Category: Features

Written by: Ralph Lloyd-Davis – 21/12/2006
Photo Credits: Big thanks to Gorm – Ace Joe – Elvin – Steven King.
Sequence Credits: Big thanks to Dom Marley and Leo Sharp (Sidewalk Magazine)
Video Credits: Big thanks to Adrian Downie, Niall Kenny, Alan Christensen and Andy Evans

Road to Ruin – Anarchy in the West-End

“My doctor told me not to let anything get me stressed. You fucked up…”

Those were the words Zac uttered to me as I grovelled apologies for missing my train out to the Crossfire Xmas Jam from Belguim! I felt stupid, and shit. Another ticket would set me back an arm and a leg, and even then I wouldn’t make it to the jam until it was ending…

Then, I got a call from my wife…..There was a flight out the following morning for £50, and I’d get there in time to party. What would I do without such a wonderful woman? I’d probably be wearing odd socks and pour salt instead of sugar in my tea.

Woo hoo! Crossfire, here I come! However, there was a catch to this golden ticket: The plane took off at 7am, which meant 6am check-in, which meant 5.15am taxi, which meant 4.45am wake up, which meant no sleep till Crooklyn!

But it was no good feeling sorry for myself. I was the one who fucked up in the first place. 20 minutes kip, one bottle of rescue remedy and one confiscated deodorant later, and I was gazing dreamily at the sun coming up over London.

Crossfire is the only outfit down South to pull everyone together at this time of the year when the days become nights and water turns into ice, so if you were anywhere within a few hundred miles radius, you know you should have made it down for the annual Xmas get together.

But I’m guessing you were there because the Bay66 skatepark in London’s hip west-end was ram packed full of skaters. I won’t list off each and every British skateboard notable present, just take a look at the news sticky for that, but I think it’s safe to say that if the Westbourne park flyover decided to collapse on that sunny Saturday afternoon, then British skateboarding would be reduced somewhat, Freestyle included- seeing as This’n’That celeb whizzplanker Darran Nolan was present and giving a helping hand. Cheers mate!

Right, enough setting of the stage, what everyone wanted was guaranteed carnage and prizes, so without further a due, Zac grabbed the cowhorn and the unsponsored jam began.

Always a favourite with the crowd, and the worst fear of the on site medical staff, the ski jump opened the show. A few clean melons here, and plenty of ragdoll flailing there, it was tiny little Alex Decuhna (inspired by Lee Blackwell!) who scored a pair of Globe Shoes with a kickflip, and a huge backside 360 that even Danny Way could tip his helmet to.

Honourable mentions must go out to the kid who managed to tailblock drop in on the massive wallride beside the jump, and nutty Darryl who went all Sluggo Boyce on us backflipping to revert over the hill dressed like a Backstreetboy! (Jokes!)

Next damage control zone was the Koston blocks across the driveway. You should have seen the way these unsponsored kids were fiending to have a go at balancing across the blocks. I think they broke a collective record for most under 15’s huddled onto a drop-in bank. After many valiant efforts, and a few bumps and lumps, the chaos claimed its winner, Ollie Smith (with a name like that, he’s hardly going to be a fisherman!) who slid his way through some smooth 5-0s, nosegrinds and bluntslides. Sweet as a nut.

Ollie wasn’t holding back either when the third stage of the unsponsored jam took off. The cheeky fella was thrusting long frontside 5-0s and an oh-so-close frontside nosegrind the full 14 feet of the kicker to curved blocks. This obstacle is a new feature of the Bay66 skatepark, and looks like it was inspired by the London Mayor’s building; a top city street spot.

One pair of Globes was enough for Ollie though, so it was up to technical Jak Tonge to earn his winnings with a perfect manual kickflip out, and a sketchy frontside 5-0 frontside 180 out to fakie nose manual drop down. The exact opposite trick- kickflip manual- was also made by James Baker who bagged a years subscription to Sidewalk Magazine.

To wrap things up with the kids, the mini ramp sesh took centre stage. Eager amateurs lined each side of the deck waiting for the master of Ceremonies to call their name and drop-in. This was a mini version of a skate off where consistency and variety in tricks was the key to success. It wasn’t until the last 5 minutes of this jam that things went ballistic with a full on Texas Death match going down, except the madmen taking part were all under 5ft tall! Wicked!

With so much talent on show, three winners had to be announced. I was designated Judge for the entire Christmas Jam, and to tell you the truth, this was the only moment I felt really intimidated. Little kids eyed me up, ready to throw me into the flatbottom if a disrespected their efforts. Oh no… The midget mafia wouldn’t sway my mind though because it was obvious that little Kyron had killed it lining up frontside flips, sugarcanes and backside 360s into his runs. Mini-me’s Dean and Michael also walked away triumphant with Sidewalk subscriptions and a free Globe deck signed by the European Team for their troubles.

PRO COMP

As a brief interval between the unsponsored and sponsored comps, I’d like to say that the skatepark was buzzing. There were skaters everywhere, so if you noticed something sick go down which I fail to mention, please let it be known on the forums and share the stoke.

Right, anybody who has been to a Crossfire Jam should know that the midi ramp jam is always explosive. There must be something in the masonite or cement ceiling because everyone gets worked up into a frenzy.

Zac heckled the riders and the place kicked off Creature Skateboards rider Marc Churchill was slicing through some of the smoothest smith grinds, taking each one to revert, whilst Brighton beardo Stevie Thompson hopped ridiculous beanplant and backside boneless variations way out of the ramp onto an extension box before leaping back in backwards. Those two guys are seriously under-rated!

Slapping their balls to the wall were Death rider Steak and Ross from Bournemouth. Steak was powering around the ramp like a rabid animal, even going so far as to attempt several Mctwists. The power was obviously in the headband. Ross tried his hardest, and did land on a couple but without rolling away, to stick a head high 360 flip mute grab..

With a park like this on their doorstep, it’s pretty obvious that the local talent could ride too, with Awahd rotating perfect miller flips every go. He never lost his New Era once. Ben Raemer’s mum was there to show support for her son who went one higher than Danny Wainwright this year with a frontside air into the ceiling! His other deep bag of tricks had finger flip liens to tail revert, and a super close kickflip backside crailslide(!). Ben is the future of British skateboarding.

Finally, the tech-wizardry of Chris Oliver and Greg Nowik set the standard for Crossfire cash. On the one hand, Chris was stomping out ridiculous head high frontside kickflip melons, kickflips to fakie, a ludicrously close rock 360 flip to fakie and I even spotted a close attempt at a frontside salad kickflip to fakie. Whoa!

But, no-one could get close to the consistency on White Trash Skateboard pro, and amateur boy racer, Greg Nowik.

As Zac bellowed out of the bullhorn- “Greg eats mini ramps for breakfast, lunch AND dinner!”. Greg was relentless with the massive tweaked airs, double flips, blunt shuffles, a stupid blunt late back foot flip to fakie landing in a switch manual roll away, and the winning trick: a blunt 360 flip to fakie.

The crowd went bonkers, hardcore punk rock from Black Flag, Bad Brains, Flipper and Negative Approach rained from the speakers courtesy of DJ James Sherry and Zac couldn’t feel his hands anymore. Those last Crossfire minutes lasted almost as long as those of British Rail on Sundays, so without hesitation we went straight to the rails.

The rail jams are always a good place to witness prime pitfalls and proper skills. With a triple choice of two hubbas and the round rail, the best British ballbaggers went to work.

Boots opened the show with a third try kickflip frontside boardslide, whilst Blueprint Skateboards Neil Smith answered back with a nollie backside lipslide and kickflip backlip.

East and 50-50 dread head Korahn Gayle pushed out a buttery smooth frontside salad grind to fakie, and flatcap wearing Sherpy mixed things up with a feeble to backside 50-50.

The ratio for bails per make was running at about 7:3, which is fair enough, but poor Adam Howe riding for Plan B took the heftiest slam when he miscalculated a frontside something or other, and flew straight to the floor and sent one of his shoes flying a good 20 feet away! Ouch!

In the end, judgement had a split win between Globe rider James Gardner with his shocking frontside bluntslide (held upright I might add!) bigspin out, and Death Skateboards am Boots hammering in the nails with a perfect bigspin frontside boardslide.

The vert wall jam was next up with a love seat quarter pipe that dominated the far side of the park. Whilst Zac heckled Santa Cruz’s Joe Habgood to get his boots on, Duffs man Rob Smith was already two tricks in with a sick kickflip indy footplant and good bonk of his nose on the ceiling!

Someone else heading for the stratosphere was Death rider Horsey who literally hit the roof on several of his mental beanplant to fakie attempts. The speed freak actually landed on a couple, but couldn’t roll away far enough.

Chris Ault repped in front of his boss, Fos, with stylish wall jams to rock fakie and massive frontside airs out and around. Tranny tamer, Stevie Thompson took off like Horsey on some great beanplant madness. One wipe out almost took a camera man out to Zac’s call of “watch out media scum!“.

Local ripper Awahd rode high up into the wall to frontside air back into the quarter pipe, whilst the Southampton crew came correct with Marc Churchill knocking out a massive frontside air across the whole expanse. Father Christmas a.k.a. Dan Cates heckled Death team rider Lee Blackwell for wearing shorts when he whipped out his trademark (and last year’s winner) kickflip nosegrab fastplant. It was obvious who had won though- Rob Smith with gruesome face paint to boot, had a big bag of tricks and almost shut it down with a kickflip indy footplant finger flip back in! As time was called, Globe and Kill City rider Daryl Cashman repped the tech side of things with a beautiful kickflip nosestall revert – silky smooth.

Helas, it was time to haul out the beast for this year’s special obstacle. Initially the people screamed how they wanted a Ring of Fire, but the local fire department had us wrapped in thick red-tape at that suggestion.

So, plan B was brought forward by Mark ‘Fos’ Foster who suggested a Whale and this beached sea creature was built, thanks to SA. Ettienne and his brother.

Shaped like a wave, with sharp gnashers and a dangerous harpoon wallie bar poking out its backside, The Heroin Whale was definitely a proving ground to separate the men from the boys.

It took a while for everyone to get used to this quirky beast, but once the initial slappies were settled, things really started to heat up. Horsey got a one-footed 50-50, whilst Chris Ault balanced a long manual to 5-0 slappy off the end. Playing it slow, but not easy, Neil Smith gathered the balance to land a rock fakie on the bar Daewon style! and Ben Reamers came closer than ever to a backside 360 out of his pole jam.

As men reduced themselves to pulp trying to tame the beast, little Alex Decuhna from the unsponsored comps stepped up out of nowhere and wallied the rail first go! The crowd couldn’t believe it, and a few of the sponsored guys felt a bruise of their ego.

Naturally, the Whale’s creator, Fos, gave Alex a free Heroin deck for his effort – N.B. The rail was almost a foot taller than Alex at its peak! The man of the hour though was Chris Oliver. After losing out to Greg Nowik during the ramp jam, this time Chris was taking no prisoners. The ginger ninja dropped bomb after bomb with backside smiths, nose grinds, nosegrinds to revert, switch nosegrinds to revert, and to top it all off- a head high kickflip caught perfectly out of a mach ten wallie! Boom!

This shit was done and everyone celebrated with one of the biggest product tosses to date. Unfortunately we could not do the usual product toss to the death this year.

Last year, many kids took it too far and people got injured, this year had to be slightly different. Crossfire would like to stress that it is with great pleasure that we can give out so many free goodies thanks to our sponsors, but skate parks are becoming targets for parents who allow their kids to come to these events and then threaten to sue us afterwards and that just can’t happen anymore.

That said, the rabid look in a child’s eyes when four massive boxes full of clothes, Globe Shoes, DVDs, boards and stickers are carried out and showered from above, is a sight that makes Damian from the Omen look angelic.

It had been a long hard day, but so amazing. The British skate community had come together to celebrate Xmas in the Big Smog, and fun was had by all. With the kids stoked, the obstacles sore and the skaters hyped, the only thing left to do was hit up the party organised down the road at Mau Mau.

Hi-Jinks assured by Ed Pitt’s DJ set and a live performance that took the roof off from Joe Driscoll, a steady flow of booze and good vibes. Merry Christmas everyone!

If you would like to comment on the Xmas Jam you can do it here.

Big thanks to our associate sponsor Globe Shoes for their unconditional support for the second year now. Also big shout out to Independent Trucks, Heroin, Death, Landscape, Blueprint, Casual, Kill City, Karma, Plan B, the Harmony and Blind Skateboards for supporting British Skateboarding, supplying product and organising their pro riders for this event.

If you were there, thank you for your support, if not we will have more planned for 2007 so enjoy downloading the video on this page by right clicking and saving as.

Click the image below to view the Xmas Party Pics..

Merry Xmas 2006!

Official Results:

Unsponsored Jam:

Ski-Jump: Alex Decuhna – BS 360 and a Kickflip

Koston Block – Ollie Smith – FS 5-0 – BS Bluntslide and FS Nosegrind on the top.

Curved Ledge – Jak Tonge – manual Kickflip out and FS 5-0 FS 180 fakie nosemanual drop down.

Mini Ramp: Kyron, Dean and Micheal

Sponsored Jam:

Midi Ramp Jam – Greg Nowik (White Trash/Globe) – Blunt 360 flip in, ollie back foot flip, double flip fakie and huge tweakery.

Rail Jam: – Boots (Death) w/ Kickflip FS Boardslide & big spin FS Boardslide. James Gardener (Globe) – Front blunt slide big spin out.

Taj Mahal Wallride Sesh – Rob Smith (Death/Independent/Duffs) Kickflip indy footplant and roof ripper..

Whale Tail Pole Jam on the Heroin Whale: Chris Oliver (Alai/Vans) – BS Smith, BS Nosegrind revert, switch BS nosegrind revert and wallie kickflip out head height!

