Skateboarding

We saw The Skateboard Mag’s J. Grant Brittain manning the deck with the hordes of photographers at the Pro-Tec Pool Party on Saturday, but we never got a chance to say hello.

Maybe that’s because Grant spent most of his day trying to shoot around people who weren’t looking through their viewfinders and were holding their cameras “out at arm’s length and just shooting willy-nilly anything that moved.”

Luckily, Grant outlined it all in a post on The Skateboard Mag site titled: Skate Photographer’s Etiquette And Technique Or Lack Thereof. Here’s a small piece of it.

Unfortunately, the practice of not looking through the viewfinder not only affects the practitioner’s photos, but also affects the photographers’ photos around them. In one instance, I had a photo framed(composed) and then had a hand holding a camera come into frame from Stage Right and at the same time a photographer walking by, stopping and taking a photo with camera held at waist level in front of me.

Grant has probably taught more people to shoot skate photos than anyone in the business, so it might be a good idea for everyone to read his entire post. We’re reading it again because sometimes when you have Chris Miller in the combi lofting huge on every wall it’s very easy to forget the rules.

[Link: The Skateboard Mag via The Daily Sesh]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

We spent most of the day at the 2009 Pro-Tec Pool Party at The Vans Skatepark at The Block in The City of Orange, California and when we think back there was so much mind blowing skateboarding that it all became a bit of a blur that went a little like this (click here for some photos):

Grind, snake, grind, mumble, mumble, Tony Alva, yeah, Tony Alva, Chris Miller, Bucky Lasek, near-miss, near-miss, Captain and Casey dressed a pool boys, Red in a mirror-shaded speedo, loud, loud, loud, Steve Van Doren flipping burgers, Steve Alba stretching, huge air, Dave Duncan on the mic and we can’t understand a word, Steve Luther staring Conversations, a girl skating in a skirt, winks from Rob Brink, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins all grown up, Doug Paladini shaking hands, T-Mag, Bryce Kanights, Joel Gomez, Daily Habit Director Jen Goodman, Chris Overholser on the move, Geoff Rowley lurking, Jamey Stone on a cane, Christian Hosoi and his over 30 fans, that Pedro Barros kid wrecks this place, Dave Carnie’s weird beard, Ashton Maxfield sans glasses, consultant Mike Chantry, proud dad Dennis Jenson, Mark Waters and Bob Schmeltzer, the evasively ethereal Vans_66, Bob Burnquist and his roller bag, a Hi-Def backstage tour, Carleton Curtis, Dan Maiman, and John Stouffer, Danny Kass wandering the mall in bright colors, Desiree Astorga on a curb, Rockstar on ice, kids running the park, and reports of Mos Def.

We do know a couple things: one, no one skates the combi with more power and style than Chris Miller, and two, with the way Bucky Lasek rolls this place he will keep winning The Pool Party until he doesn’t want to win it anymore.

Click here for the photos, here for all the HD video from Fuel TV or follow the jump for the results.

[click to continue…]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }