Quanbeck and Hucke
A few more shots from a filming day-trip we went on a bit ago to Seattle, and around this area a few weeks back. Caleb Quanbeck and Ben Hucke. Check the rest after the jump. The horizontal shots can be blown up by clicking to expand. Above is Caleb, no-hander down a big three-block set up into a high school track. Read more…
1985 Was All About Green
It was 25 years ago, in 1985, that I went to my first BMX freestyle contest… an AFA Masters in Fitchburg, Ma. 1985 was also the year that Haro released a new version of its Master frame and fork set with new chainstay platforms, and an incredible new color — neon green. At the time I rode a Hutch Trickstar, but when that green came out I couldn’t resist. I added some green Haro bars to the Trickstar. Read more…
Eugene Dirty Day Trip
Half way across the country people were bitching and moaning about who got what place at the Dew Tour. But the reality is, that’s a small part of what happens in BMX freestyle. A very small part. A bunch of us headed down to Eugene from Portland yesterday for a backyard dirt jumping jam at Frank’s place. No credentials needed. No massive energy drink logos. No ticket sales. No judging. Just a large gathering of people having fun. Frank’s got some amazing jumps in his yard, as well as a cool mini-ramp inside a barn, located way out past the land of cell phone service. On the way down we hit up a relatively new concrete skatepark in Harrisburg, OR, which was awesome, although the new concrete was incredibly slippery. After a couple hours of concrete we headed 10 more miles to Frank’s house, for a day in the dirt. That’s Justin Inman above. Check out the photos from the day after the jump. Horizontal shots can be expanded to a larger size by clicking. Also, see yesterday evening’s post with a shot of Ryan Barrett. Read more…
Ryan Barrett: Harrisburg, OR
Ryan Barrett is something of a bicycle legend. For the last few years he’s been living a bit under the radar up here in Portland, Oregon. I don’t know how many times I’ve been at a local skatepark and heard “Barrett did it” when someone asks “has anyone ever tried to..?” It’s almost mythical. Like the Yeti. You don’t necessarily ever see him, but the stories elude to the fact that he’s still there.
Alright, he’s not that mysterious. I see Ryan from time to time, but he is a legend. I first met Ryan years ago when he was riding for Hoffman Bikes, but this is the first photo I’ve shot of him since I’ve been in Portland.
I’ve got a bunch of photos from a day-trip down to Eugene today to ride the Harrisburg, OR skatepark, and some great trails at a guy named Frank’s house, but for tonight I’m going to leave it at this. Ryan deserves a post of his own, since there’s no telling how long it will be before another photo surfaces. But, I assure you, he is very real (like the Yeti).
Losers of the Year and Baggy Pants
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Going through some old New England BMX footage this week I came across an old video part of mine from Wire Zine’s “Losers of the Year video from 1995-ish. Kieran Chapman produced the video, as well as most of the important New England BMX coverage from the time. I was digitizing it for another purpose, but figured I’d post it here… hopefully Kieran doesn’t mind. Not that anyone would want to, but it’s not embeddable. This was definitely the “baggy pants era.” Standard Bikes had revolutionized previously flimsy products with unbreakable components, which resulted in a presumably 50 pound bike for most of this.
Ben Hucke of the Month
While filming for a Shadow Conspiracy video a few weeks back, Ben hit me up to come out and shoot this rail a couple miles from my house. I’d seen a picture he posted of it on Twitter, but didn’t think he’d actually do it. Jump to rail to pegs, to jump over. You screw this one up and you’re done (and I would have been done as well). It didn’t make me feel real sure when he sat at the top of the stairs and said “You’re insured, right?” Yes, but no insurance needed. Pulled perfectly, a few times. Check out the photo after the jump for rail height reference. Not easy. Two story drop. This is one that would have been a video-ender a few years back, now it gets sessioned 10 or 15 times? Keep your eye out for the Shadow edit online soon to see the line. Read more…
No-Hander. Wrong T-shirt.
Shot this photo of Caleb Quanbeck up in Seattle a few weeks for a print ad, but he was wearing the wrong t-shirt. Oops. Rookie move, Caleb. Supposed to shoot something else tonight down here in Oregon.