Photo Credits: Big thanks to Gorm – Ace Joe – Elvin – Steven King.
Sequence Credits: Big thanks to Dom Marley and Leo Sharp (Sidewalk Magazine)

Rhino, with a name like that you’d expect a big, mouth frothing, nostril flaring beast – and actually, you’d be half right. Come to think of it, I don’t even know the guy’s real name. Well, the point is, he’s one of the nicest, coolest people you’ll meet in this wide world of skateshredding.

The best photographers are personalities – that’s why skaters want to shoot and travel with them. Wanna hop in the car and do a month-long roadtrip from Cali to Florida? Rhino’s down ’cause he’s done it before. Drink on the hill at Marseille then carve the bowl at 3am? Rhino’ll take the first run.

The last time I saw Rhino who shoots for Thrasher Magazine, he was piss-drunk at some ASR party at the House Of Blues in San Diego. He and Lizard King started moshing around too close to the bar and doused my girlfriend and I with their drinks. Upon realizing it was my pal Rhino, I went over and said something like, “Hey Rhino, you got me all wet!” as I poured a little bit of my drink on the front of his shirt to return the favor. He simply looked at me with a sauced up 20-mile stare and instinctively slapped the bottom of my cup in an upward direction dumping the remaining portion of my drink into my face. Now how can you get mad at a guy like that? – Blair Alley – TWS

Full name?

Chris Rooney aka “Rhino”

How long have you been a photographer?

Counting a shitty point and shoot since 1979.

How did you get into skate photography?

Just growing up reading Skateboarder Magazine and eventually moving out to California and documenting places where I skated to send to my friend back in MA. And being around really good skateboarding out here and knowing and skating with pros. Also when I started skating a lot of backyard pools in the early 90’s.

Is there an image that inspired you so much to take up photography?

I didn’t select an image (there are too many) that wanted me to take up photography, it was just years of reading magazines and eventually being around good skateboarding that got me into it.

Instead we have a shot of Rhino wasted under a truck in Boston MA, afeer skating a pool, seeing Poison Idea and sinking too many beers and some wacky tabaccy at a house party! ha! I love this guy!

What were the best and worst bits of advice anyone gave you in regards to photography?

Read a book, take a b/w class and trial and error.

Have you ever felt bad about taking a photo? If so, which one?

No..

Please tell us why you have picked your fave skate shot you have submitted?

It’s a shot of Jeff Grosso photo at Belmars pool. I was starting to shoot photos and didn’t know how to line up the shot. Like hey Jeff can you do this trick here so I can shoot. So I was just trying to figure out where he was going to come up the wall and finally got a good photo, didn’t even know what trick he was going to do. But anything he does is on point.

True – What were the best and worst days shooting skateboarding of your life ever and why?

The worst is when your gear breaks. The best days are usually on trips when the whole crew is breaking it off all day and you are tripping on how much shit you shot that day when you are at the bar getting loaded.

What’s the relationship like between a photographer and filmer?

Good and bad, depends on the filmer. If its Pstone, its fucking great!!!

What main advice would you give to upcoming skate photographers?

Study the skate mags for tips and don’t be a photo goon. Skate.

Please tell us about the non skate shot you have submitted and the story behind it.

Chet Childress wanted to kick flip this set by the beach and he was getting ready and all these people kept getting in his way. Totally fucked up his concentration and he was over it! So I shot this photo of what most people think stairs are for.

Are there ways of getting better/free equipment as you continue to grow or do you have to fund everything yourself?

Working for a magazine will help a lot, but usually you need to purchase your own gear.

Is the work of a skate photographer well paid? Do you get by in life with this income alone?

Depends how much you want to work, just like anything else. Depends on how you work with skaters, your photo qualtity and not being a fag on the road!

Does music ever inspire your photography? What music artists can you not leave for a tour without?

Budweiser beer – when you open them is music to my ears – they make the best sound ad helps dealing on tour.

If you were to buy a pocket snapper for capturing skating on a budget to get going, which camera would you suggest?

Pocket snapper sounds kind of fishy, I try and get the real snapper if you know what I’m saying. Any 35mm slr that sync’s at 1/250th.

Would you recommend digital or film?

Film for stills and digital for sequences.

What are the benefits of using film or digital?

Film still looks better and takes more skill.

What kit do you use?

Hasselblad and some first model digital seq Canon.

Your photography website address if you have one?

www.eatabag.com

Works Skatepark, Leeds
Saturday 28th October 2006

Words and pics by Matt Sefton

It hung in the balance for a while – with tales of a simple private venue hire by middle-age-shred.com ‘Godfather’ Carl Arnfield for one of the regular gatherings of the UK’s more, ahem, ‘mature’ skaters being taken over by a BBC film crew and, even worse, PEOPLE UNDER 30!, the Middle-Age-Shred.com ‘Northern Mafia’ Jam at Leeds Works indoor park looked like it would be wiped from the calendar. It wasn’t. It rocked. Hard!

Pulling in to the Works car park close to 8pm, it was immediately obvious that this wasn’t your usual skate night. The car park’s usual occupants – beaten up bangers held together with skate stickers – had been replaced by an overflowing fleet of shiny, polished metal. And from that metal poured a seemingly endless stream of skaters – over 200 at a tenner a head in all from as far afield as Cornwall and Wales – marking what must surely be the UK’s largest ever gathering of skaters old enough to remember lusting after green Kryptonics and Benjiboard Sabloskys and seeing Stacy Peralta on Blue Peter!

From the minute I stepped into the park and heard the dulcet tones of Blackpool’s Big Woody screaming obscenities at people he’d probably met for the first time 30 seconds previously, I knew we were in for a good night. I’ve attended a few of these jams before and there’s always a crowd of familiar faces. Tonight was no different, except this time the regulars were joined by dozens of new blood (well, old blood!). Guys (and girls) from their 30’s to their 50’s who had heard about the Jam either through a news piece in Sidewalk, a Works Newsletter or word of mouth, some accompanied by their children, had decided that this was the night to say “fuck what the bloke door thinks, I’m scarfing a handful of ibruprofen and going out on my skateboard”.

Leeds Works is a huge indoor park – probably the biggest in the UK – so 200 bodies quickly and easily located their terrain of choice, with a large chunk of them heading for Snoz’s latest creation – the pool, complete with backyard transitions, concrete coping and, in case you were in any doubt of its ability to cause serious bodily harm, enough sprayed on skulls to summon old nick himself. Be in no doubt – these guys hadn’t come for a leisurely roll around. They were going to christen this beast good and proper! Apart from Plymouth’s legendary Trawler, who managed to pull out a flurry of laybacks, tailslides and rock and rolls before a nasty slam took him down, the names on show won’t mean much to your average skater.

They’re just blokes who have skated for decades, still love to skate and go about their business week after week in parks throughout the UK. You know the ones – usually padded up with those funny rail things stuck to the bottom of their wider-than-average boards and big shit-eating grins on their faces. Mike from Barnstaple was the standout for me – super fast, super stylish with layback, frontside and backside airs, carve grinds and amazing frontside rocks in the shallow. Leeds Nick made sure the nice new coping was a few pounds lighter by the end of the night with a barrage of long and loud frontside slash grinds (most popular trick of the night – Dave Hackett should be on a royalty!) and Andy Cielecki brought back the lost art of the long boardslide, along with grinds to revert, feeble stalls and more lines than Kate Moss. And Felix was, well, Felix!

