complete surround sound. A full bar with only the most elegant Wines and Spirits available. A ten person hot tub and the band Radiohead was on board to keep us entertained with their lovely music. On the way up to Duluth we stopped at the Casino in Hinkley where we had the VIP treatment. We ate a full steak buffet and were treated to the comic stylings of Jay Leno. I stopped over at the black jack table and quickly took the house for 1.3 million dollars on a single hand. “21 is unbeatable” I say to the dealer and the security escort me out of the building with my check.
We arrive just out side of Duluth to an awaiting helicopter. We needed a fancy entrance to the premiere, and nothing says fancy like a diamond studded helicopter. Up we go and on the way to the super deluxe Nor Shore Theater, we throw 100 dollar bills to the streets below. There is no better way to spend money. The people below run to catch as much money as possible. After finding no where to land the Heli, we decide to BASE jump out to the theater below. We bail out at about 2500 feet and parachute to the Red Carpet. There were thousands of people lined up out front. In attendance were such stars of the film, Ryan Leege, Steve Steitz, and Jack Boyd himself. Jack welcomed us and showed us to our front row seats. The Nor Shore theater was filled with 18,000 screaming fans and celebrities. Mr. Boyd introduced the movie and what followed was a beautifully filmed, masterfully edited, skillfully skated masterpiece, which later won 6 Oscars, 3 Golden Globes, 2 Day Time Emmys and 1 Latin Grammy award. Unfortunately my 13 megapixal digital camera was snatched at the premier by an over zealous security guard, so you will have to take my word that all this actually happened.
- Adam Sever
The Stacked Video Review Skateboarding videos don't impress me much anymore. All the videos that come out have all the same tricks done by many different skateboarders. How many times can you watch a nollie heelflip down some stairs or a lipslide down a 15 stair rail? The current state of skateboard videos aren’t very exciting, so the big companies put in skits, party footage, and drunk naked chicks to reel the oh so important 13-18 year old target market to buy their product. All this ranting brings me to the Stacked Video. Put together by the fine people at Midwest Brand and 218 Productions, the Stacked Video, is one of the best videos I have seen in the last few years. The Stacked Video, showcases the undiscovered talent of Northern Minnesota. There was so much style in this video, that it would make John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever embarrassed. The stacked video shows everything skateboarding should be. It shows how much fun you can have on a skateboard. It shows skateboarding at its best. Its not all glitzy and overproduced, like a P. Diddy video. There are a lot of things The Stacked Video is not, but only one thing it is, the best.
Stencil Photos by Nicole Neally
Limited Quantities done by hand I don't really have a solid answer for the limited quantities...I just thought that it would be cool maybe like five or ten years down the road when we have our huge, highly anticipated super video come out to hear people say "Dude they used to be rad, now they sold out. Their first video was way cooler". Then have another kid say "They had a first video?". Plus I wanted to have a real limited edition series, not the "We only made 165 million of these, supplies are limited". The reason for the numbering and hand stenciling was just to give people something different and one of a kind. I did them right outside my house so on some of the copies there's some dirt or grass specs. I call them the "Limited Edition Minnesota Dust and Possibly Poop Particles Series". The stencils were done by hand...it took about 3.5 hours to make each Stacked one and the names took about the same. The maintenance is a pain in the ass...I can only do about 20 at a time before having to clean the stencils which takes about an hour and half. - Jack
Boyd
Interview with Jack Boyd How long did the Stacked video take to make filming and editing? I know we started filming right after the first FOD video, which was about a year and half ago. The editing started maybe four or five months ago, but there was definitely way more time being put into it during the last week. Stressfest for sure. How come you didn’t advertise the video until a month before the premiere? I think too many jump the gun on that sort thing and end up overdoing it. They build up people’s expectations too much, then when the whole thing drops they leave them standing there holding a limp dick so to speak. How do you feel the premiere went? That was one of the best times I’ve ever had. We had a good turnout and people really got into the video. Good audience reaction is