Pipe to Pipe Skate Contest
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Yesterday afternoon I went up to the outskirts of Mt. Hood to film the skateboard portion of Bonfire Snowboarding’s annual Pipe to Pipe contest for YoBeat. The one-day event features a snowboard contest at the mountain followed by a skate contest at Windell’s Camp. This year, with the concrete park at Windell’s growing, and the weather as good as it can be, the contest was held outside (it’s been inside the park building for the last few years). The above video is some of what went down — mostly in the Pro division — during the skate contest. For full photos and coverage of both the snow and skate events check out YoBeat.
Roman Dirt
I Wound up doing an unplanned shoot with Roman Tencza riding some dirt jumps today. Dean Dickinson was filming a project for ESPN and wanted to get some behind the scenes photoshoot footage. Roman and I had been talking about shooting some dirt at his friend’s private spot, so it was a good excuse to get out there… He killed the dirt much like he does the concrete. If you’re unfamiliar, check out my previous post. Or continue on after the jump and check out some dirt shred. Note: the horizontal shots are expandable. Read more…
Mt. Tabor Outtakes
There was a BMX Jam and BBQ in Portland’s Mt. Tabor park yesterday. I sent some photos in to the ESPN BMX site, but while we wait for those to go up, here are some outtakes from the day. It started with a BBQ, followed by a rail jam, and then a hill bomb down Mt. Tabor, ending up on Hawthorne Blvd. Check out some shots after the jump and make sure to check ESPN BMX later today or tomorrow for the gallery. ESPN gallery is now up here. Check that out, after you check the outtakes after the jump. Read more…
Roman Tencza for ESPN
I shot a bunch of photos of Roman Tencza last month (and over the course of the last year really) that turned out to be some of my favorite things I’ve shot recently. Those shots evolved into a bio for the ESPN site, which evolved into a video to go with it. This feature is a good example of why I like producing content for the internet: I can melt together all the aspects of content that I like into one piece (photo, video, etc). Roman shreds the skateparks up here in the Northwest. Don’t be surprised if you see him on the contest scene this year too. He’s got the big tricks, but the style and flow to go with it. Very Rob Darden, Brian Foster, and Brian Hunt inspired style. Awesome. Check out the video above, and click here to go through the photo gallery and interview. It’s worth it.
Arby’s Wall Peg Stall
Yet another Ben Hucke photo. He’s always got stuff up his tattooed-sleeve to shoot, so it isn’t hard to end up with good photos to post. This one has been sitting unused for a bit, and it’s too good to not use. Giant peg stall, out of an almost non-existent bank in Portland. Not bad.
Sea-Tac Quick Trip
Did a quick day trip to Seattle and Tacoma yesterday to shoot some photos for The Shadow Conspiracy with Ben Hucke and Caleb Quanbeck. More from the trip soon, but I wanted to post a couple shots from a concrete park in Tacoma we hit up. I blew it and didn’t get the name of the dude above. But he was killing the park along with Travis Lyons and some other locals. This lookback transfer was cool. There’s another shot of Caleb Quanbeck after the jump from another section of the same park: I liked how you can see the mountain in the background. There’s also one of Ben Hucke 180′ing over the ledge at the top of the big bank at Garfield High in Seattle. Check ‘em. Also keep your eyes peeled for more from the trip on the ESPN BMX page, and an edit from Shadow. Read more…
From the Archives: Leif Valin, 2004
This is Leif Valin, 2004, Woodward, PA. One of the photos from this shoot was used in BMX Plus (a no-handed, one-footed hang five), but I always liked the composition of the faceless photo above. I like the in-your-face-fisheye stuff. There’s another long lens shot of the same trick after the jump. It’s a hybrid one-handed mega spin on the pedal. Read more…
Hucke vs. Studio
Dean Dickinson was by here early shooting some interview / behind the scenes video stuff of my for a project he’s working on. I didn’t have anything lined up to shoot at the time he was coming, so Ben Hucke was nice enough to drop by and lend himself to some photographing. Which made for some good footage, and a couple of cool photos. In addition to the shot above, there was also this photo, which actually happened.