Elsewhere in the park, a huge, snaking mini-ramp session dominated, punctuated by the delicate tones of Mr Arnfield’s “ave it, you c**t” while the likes of Gixerkarl, Bod, Tim Walker, Old School Jonny, ChrisK and the legendary Teapot went about their business. The big bowl was put to good use too, Big Dean following in the Gonz’s footsteps by rocking the vert wall, as was the fantastic street course where Strawberry pulled off insane airs across cavernous gaps.

This being Middle Age Shred, the hub of the night was the upstairs cafe, where the comfy leather sofas were put to good use while aching bones took a breather and caught up with old friends before heading back downstairs for more carnage and make sure young ripper Jasper from Burnley wasn’t up past his bedtime.

And the BBC? Apart from causing a dangerous distraction with a rather attractive presenter, they were cool. Didn’t get in the way, seemed genuinely shocked by what they were witnessing and got the footage they wanted. Bet they still take the piss when the piece is broadcast though…

At the risk of sounding corny, this event is what skating should be about. Getting together with your mates, having a laugh, pushing your limits and going home with a smile on your face and possibly a battlescar to remember the evening by. Screw the sponsor me tape, the shoe deal and the photo coverage. As the great Tommy Lee once said “You don’t stop playing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop playing.”

Go to www.middle-age-shred.com for more.

Matt Sefton

“Tuukka was a unanimous choice to join Kingpin. His work for Finnish magazine Numero made all the others look foolish by comparison, and his still life photography is still displayed in posh locations across Scandinavia. We have other photographers who may be better at snatched moments or suggested intimacies, but none who are as rounded in their ability as Deeli. When it comes to skateboarding photography, he is the finished article. He never misses. He never misses“.– Niall Neeson – Kingpin Mag Editor

Full name?

My name is Tuukka Kaila, but most people call me Deeli. I never quite know how to introduce myself.

How long have you been a photographer?

I started taking photos when I was about ten, when my dad let me use his OM-1. I started studying photography in 95. But if you mean when did photography become a profession that pays my rent, I guess sometime at the end of the 90’s.

How did you get into skate photography?

By accident, really. As a skater, photos of skating were always around me, but I really got more serious about photography through studying printmaking and then switching onto photos. At the time, I didn’t really think much of skate photography; I was convinced that skate photos didn’t have any artistic merit, they all looked the same and they had no meaning beyond looking nice. I hated the fisheye, I hated harsh lighting, I thought the grainy contrasty BW was a thing of the past that had been done to death by photo journalists and various snappers from the 50’s on and had nothing more to give to me.

My formal education, very much in the conceptualist, postmodernist vein, told me that what mattered was the meaning, not the aesthetic. You know, pictures of bits of text or some house where someone or other did great things some time, perhaps a series of buckets used to transport the blood of these or those victims, hundreds of them, all shot in the exact same way – that sort of thing. Skate photos, to me, were all about the aesthetic, no meaning behind the surface.

Then in 98 a friend of mine approached me with the idea of starting a skate magazine he wanted to call Numero and asked me to be part of it. In the beginning, the understanding was that I wouldn’t really be shooting skating, but basically that’s what photographers working in skate mags do, so in a couple of years I was pretty deep into skate photography. I realized it was actually far from easy, and looking at skate photos closer, I started having doubts about my doubts regarding the artistic side of it. I had to admit that there are the innovators and visionaries on this field just like on any other field. There has been a first skate photo ever taken with a fisheye, for example. It’s the vast number of imitators and followers and the skate media’s need for vast quantities of photos that might sometimes blur these facts a bit, but the few guys showing the way remain geniuses.

As my friend drifted away from skate photography, I got sucked in deeper and deeper, spending all the money I made from arts grants and commissions on my gear that was only meant to improve my skate photography. I’m yet to kick the habit, but at least these days the money I put into the gear comes from skate photography.

Why did this image you have submitted inspire you so much to take up photography? What effect did it have on you?

What inspired me to take up photography more than anything else, were my friends around me with cameras and their photos of each other. Later on, I got really into the theory side of photography, which I could happily spend a life time studying and trying to understand. The fact that the moment depicted in a photograph is gone and will never return is one of the single most powerful aspects of the medium. There’s no undo, there’s no second chance, that was it.

The photo above is taken by Annelies Strba, a Swiss photographer, and the people shown in it are from her immediate family. I think her work has had a huge effect on what I like in photos and how I look at photography as a whole. I saw an exhibition of her work in the Photographers Gallery in the late 90’s sometime – it was a three slide projector – installation set to a distant beating of drums on the background. She’s got a book out with these photos, but it’s long sold out. When you google her name, you get images from this other, newer book that she’s done, which is something completely different.

So in a way, the time that I sat there and saw these photos is gone just like the moments in the photos. Apart from a couple of images I cut out of the brochure and made into C-tape covers, I have nothing but my memory to refer to as far as these photos. This keeps reminding me of the relationship that photographs bear to reality. What’s gone is gone and it won’t come back. Photos, like memories, are representations of the lived moments, seen through our personal filters and interpreted to suit our personal needs. No amount of photographs will give me a chance to relive those moment.

Yet here I am, desperately recording slices of time in order to somehow preserve them. And you know what I’ve realized? There are a few moments in my life where I’ve wished I could take a photo to remember them but for one reason or another haven’t. These are the moments I remember best and miss the most.

What were the best and worst bits of advice anyone gave you in regards to photography?

Somehow the idea that we’d change all the paintings ever done depicting Jesus to a single photograph of him illustrates the power of the medium. And at the same time the responsibility of the photographer. I try to keep that in mind. As for the worst advice, I can’t remember getting any.

Have you ever felt bad about taking a photo? If so, which one?

I don’t really take photos I’d feel bad about taking. Photography can be very exploitative, but I hardly ever like a photo that doesn’t seem to have mutual respect between the photographer and the subject.

Tell us about your favourite skate shot that you have selected.

What obviously makes this photo what it is, is Harri Puupponen’s crazy position. Apart from that, I like the simplicity of it. There aren’t really any distractions that jump at me from the frame, I’m free to concentrate on the skater.

We shot it in 2003, he hadn’t been out street skating for a while and had no idea what he wanted to skate. Another friend, Kemppu, who was the art director of Numero magazine at the time, said he had a spot in mind that Harri might like.

When we got there, he knew instantly he could do something great with it, just as much as I knew I could make it look like something I’d really enjoy as a photo. We shot it for his interview in Kingpin at a time, when I didn’t work for them full time yet. They made it a cover instead and I bought another flash with the cash.

What’s the relationship like between a photographer and filmer?

Depends on the people involved, but in general I get along with filmers really well. Hopefully filmers feel the same way about me. Most filmers tend to give me the space I need and I do my best to return the favour. There’s always more than one angle.

What main advice would you give to upcoming skate photographers?

It’s not about your photo, it’s not about you, it’s about the skater and it’s about the skating. In the end, we need the skaters a whole lot more than they need us.