what your really looking for when you have a premiere. Then of course, when you throw bands and liquor into the mix... Did you accomplish everything you wanted to do with the video? For the most part. I know a lot of people question everything they see or hear, whether it be some know-it-all pecker shooting off their mouth or something posted on a message board. “They’re not a real company, they don’t even make pants”. It’s like there’s an instruction manual to having a company. You gotta do this, advertise here and demo there. There’s hundreds of companies out there and most of them look the same and operate under the same guidelines. There’s no sense in kicking the fuck out of a dead horse. So yeah, I guess we may not be a “real” company to some people but our priorities lie in skateboarding. And that’s why we made the video. What was the hardest part about the whole process? I would say the decision making. I definitely wanted a certain look and feel for the video. I’m sort of a picky person so I would tell someone that they should take out a certain line or trick because it looks weak, but at the same time they’re stoked on it for whatever reason. You just have to be understanding towards certain things and learn to negotiate and compromise and not be so bull headed. But all in all it came down to what the skater wanted. They put in the work and it’s their reputation on the line. I’m just here to vouch for the guy. How many people came to the premiere? The video was supposed to start at 7:00 and about twenty minutes to, there was like 25 people there. I totally thought people weren’t having it and was starting to get nervous. But right at seven it rushed and we ended up starting about forty minutes late. It was somewhere around 230-240 people that showed up. So thanks to anyone from out of town who made the trip.
Did you expect that many people to show? I was hoping for at least 100-150 people, so I was pretty surprised at the final showing. A few days before the premiere I had one of the chicks that works at the theatre call me and tell me that if I didn’t quit using the flyer with the almost nude girl on it, that no women would come to the video. Retarded hippy, there were tons of girls there. Who do you think had the stand out part? It’s hard to say because everyone's style is really different. I like Jake’s part because no one had really seen anything of him yet and he doesn’t have the “good little kid” ego, he just sort of wanders around lost with a weird look on his face. Cripes (Steve Seitz) has a good part too. He put in a lot of work and spent his fair share of time on the cripple couch. How did all the riders feel about the video? Everyone was mostly happy with it. A couple of them wished they had a few more things or longer parts, like Ryan. He had a bunch of crap going on all at once like school S.A.T’s, running the shop and being married. Double (Den Davey) is a freak when it comes to filming and editing so he was out the morning of the premiere redoing lines he didn’t like or fidgeting with music. But if it wasn’t for him it wouldn’t have been out until Fall 2010...I’m a procrastinator. How do you choose who to put on the team? For me the biggest thing is personality. I’ve put people on in the past before without really getting to know them and it ends up sucking. They’re more pumped on telling people that they’re sponsored instead of actually caring about the company or what it stands for. As it stands right now the team is the best it’s ever been. They’ve never been “Yo man, what’s up with my box”, it’s more like “Hey dude, my shit’s looking chauncey, can I get a few things?”. They’re patient and take it for what it is and what we want it to be. Is there a sense of Midwest Pride in the video? Not really too much. I tried to stray from playing the “Midwest Pride” fiddle and just do something that anyone from anywhere would enjoy. Like it or not, there’s a lot more to skateboarding than what you see around here. Most of the riders are from around this area, but again, it’s a case of a personality, not local pride. Den and John (Feick) both have the MN Fever pretty bad, so you see that reflected in their parts. To me Minnesota is like a cheating girlfriend. You stay with her and put up with her shit and she still turns around and makes a misery of your life. For seven months out of the year anyways. But in the words of the Motley Crue, it will always be “Home Sweet Home”. Do you have any plans for another video anytime soon? There’s talk of a few different projects. I know FOD wants to do another video soon. Double has talked about doing a skateboarding influenced softcore porno I think I want to get in on. Maybe a short Fonix promo...guess we’ll wait and see. What do you have planned for the future of Stacked and Fonix? Skateboarding and tomfoolery...