Defgrip Autophoto Feature
The guys over at Defgrip just posted up an Autophoto photo feature with some of my photos. I picked through the library and pulled out a little bit of everything going back about 10 years.
Also, just saw this post about me over on The Pedal Pusher. Thanks guys.
From the Archives: Ruben Alcantara, 2002
In the early 2000s, Ruben Alcantara was without a doubt the most influential freestyle BMX rider in the world. The Spanish native came to America and set the trends for future generations all over the globe. The modern BMX bike is an evolution of Ruben’s style. If Ruben did it, everyone else did too… except for the actual riding part: He was and is on his own level there.
Back in 2002 I was on a trip to Austin, TX shooting photos for Etnies. On one of the days we were shooting, Ruben showed up to the Terrible One ramp with a pink spray painted front wheel. Not just the wheel, the tire too. We laughed about it, but within days (probably hours) there were kids around town with the same style paintjob, right over the tire and everything (including, if I remember correctly, now Pro Chase Hawk). But Ruben rules, so if you’re going to copy anyone…
More Codie Larsen at Pier Park
Future Sputnic team rider and current team manager Levi Hucke made a special appearance while I was trying to shoot some photos of Sputnic flow teamer Codie Larsen at Pier Park today. I think Levi was trying to poach my camera settings. Or he was trying to get background. There are a couple more shots after the jump, too, but Levi stayed out of those. And you can blow this one up by clicking on it. Also, since people are sensitive, I can assure you that little Levi was far safer than any other baby in St. Johns. He’ll be dropping in soon. Read more…
Riding Along with Jamie Bestwick: 2007
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A few years ago I shot Jamie Bestwick for Sports Illustrated for Kids. We shot a tailwhip for a “Tips from the Pros” page in the magazine: basically a how-to. They wanted a short clip to accompany the story on the web, so we made this little segment. I’m sure it totally puzzled them. It’s a bit funny Jamie British babble, followed by an Amish iPod sighting, some vert riding, the tailwhip we shot, and a special bonus of Tom Stober jumping his remote control car. Just a typical day when I lived in State College, really. I watched this again and it’s pretty funny, so I thought I’d resurrect it. He talks about what he did prior to living the good life as a professional BMX rider. You can also see the photo we shot for SI after the jump. Read more…
From the Archives: KC Badger, 2004
I think this is from 2004. The slide wasn’t dated, though. But close enough. It’s from Woodward Camp in Pennsylvania, and it’s KC doing an X-up over a hip, with arms tweaked like only he can. If you look, his handlebars are almost back all the way around to straight again with his arms still on. Rubber arms. The Kink team (Ryan Sher, Jim Ceilincki, Rob Tibbs, and KC) were on a road trip, and stayed at my house in State College for a night or two. If I remember right, KC ended up hurting his wrist at the State College trails the next day. Also, I don’t remember where exactly, but Ryan Sher insists that I once called KC Badger “KC Morgan” in a magazine. Sorry KC.
DIY iPad Case (That Will Save Magazines)
There’s been a lot of talk lately about how the iPad is going to save the publishing industry. It’s an amazing device, and surfing the web on it is pretty incredible. Some of the new magazine apps, like Wired, are neat, but they haven’t quite tapped the potential of where these devices can go with content. They’re still print migrating one media to another.
I’ve been on the hunt for a case that fit my needs. Then it occurred to me. I could reuse some of the old media from my desk, and solve my new media case dilema in the process. So Green.
ReadyMade Magazine is a fitting candidate for a DIY undertaking of this magnitude, as it’s the very sort of thing they write about on their website, and in the magazine (and I assume soon on the iPad in the form of an App). It’s also sized very nicely in relation to the device: A bit of extra all the way around. It’s perfect bound, so no unsightly staple scratches down the road, either.
I surveyed the situation and gathered my supplies. Who would have thunk it? In a design office it would be hard to find an elastic? This slowed down my fabrication process, but over the weekend I was able to salvage a hefty blue band from some produce. Again, reusing. So Green. I sketched a few things on paper (recycled) , and made the decision to forgo any sort of detailed AutoCAD drawing before starting the process. I wore safety glasses.