Are there ways of getting better/free equipment as you continue to grow or do you have to fund everything yourself?

If there is a way, I’ve missed it completely.

Please tell us about the non skate shot you have submitted and the story behind it.

I took this on a lazy afternoon sometime in 99, I think. It’s from Tallinn, Estonia. The leg on the left belongs to my future wife at the time, the smoker is her flat mate back then. Apart from having that really personal nostalgic aspect to it, I think it kind of captures that feeling of when you’re not in a hurry anywhere, there’s nothing in particular you need or even want to do.

It might have meaning just for me cause I was there and it’s my life, but I’d like to think that it serves a purpose as depicting a more general experience of a time in your life, when responsibilities haven’t caught up, when you have all the time in the world and there’s nothing to make you feel guilty about sitting on a couch drinking coffee all day and watching life go by.

Is the work of a skate photographer well paid? Do you get by in life with this income alone?

I consider myself extremely lucky to have the job I have. There aren’t many full time jobs around for skate photographers, and usually there’s a great photographer sitting on every seat available already. The life a freelance skate photographer is a constant struggle in most cases. To be able to live off this alone is amazing. Putting in the hours skate photographers do, many of us could be paid a lot more in other fields of photography. So I’d like to think that whoever remains in the game, is in it for other reasons.

Does music ever inspire your photography? What music artists can you not leave for a tour without?

I love music, but it has little to do with my photography. I hardly ever take any music on trips, I guess because I never invested in an mp3 player. There’s always someone with speakers though, so it’s a nice opportunity to hear something new.

If you were to buy a pocket snapper for capturing skating on a budget to get going, which camera would you suggest?

Point and shoots are great for a lot of things, but I wouldn’t recommend them for skate photography. Get a cheap second hand SLR instead.

Would you recommend digital or film?

Both have their strong points.

What are the benefits of using film or digital?

Generally, film has the potential of being used at whatever size you want, whereas the final size of a digital photo is determined by the initial file size. You can’t stick a memory card in an enlarger. You might not care at the time, but when you get asked to do an exhibition one day and your best photos are stamp size jpegs you’re fucked.

Film, at the moment still, has better colour and tonal range and it can cope better with detail in both the bright and dark ends of the spectrum. I’ve also learned to love the film grain I used to hate. Digital is quick and convenient, not to mention being virtually free after the initial investment, and you know instantly whether you got the photo or not. It’s also very environment friendly compared to all the nasty chemicals and toxic metals that are involved in using film.

What kit do you use?

Medium format with film and the occasional toy camera for skate stills, digi for skate sequences, then 5×4 film and a point and shoot 35mm film for lots of other things. There’s a stupid amount of flashes and batteries involved with the skate stills.

Do you have a website for your photography?

A freelance photographer without a website is basically an unemployed photographer. As I’m securely employed at the moment, though, I still haven’t got my act together on the website department.

You can find Deeli’s photography skills monthly at the wonderful Kingpin Magazine

Homepage image by Tjeerd Derkink
Words and photo’s by Zac Slack

I really noticed that a weekend away from the UK was needed when I met Jamie Harrison at Liverpool St. Flights within Europe have become very cheap, it allows us skaters to save a bit of cash every month and plan a mission outside of this island.

My ticket cost £45, less than a train ride to Manchester, and within an hour, our boards were finally coming out on the baggage belt. Note that this was a surprise as Ryan Air has a reputation for losing skateboards, always wrap them up or put them in bags so staff can’t take just them home for their own kids use. This company also has a reputation for ignoring your complaint letters completely – if you can take an alternative airline, do it, I have lost 3 boards in 2 years of flying with this company , work out the disappointment at the other end when everyone else is sessioning and you’re sat there watching and borrowing someone else’s rig. Not fun.

But the boards arrived, so we jumped on a train to Utrecht and stayed there with Jamie’s mate Andrew Coles, a dude who had a cool apartment in this pretty town and who had lived there for a year so he knew the local scene well. This was a bonus as we were straight into the nightlife and the City is one of the most beautiful you will find in Europe.

But the best way to see all of it is not to hire a car, it’s all about hiring a bike out here to really get a taste of the scene and we had ’em. We cruised the streets of Utrecht eyeing up street spots and checked out the wonderful architecture on offer which is quite frankly stunning. Dutch buildings are tall and thin, simple yet beautiful, characterised by windows from floor to ceiling, the colours and textures are minimal but extremely elegant. We skidded into one street that reminded Colesey of Medal of Honour. It was a small square with a 1940’s built church at one side that fit the observation to perfection.

The hangover the next morning was 7 out of 10. You may think that these small beers that you down from bar to bar are nothing, until you realise you have cycled round town and nailed a bag load of them. We had to skate it off, so we caned the local brunch, unlocked the bikes and hit the road. The roads are busy, the cycle lanes are busy, but there’s a beautiful coffee shop stop on the way before we drop in and it welcomes us with open arms. We were now ready for a schralp.

Utrecht has a concrete park that is small, but fun. Hips and curves, filled the park, small transitions but much fun. It’s almost ruined though like Finsbury Park in London where the designers have chucked in ledges for no reason that can unsettle your run if you are not awake. We ran into them a few times in our state! But we met and skated with the locals who were all really friendly and welcomed us when we dropped in. This park is the local spot for a skater called Jennifer de Sera who rips as we found out when we reached Area 51…so much so she was in a sling by Monday! Get well soon madam…

This was the Globe Bowlbash Final, the big one. We cheekily took the bikes on the train to Eindhoven, which although was a pricey game to play on a Sunday, turned out well as we were joined at the seat with these things. The freedom you have in a cycle lane when it’s not pissing down with rain is amazing. It was the healthiest piss up ever!

Area 51 skate park has moved. It used to be in woodland out side of town, we went there to skate their amazing bowl 3 years ago and always dreamt of the return visit. As we entered the park, we realised that had walked straight into one the best in Europe. I mean this place is massive and the layout is impressive to say the least!

We were literally dreaming, it was the opening weekend, the wood was so fresh it hurt your eyes and at the other end of the park stood the same bowl as the last park once again being ripped up by Europe’s best Bowl slayers but this time DJ Roy Licher and his buddy (who were both dresses in drag) were dropping some of there best hardcore records of all time whilst the bowl got rinsed.

The top 5 battled it out to Minor Threat, Misfits, Naked Raygun and a whole host of fucktard hardcore whilst 5th place German bowl thrasher Anders Tellen hucked out trick after trick, his persistency got him past some heavy hitters. Another stylish flyer on this trip who stuck out was Swedish ripper John Magnusson (above). This guy was instrumental in the build of the Malmo park which is one of the most stylish parks in Europe, it seems the park fits the builder as this guy is a joy to watch skate. Lines a plenty, tricks by the dozen, no tranny is is left without a trick with this guy, i must admit he was my fave skater of the weekend.

Basque country plank slayer Alain Goikoetxea took transfers over these hips like he was sleeping with sweeping grinds across the fresh coping wherever possible not to mention his ‘set up’ frontisde airs that were head high from the deep – his relentless charging earnt him 3rd place, some thought he was robbed on the day.