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Joe Blum
Dan Monick
Ryan Atienza
Colin Simmons
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Ashley Brookins
Jamie Sellers
Marvelous
Chris Pernula
This is Marvelous Name: Michael Stenerson “Marvelous” Age: 25 Geographic Location: Today Iowa, tomorrow who knows. How did you get into taking photos? It’s funny cause when I was little, I always wanted to be a photographer, but my parents told me it was too hard to make money. Then I took a photo class in high school, just kind of fooling around with it and takin photos of my friends. I remember taking a few skate photos but always felt limited with the equipment that I had; a little shitty Nikon with a 50mm lens. Looking back I wish I would have taken it more seriously and learned more early on. But I was just too preoccupied with skating and chilling with my friends. Then in college I got a job at the Minnesota Daily. It was there that I really learned how to be a photographer, what photography was, and some of the different ways to make a career out of it. What do you do to make your photos stand out from others? Make sure those joints are tight like pussy. Do you have any formal training or are you self taught? A little bit of both. Mostly trial and error, and asking lots of questions of other older and/or more experienced photogs. Art school can pretty much suck a dick when it comes to technical shit. They can teach you how to make an ill print, but when it comes to exposing your film in funny ways and with flash, they're lost. What is the hardest thing about shooting photos? Getting those fucking lazy skaters to get it together and getting the damn filmer out of the way. I swear, that's why I don't shoot more skate photos. "Ooohhhh, I can’t do it if were not gonna film it" I don’t ever want to hear that again. “Call me when you're close”-that’s my new motto. First off, filming and photographing do not always work well together, they can but more often than not they don't. In my opinion, people (filmers and photographers) are using the fisheye lens too much. As a visual recorder, they should be looking for nice compositions. There is not much you can do composition-wise with a fisheye lens. Don't get me wrong I use that shit too, but it seems more often than not that's what you're gonna see in the mags or on the vids. Do you prefer b/w or color photography? Depends on the mood, the situation, and what type of image you want to come away with.
Jay Haugen - Minneapolis, MN
Den Davey - Fifty Fifty - Duluth, MN
Peter Madson - Wall Ride - Iowa City, IA
peter piper popped some poopers and in turn learned frontside airs in 12 foot concrete bowls in Novi, MI.
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Seth McCallum - Frontside 180
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Lone Tree Fall Festival. Lone Tree, IA. 2003 What do you think makes a quality photo? You have to have your technical skills on point. No out of focus, no bad lighting. Know where your light is coming from. Frame that shit up nice. Do it all in the camera. "Techin' in the camera" as my friend Amirali would say. That means when you scan it or print it you don't have to do anything to it, cause it just comes out perfect. And finally the overall vision. Some people have it some don’t. What kind of equipment do you use? Nikon digital SLR's for newspaper stuff, and Nikon film SLR's for everything else. I like experimenting with different types of cameras. I used a 4x5 view camera for a bit and that was great, I really want a Leica. But right now I just own Nikon, a couple F4's and a a F100 Who are your favorite people to shoot? What,? Are you trying to get me in some shit?? I already have a tough enough time getting cats to shoot with me! What are some of your favorite photographers and photos? I really like Gabe Morford, Pete Thompson, Alex Webb, Henri CartierBresson of course, Steve McCurry, Jon Humphries. It's a long list but these are just a few. When setting up a shot, do you have an idea of what the photo will look like? Pretty much always with skateboarding. I think that if you don't have an idea, you’re gonna have a lot of stuff that doesn't turn out as nice as you would like. That's different though with documentary stuff. In that situation you kind of just vibin' off other people, waiting for moments to happen and constantly on the move, always trying to "see" that next shot. Even then though you're looking for photos as you're taking them. Looking for good compositions. But at the same time when you're photographing people you might make a really great photo off the cuff. Or when you're doing street photography a lot of that is just spur of the moment. Sometimes from the hip. Do you have your own setup for processing and developing film? Depends on where I'm at in life. Sometimes I have access to labs from where I work but I have never had my own. I have access right now though so I'm pretty stoked. What does photography mean to you? You don't want to know.
ashley brookins Age: 20 Geographic Location: Golden Valley, MN
When did you get into photography? I've always liked taking pictures, but it wasn't until I took a Black and White class last year that the love began.
What kind of equipment do you use? Old Cannon AE-1...I got it for $25 from a lady at work...What a deal eh? Who are your favorite people to shoot? Strangers.
Do you have any formal training or are you self taught? I took that Black and White class, and I'm now in a Color one.