The most important factors in my case design are finding a magazine that’s not too big (and not too small) and a rubber band that will hold up to the task (hint: celery). For god sakes, no saddle stitched magazines, please. Staples and modern technology do not mix. With those objects in tow, you’re half-way home. Read more…
Neal Hendrix, Woodward West, Part 2
A couple months back (time flies) I posted a shot of Neal Hendrix I shot during my spring trip to Woodward West. We got a few shots I liked, and I’ve been sitting on the stuff, so I figured I’d post a few more. If anyone needs to borrow some frequent flyer miles, call Neal. The man circles the globe, and then does it all over again the following week. I don’t know how many times he’s been to China already this year, but he’s almost a citizen at this point. Eggplant above. Check out another shot of a tailgrab after the jump. You can also click them to go a bit bigger.
iPad for Photographers
The iPad does have more to offer than become the saving grace the book and magazine publishing industries are hoping for. My initial impression, and what held me back from picking one up at first, was that it is just a bigger version of my iPhone. A lot of what I use a computer for can’t be done on the iPad (it runs on a slimmed-down OS like the iPhone). No Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator, Word, Excel, etc. But there are a lot of handy apps for achieving utilitarian tasks. Taking notes, creating contacts, managing time, checking the weather, blogging, social networking etc., etc. Again, you can do those on your iPhone. If I didn’t have a computer, it would fill in some gaps, however to get most of the functionality from the iPad it must be synced to a computer. The internet usability alone is a much different experience on the iPad than the iPhone. You can quickly go blind and frustrated on your phone trying to read the web, but the iPad is much more readable due to it’s heftier size. The functionality is the same as the iPhone in the browsing regard, it’s just more accordingly sized. The publication apps (including Wired) are neat, but I don’t think they’ve quite yet lived up to their interactive experience potential. It remains to be seen if people will pay for them beyond the first issue release novelty (as of this morning Wired had sold more than 24,00 copies of its first iPad issue).
From a photographer and media person standpoint, one of the main selling points for me was the idea of being able to use it in place of a traditional printed portfolio. A nice portfolio book in itself can run well over a hundred dollars, then add in the custom prints, and the constant wear from page flipping/use, and suddenly $500 doesn’t seem to bad. A printed portfolio can approach that neighborhood quickly, and that’s just one book. On the iPad, photographers can create multiple books on the same device, which for someone like myself is necessary. I just dragged my images into an iPhoto gallery, organized them how I wanted, and synced it to my iPad. Done. The photos look amazing on the glossy screen, and users can flip from one to the next at the swipe of a finger. And for the time being, aside from being functional, there’s still a bit of a “that’s neat” feel to it.
Read more…
Roman Killing the Couve
BMX photography and rain don’t really mix. Last week just wasn’t working. The rain finally gave us an afternoon to get out and shoot some photos for more than a couple minutes yesterday at Tigard and Vancouver. I shot a bunch of photos to add to some archive stuff I have of Roman Tencza from the last year or so. I’m going to put together a little Profile for ESPN BMX which should be up next week. Keep your eyes peeled, we got some cool stuff. In the meantime, here’s a teaser. That concrete quarter is ten-feet-tall. Camera shutters (it’s digital so I guess it’s not really a shutter) also echo like crazy when you’re standing inside a full-pipe/capsule. No-hander, Vancouver, Washington. Click the photo to go bigger.
The End of Print. No, Really.
In 1995, Designer David Carson published a book titled “The End of Print.” Print wasn’t really over, David had just significantly stirred the pot, at least graphically. Print itself had a few years left. But the internet had arrived.
It’s 2010, and print publishers would like you to believe that print isn’t dying, but it is. A recent report from mediaIDEAS says ” “Over the next 10 years, the magazine industry will experience deep-rooted change from primarily a print-oriented business to one where digital products will represent the largest share of a smaller periodical industry. We expect digital to be the primary source of revenue for magazines past the 2016-2017 time frame.”
Digital is expected to increase from making up 1/3 of the periodical industry in 2009, to roughly 75% in the coming years. Death doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It can represent a positive evolution. This is post isn’t about re-hashing a tired subject — it’s about the other side of the coin. The Digital side. Read more…