Another Bilbao ripper we have seen skate a few times now around Europe also impressed in the finals. Ivan Rivado Alvarez has a mean streak about him, he never looks satisfied with any trick regardless of how gnarly it is and often will go through the pain barrier to get what he wants. This bulldog spirit earnt him 2nd place but it was not enough to win the big prize money that Andy Scott cashed when he finished his run.

Andy has been consistent for years and has a style that should be familiar with most British skaters. He is unique in the way that he lets his skateboarding do the talking. We heard that it was not just his runs in the final that landed him 1st place at this this prestigious annual affair but the fact that he turned up in Holland and set his stall out without any effort it seemed, he just naturally ripped this bowl a new arsehole from the second he dropped into it.

His runs included transfers over every hip, huge maydays round corner pockets, his trademark bs kickflips in the deep, tailslides and much more, he was on fire and his 360 over the hip at the final seconds of time made his success even sweeter.

As ever Scotty played down his success as he sprayed champagne all over the freshly built bowl whilst kids under 13 literally licked it off the fresh wood. Globe’s Bowlbash had finally come to an end after organising events all over Europe thoughout the year.

It was a treat to be able to skate Area 51 Skatepark and we reccommned you get off your lazy arses and book your flights now – i mean £45 to get there? No excuses.

Thanks to Area 51 staff and everyone at Globe Shoes for their hospitality. You can see videos of this event here at www.globebowlbash.com and the full event in the Xmas edition 2006 of Puzzle Video Magazine.

Full results:

1. Andy Scott, England
2. Ivan Rivado, Basque Country
3. Alain Goikoetxea, Basque Country
4. John Magnusson, Sweden
5. Anders Tellen, Germany
6. Simon Stachon, Belgium
7. Roman Astleitner, Austria
8. Marc Haziza, France
9. Alex Giraud, France
10. Enrico Petralia, Sweden
11. Mattias Nylen, England
12. Nicky Cornell, England
13. Erwin Prent, The Netherlands
14. Jasper Tattersall, England
15. Chris Lord, England
16. Sam Beckett, England
17. Kevin McKeon, England
18. Sebastian Daurel, France
19. Noberto Mena, Basque Country
20. Jussi Korhonen, Finland
21. Martin Jurasek, Tjech republic
22. Bjorn Klotz, Germany
23. Daniel Beck, Germany
24. Per Magnusson, Sweden

Photos by: Davy Van Leare

Belgian Leg

According to the pre$$, Nike’s involvement with skateboarding was a topical subject that had opinions flaring and rumours running rife. Hell! The corporate involvement of Phil Knight’s Swoosh and the Sidewalk Surfer community was so heavy and bogged down, echoes were reverberating from Wall Street Stock Exchange to the Argos carpark in Uclsfield.

The European Invasion Tour was surely going to be a fine opportunity to see what all the huffing and puffing was about and made it in time for the Belgian leg.

Why Belgium? Well, that’s for me to know and you to worry about. Ha! Seriously though, the thought of driving a 12 seater van out into the darkness of scarcely inhabited Euro-low countries and then releasing the ‘talent’ into an oversized shed filled with hundreds of sweaty kids high on E-number sweet drinks, and enough wooden structures to make the Wicker man look like box of matches, was definitely a fantasy worth finding. I wanted in!

Just for formality reasons, I must state who was in attendance, and where the weiner fest was taking place; Paul Rodriguez, Lewis Marnell, Todd Jordan, Reese Forbes, Danny Supa, Weiger Wan Waganingen, Colin Kennedy, Neil Smith and Omar Salazaar, all skating at Zumiez skatepark in Wevelgem. If this demo was a dinner party I had organized, I must say the Nike SB team were a good lot of guests with regards punctuality and performance. I mean, replace the deep conversation topics about the effect drought in the Australian outback will have on inflating wheat prices, and replace it by Aussie wunder-kid, Lewis Marnell and the chit chat will never run dry. As you can see, this young lad made quite an impression on both me and the under-aged rabid youth packed into the disused bunker.

The course was quickly cleared of any lemmings and the show began. I could tell the locals had been waiting for this event because even parents and girlfriends got invited! I can imagine the invitation now: “Darling, the club scene is so passé these days. Why don’t we try out the adrenaline fulled confines of an unheated skatepark tonight..? Why of course, honey! Let me fetch my wax!” Zumiez didn’t need to pay the gas bill this month because Nike SB turned up the heat, and a few hundred sweaty college boys doesn’t go cold after 5 minutes of muscular strain. Trust me.

Anyway, back to the proceedings where the ‘talent‘ took to the huge course in two stages. Seeing as the Nike SB likes to roll deep, there was no worry of a one man demo leaping down the biggest thing the park had to offer and sacrificing himself for the underpaid sport of skateboard stuntwork. No. Like rats aboard a trans-Atlantic galleon, these guys were all over the place. This constant energy worked well, and everywhere you looked another trick was being landed.

The cascade of balance and agility poured across all areas of the skatepark and finally wound down in true form with a Hammer and Rail tournament. With the final nail in the coffin of half-steppers, the Nike SB team then proceeded meet and greet the throngs of adolescence that had come out to the middle of Nowheresville to support their valiant efforts.

This leg of the Nike SB European Invasion was over, just like the 4 or 5 other demos endured earlier that week, and another 2 or 3 were still on the books. Veni Vidi Vinci.

Now comes the fun part, where I get to dissect each every one of these individuals because at the end of the day, they’re only human. Right..?

I’ll quickly set the record straight by stating that Omar Salazaar was not skating due to an injury which was a disappointment, but I didn’t cry. I did however gasp when the 6 foot 2 athletic frame of Reese Forbes crashed into the floor beside me not 5 minutes into the demo. I have no idea what he tried to do, but it obviously left him rattled because he promptly got up and walked off the course to lick his wounds for the rest of the night.

If you want to conquer an army, aim for the leader. In this case the leader was Paul Rodriguez a.k.a. P-Rod. Is P-Rod the computer program used to create this Prodigy of the plank pirates because judging by the number of tricks landed, times the difficulty coefficient, divided by the three pre$$ goons with the tv camera that chased him everywhere he went, and multiply the total by the number of autographs signed – Paul is a robot.

Colin Kennedy and Neil Smith were the British ambassadors of this trip and worked together in making sure everyone knew why Great Britain is held in high regard amongst the International community. Much like Paul, Neil and Colin got right down to business and didn’t stop until the whistle was blown- despite taking a couple of nasty spills along the way. True grit.

Todd Jordan was like a grown man’s Kinder Surprise – You haven’t had one in ages, but when you do, you’re stoked! You see, Todd flies so low on the Pre$$ radar at times that it’s hard to remember what he looks like. Add to that the scruffy beard and tattered jeans and the event MC was probably wondering who the hell that guy was who killed it amongst the ‘talent’. It was good to see someone so underrated at such a high profile event.

Lewis Marnell is destined to great things. Two tricks that probably lodged themselves into every teenagers brain like smutty images of boobs and beavers was Lewis’ ridiculous switch 360 flip over the driveway and backside nollie bigspin down the stairs. Dread head’s turning heads.