When setting up a shot, do you have an idea of what the photo will look like? Yeah, I usually plan it out, but sometimes I just mess around to see what will happen.
Do you prefer b/w or color photography? B/W, it's easier to get good prints.
Do you have your own setup for processing and developing film? Someday...For now I just use my school's.
Jamie is 17 years old and has been shooting skateboard photos for one year. He used to live in Rochester, MN, but now he lives in Tampa, Fl.
Jamie Sellers Jamie has been skateboarding for 4 and a half years. He also has interests in snowboarding, photography, filming and eating.
Jordan Garris - Board Slide
Sam Schafer - Noseblunt Slide
Jordan Garris - Crooked Grind
Jordan Garris - Nose Slide
Shane Golder - Backside Smith Grind
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Chris Pernula began taking photos during an unhealthy obsession of looking through other people's bedroom windows. Over the years he became quite skillful at climbing trees, jumping backyard fences, and evading on-foot police pursuits. After several restraining orders and an owl mishap, he redirected his subject matter to focus on skateboarding and snowboarding, which he still shoots today. When he buys his own house, he plans to have a dark room. Not a room to develop photos, just a room that doesn't have any lights where he can hang out and tell scary stories.
rnu
Phil Wright - Ollie
Paul Pernula - Snowskate Gap
I am an urban assaultist by trade....wandering the earth like Caine....spitting Mao....armed with some aerosol chrome and John Blaze in my dome....my camera is my sword....a modern day warrior and hero to many....el mysterioso kid, seen?
Spray Cans
Alex in binds of despair
I Love Skateboarding
N Train - NYC
Welcome to Minnesota
Queens Trainyard
Shadows in an Abandoned Playground
Red Rock
Shadows
I grew up in Minneapolis and after a lot of fits and starts I now live in Los Angeles. My photography background is a series of coincidences and accidents. So are the best pictures. The day I got kicked out of a writing class in college was also the same day I got accepted into a photo 1 class that I had applied for on a lark. That pretty much sums it all up right there. I take photographs because I cant seem to stop. Also my memory can be horrible at times. Dan Monick http://www.dmonick.com/
Dan Monick 1. Croix 2. Har Mar / Atom 3. B O D N 4. Crowd 5. Har Mar 6. Jim 7. Micky Mosman 8. Queens of the Stone Age pedal
Croix of American Monster
Har Mar Superstar and Atom
Book of Dead Names
Crowd at Edge Fest, Somerset, WI
Har Mar Superstar
Jim
Micky Mosmon
Pedal of Queens of the Stone Age
Age: 23 Geographic Location: Moneyapolis How did you get into taking photos? It's always been a creative outlet for me to express my inner feelings. When did you get into photography? I was born with a death lens shaped birth mark on my right shoulder, so right away my parents bought me a vx1000 and put me to work filming go kart races and scoot skate competitions. What do you do to make your photos stand out from others? I shoot Chips-X in the nude. I'm the only photojournalist in town that has the extremely rare xxx-lens. Do you have any formal training or are you self taught? Every photographer is self taught.
What is the hardest thing about shooting photos? Trying new things. What do you think makes a quality photo? A good story to go with it.
joe blum
What kind of equipment do you use? A Holga 120S.
Who are your favorite people to shoot? Thanks to Frankenplus, Colin, J-Ho, Jackle, Treeves, Treelijah, Beat minor, Zed, Sam, Munz, Show, Neal, Rieman, Todd Brown, Ben, Heck, Jesse, Matt, Tony-Bone, Sissi, Scott and anyone else's souls I have stolen or have helped me out over the years.
When setting up a shot, do you have an idea of what the photo will look like? I try to make sure to have a lot of lurkers in the background, and sometimes it's nice if randoms pop in to see the aggressive maneuvers too. What does photography mean to you? To me a photographic image is a majestic expression of the inner beauty that is human existence.