Danny Supasariat and Weiger Wan Waganingen both have amazing names, but the Pre$$ doesn’t like foreign sounding names (something to do with US Foreign policy, I reckon…), so to not sway from protocol, I shall refer to them as Danny Supa and Weiger. In any case, both of these skaters are worthy of their positions on the Nike SB team, but their bags of tricks as it were run empty after about three moves. Weiger obviously bought stock shares in the Heelflip as did Danny because together they worked each and every variation possible.

Overall, the Nike SB demo had me feeling quite elated and happy- a tough task in these dark days. I even borrowed someone’s board and broke my fast of whiz planking for the evening. Essentially, the younger generations of skateboarders are hyped to see a group of trained professionals drive all the way to their playground and ultimately shut up shop. Whether or not Nike SB is a good thing has yet to be decided (and judging by the battle scene, the answer isn’t coming any time soon…), but if ever the team decide to roll through your ends and stop off for a little skate around, I suggest you make them feel welcome and come prepared for a show you probably won’t forget anytime soon.

Looking back at it now, there’s so much more to life than what shoes you decide to wear.

You can watch footage here and to watch footage of the Nike SB demo in Leeds visit www.theworksskatepark.com

Maxwell Woodger Esq.
Friday 3rd November 2006

Over the years various talented skate photographers have momentarily covered the Scottish skate scene but until the tattooed frame of Alex Irvine came haring down the hillsides from Aberdeen none have stayed around for long. Alex has been leading the charge of documenting the utter carnage that comprises Scotland’s skateboard community for a good 5 years now and shows no signs of stopping, (thank God).

Aside from his work for Sidewalk and Document Magazines in the UK, Alex has contributed photos to every magazine worth its salt; from Thrasher in the States to Sugar in France. A talented skater, a great photographer and a man unafraid of the rigours of the road, the future looks bright for Aberdeen’s finest. In the words of Dirtswan themselves – Git it right up ye!

Full Name?

Alexander Irvine

How long have you been a photographer?

I’ve been “professional” since about 4 years ago I think.

How did you get into skate photography?

I was doing a photography course at college and found myself spending more time printing skate photos than anything else. Eventually I figured I’d try and turn it into more than just an obsession and thought maybe it was time to try my luck at freelancing.

What were the best and worst bits of advice anyone ever gave you in regards to your photography?

Smash (Sam Ashley) and Barton (Oliver), they’ve always put up with my numbskull questions, and usually manage to give me some well reliable knowledge, cheers dudes. My questions are less frequent these days though, somehow always seem to be learning…One my old bosses thought I was daft for quitting the studio job I had, so bad advice from him, to work my way up the company, blah blah blah. Didn’t take the advice which is good ‘cos it was shit advice, so fuck it.

Have you ever felt bad taking a photo? Is so, which one?

I shot a sequence once where Colin Kennedy smashed his head into the ground at Perth skatepark, his head swelled up like he had an testicle squeezed under the dome. I felt bad about the fact he stotted the concrete from 8 ft up but I was still more stoked than bummed about shooting it, imagine missing that quality action. Pretty grim watching it unfold before your eyes, and then sitting in Perth A and E waiting to make sure he was alright, before the nurse says “your friend’s fine do you want to speak to him?“, then whips back a curtain revealing an 80 year old man on a ventilator! Fucking comedy.

What image first inspired you to take up photography?

I don’t know if any one image helped me to make that decision outright, I remember some picture of Vinnie Ponte back fiftying a ledge down a rough triple set, I don’t know who shot it and I don’t know when or where it was from (maybe 96 ish), but it is in my mind still as clear as day available light long lens, grainy black and white 35mm, my favourite kind of shot.

The one that sealed the deal for me was a shot of John Rattray backside disastering this skinny vert quarter in a warehouse in Aberdeen. I wasn’t there when Ollie shot it, I just saw it in Skateboarder Mag, double pager and titled “the man from Aberdeen” and was blown away, I thought; I want to make a picture look like that. Ollie is my all time favourite skateboard photographer any way, and John’s just well… John, great fucking team, great fucking picture.

What were the best and worst days shooting skateboarding of your life ever and why?

Worst ever days shooting pictures were probably the ones when I was wishing they’d come out good rather than knowing they would….most of the time. I don’t mean that the actual days were bad, I mean I learned pretty fast from mistakes. It was more the feeling of massive anxiety that comes along with a lack of confidence and knowledge, it’s not a nice feeling, better to know you’ve got it than hope.

Tell us about this personal favourite skate shot of yours?

…it’s probably again one of John (Rattray) in hometown Aberdeen, Scotland: “A/deen thugs kill all visiting fans”. It was the time when he first got on Zero and was on a trip back home to sort out moving away to SD. John, Alex Craig and myself were out filming for H’min Bam day in day out. John was on a mission and everything was just happening. We ended up at this ‘spot’ one day and John wanted to wallride it. It’s a disgusting set up, down a rough road, up a curb over a rough pavement, ride up a bit of rotten wood, drop onto the bank up and then wallride.

For this picture though I don’t know if you even need to know about the trick he just did, the body posture, fl-hair and graff on the wall makes the picture. Probably the shitest thing John did the whole time he was back and it seems to be the one picture people comment on. I don’t think the wallride shot has ever been published, just the rideout. The graffiti has since been blasted off, after 15 years of it being there, shame, I thought it was hilarious.

What’s the relationship like between a photographer and a filmer?

Filmers are alright, usually we can come to some sort of arrangement, make the skater do it twice, or shoot a picture of a lovely well lit picture of a VX and fisheye. I do a bit of filming too, so I know that a few centimeters can make all the difference to impact of footage, I can sympathize, but you’ve gotta make sure you get what you came here to do too, it’s a tough one, sometimes you have to be more of an arsehole than you want to get the shot. It also depends whether you’re the reason they’re there doing what they’re doing or whether you’re just tagging along.

What key advice would you give to upcoming skate photographers?

To an up and coming skate photographer I would say this: You must have 100% dedication, good knowledge of relevant photography, absolute willingness to be skint as fuck, no ties, a serious love for skateboarding and a shit hot professional or two to shoot with.

Are there ways of getting better/free equipment as you continue to grow or do you have to fund everything yourself?

Ads, I reckon it’s all about ads, getting in tight with a company helps. I think it is important to be very proactive; you want companies/magazines to think about you when jobs come up. It’s tough out there; all about self promotion, don’t wait for someone to suggest you, suggest yourself to them.

Is the work of a skate photographer well paid? Do you get by in life with this income alone?

Oliver Barton’s advice to me was to put every bit of profit you can back into buying better equipment, good advice. I had started doing that when I was working in Jessops, buying second hand professional stuff, sourcing out refurbished stock that was like new but with the discount was cheap as fuck, e-bay’s good too, but you can’t be trusting it’s tough to expand your kit on a budget, but not impossible. No such thing as a free lunch.

Does music ever inspire your photography? What artists can you not leave for a tour without?