Dan Jackson - Halfcab Heelflip
Elijah Collard - Kickflip
Jeremy Reeves - Backside Tailslide
Elijah Collard - Switch Frontside Flip
Sam Mcguire - Frontside Bluntslide
Jeremy Reeves - Fakie Ollie
Ryan Atienza Age: 17 Geographic Location: Crystal, MN How did you get into taking photos? -When I first started skating I always bought those disposable cameras to shoot photos of my friends skateboarding and eventually my dad gave me an SLR and said, "If you can figure out how to use this thing, you can use it." So I guess that's how it started. When did you get into photography? -I think I started out in 6th or 7th grade but I started shooting seriously I think in 9th grade. What do you do to make your photos stand out from others? -I don't really know, I just shoot what I like and if it turns out better than others, then I guess that's cool. Do you have any formal training or are you self taught? -I am completely self taught. What is the hardest thing about shooting photos? -You always have to be prepared. Sometimes I'll go out and get to whatever I'm shooting and I'll be like, "Damn, it's really dark, I wish I brought some 800 film," or "I knew I would need that polarizer." Now I just carry a big ass backpack full of stuff.
Do you prefer b/w or color photography? -I like both, it just depends on the subject. What do you think makes a quality photo? -Something that captures the moment, makes you feel like you were there, like you could feel the weather and smell the smells; stuff like that. What kind of equipment do you use? -I rock the old school equipment: Canon AE1, Canon T70, Yashica MAT 124-G What are some of your favorite photographers and photos? -Gordon Parks, all of the people that shoot for National Geographic, Jai Tanju, there's a lot but I can't think of them. When setting up a shot, do you have an idea of what the photo will look like? -Yeah, everything that I look at I think of as a picture. It's something that I've always done and it really helps, and if something I see looks really cool or I compare it with something that would make a good picture, I usually shoot it.
Minneapolis
Josh Bachman
Did you know that Duluth was once home to more millionaires (per capita) than any other city in the world? Duluth is located on the western most tip of Lake Superior, halfway between the Twin Cities and Canada. It has an area of 43,067 acres and a population of 86,000, making it Minnesota’s third largest city. You can’t talk about Duluth with out mentioning Lake Superior. Lake Superior has enough water in it to cover all of North America in 3 feet of water. It has 3 quadrillion gallons of water that make up 31,280 square surface miles. It has an average depth of 483 feet and its deepest point is 1,333 feet deep. The lake is home of over 350 shipwrecks including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald. Lake Superior is known for its clear, cold water and agate beaches. It has an average temperature of 40°F and is large enough to dramatically affect weather patterns is surrounding areas; in Duluth, that means warmer winters and cooler summers. Duluth’s average high Summer temperature is 77°F and it’s average low Winter temperature is -2°F. Duluth’s Industries include tourism, healthcare, financial/banking, mining, paper, communications, education and shipping. Interlake cargoes of iron, grain, coal and stone combine to make Duluth the top volume port on the Great Lakes with a total of $250 million in annual economic impact. Duluth was rated first in the United States for quality healthcare in communities of its size and one of every seven residents are employed in healthcare.
Duluth
Duluth is also known for its great skateboarding
Steve Steitz - Kickflip Photo by Michael Stenerson
Den Davey - Gap to 50-50 Photo by Michael Stenerson
Jack Boyd - Footplant Photo by Nicole Neally
Den Davey - Switch Crooked Grind Photo by Ben Olson
Josh Monsaas - Ollie Photo by Ryan Leege
Josh Monsaas - Ollie Photo by Ryan Leege
Dan Johnson - Melon Photo by Ryan Leege
Duluth is also known for its great skateboarding Duluth information from visitduluth.com
Trent Halfdal - Hardflip Photo: Jake Halfdal
Andy Paulsen
Dan Jackson
Dom Hess
Sean Hanley
Jesse Reed
The Thurman Lewis Collection Promo Video Out Now Check local skate shops for availability
FINALE
Saturday, October 25 3rd LAIR Skatepark–MPLS
850 Florida Ave So. Golden VAlley, MN 55426 763-797-5283
www.midwestbowlriders.com
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r's Ear Maga e m m
Wasting Paper Since '98 9487 Polaris Lane North Maple Grove, MN 55369
Minneapolis Skyline - Colin Simmons