Rock McCrank strumming guitar making up songs is inspiring, pure comedy, lightens the mood. I like shooting pictures with people who can have a laugh about things. Black Flag, Slayer, Dave Dudley and Brujeria all good to listen to before skating, but with photography it’s not really beneficial to be all fired up to then sit on yir arse for hours at a time.

What is your favourite photo that you snapped outside of skateboarding?

One of my favourite non skate flick is probably this one of French Fred shooting some artsy picture completely oblivious to the fact Schuster just ate serious shit 2 ft away from him.

Even If Fred had been aware I doubt it would have affected his demeanor. So fucking French it’s unreal, loves to hate! haha. Easy to wind Fred up and I enjoy testing him, but respect due to him, he’s amazing at what he does, better photographer than me too. Vive la France!

If you were to buy a pocket snapper for capturing skating on a budget to get going, which camera would you suggest?

Got to be a Nikon FM2n, it’s the only answer to that question.

Would you recommend digital or film?

If you’re serious about photography, it’s got to be film. You’ve got to learn how to understand what you’re doing before you go ahead and do it.

What are the benefits of using film or digital?

Digital is cost effective and accepted as standard for sequences these days and it’s worth investing in one for that task alone. Although digital is becoming more common for stills these days, most of skateboarding still clings onto the medium format transparency as the normal route.

What kit do you use?

Some janky second hand raft of shit, does the job though. Hasselblad and Nikon all the way.

….and your website address?

www.alexslashdog.com

A report from Whitedog on his many travels across the pond…
Words and pics – Craig Whitehead

So Omar called me up and said he was going to Hawaii to film for Fuel TV. He’d already filmed a bunch of stuff with the guy from Fuel, up in the northwest, (Oregon)… his name is Jeremy.

But anyway, he said they were going to Hawaii and he wanted some homies to go out with him so it wasn’t just a filming mission, but a fun time as well, So Rhino, Chet Childress and I hopped on the plane and met Omar and Jeremy out there.

We get in the rental car and headed to the North Shore. Chet and Omar together are like little kids arguing and ripping on each other the whole time. From the time they picked Rhino and I up at the airport to the time we got out of the car at the Quiksilver house (a 45 minute drive) my face hurt from laughing so much. I didn’t know if I could hang for the next 5 days…

Skating was the same way. just 100 % total fun. no bad vibes, no goons trying to snake everyone, just fun skating. Omar who is sponsored by Quiksilver hooked up the Quiksilver house for us to stay, free of charge. Fuckin’ hyped.

So we unload all our gear and went straight to the beach across the street, which is the legendary Banzai Pipeline. The waves weren’t hitting when we were there, seeing how it was summertime so we floundered in the water for a while then went back to the house for a couple beers. I asked Omar where the bowl was and he answered “Shit we can walk there from here!” so we walk to the next dirt driveway and hang a left up the hill and BAM! A tranny skaters paradise!

We were welcomed by Cholo who owns the place and pretty much runs the North Shore. This guy is amazing. He’s is 55 years old, owns the sickest Mexican restaurant on the North Shore and still grinds the shit out of some pool coping. Killer. This place has 2 miniramps and a big amoeba shaped bowl. We skated for a while drinking beers getting some grinds and chilling.

The next day we went to Waimea Bay, which is another legendary surf spot. The night before Cholo told us the the Alba family was in town. So we were all hyped to see Salba and the family chillin’ on the beach when we showed up in the morning. So we sat on the beach drinking beers, laughing, and jumping off the cliff with the kids, which was a blast. They were hyped.

Meanwhile, the wholetime we were at the beach we were all joking around and calling Jeremy the filmer, Mark, which I think is Chets favorite word. I don’t think we introduced him to Salba, so when we were leaving the beach Salba said “See ya later Mark!”. We all got a kick out of that one so we just called him Mark for the whole rest of the trip. We’d go to the beach every morning and jump off the cliff to get rid of the hangovers from the night before and check out the tail running around the beach, which was great. Then we’d take it to the bowl for the evening sessions and bbq’s at Cholos.

We met this local named Mitchell who took us to this place called sharks cove, which it this jagged Lava rock field at the ocean with tunnels and tons of tropical fish. He took us to this tunnel through the rocks that went out into the ocean and was probably 30 or 40 feet long that you had to hold your breath and swim through. No one did it except Salba, Mitchell, and I. Chet almost did it but got freaked out at the last possible second and turned around… Twice. He said it was gnarlier than anything he has skated or witnessed ever. Salba said it was second on his list, right underneath skydiving, it was definately a rush for sure.

Then we met up with the locals at Cholos and went and skated GRAVESIDE. Matt Stien, who I’ve met on past trips to the island, has been living out there for years . We met up with him and a couple other dudes, and went to this spot that they have been working on thats right next to this children’s graveyard. He said you can hear the kids playing at night time and shit. Fuckin’ nuts. Anyway this place was insane! The bowl was the roughest and most gnarliest shit I’ve ever skated. Just getting a grind over the deathbox was gnar.

After skating it for about an hour, Omar desides he’s going to throw up an air over the box, makes it, rolls up and says “I think I could throw up a heelflip!” So the camera marks, (Jeremy and Rhino) get the gear out and set their shit up. Sure enough he made it in about 5 or 6 tries, the guy is a fucking machine.

The next day all the loc’s came over to Cholo’s for a big old BBQ bash. Good sesh, good food, and good beer. Everyone there was super cool and mellow. I almost stayed and got a job at Cholo’s mexican joint, the place was so awesome.

The last night of the Alba family vacation we all went to Cholo’s and had a big farewell feast for the Alba’s. We still had 2 more days, so we went back to the bowl and shot photos with Rhino and Omar finished up his Fuel TV show. It should be airing soon. Check it if you guys get that shit over there…

Fred Mortagne is unique. He has the eye and the imagination to take visual images you will never forget. This Frenchman from Lyon, is probably best known for his progressive filming techniques (he even had a particular angle, the rolling long lens shot named after him, the Fredangle, how many of today’s filmers can claim that?!), but when he started taking pictures too, the praise was doubled.

A series of photos and portraits Fred took, which were later used for a Flip Skateboards catalogue, earned him the first prize in a prestigeous photography competition despite only having started shooting film for a year. It’s things like that which qualify Fred for a Triple Shot with Crossfire. Bon appetit!

How long have you been a photographer Fred?

About 4 years. I started to take it more seriously in late 2002. I was only messing around before.

How did the filming crossover get you into photography?

When you film so much great skateboarding, in constantly different places, and with so much history and lifestyle going down along the way, you start thinking that you are wasting some amazing opportunities… While filming, I’ve always pictured photographs that could have been shot, that I never filmed, because they would have had an interest only as a photograph. And when I see that the photographer present at the time doesn’t even shoot it, so it’s a complete waste, so I decided to pick up a camera, and do it myself. That’s really the process that went through my mind that pushed me into photography.

Your inspiration shot here is a classic. What effect did it have on you?

I don’t think some photographs inspired me to start shooting myself, not like video footage (I saw) when I was a kid which really inspired me to start making videos. On my website I put a little montage of some clips that really inspired me, before I even started to film. But this photograph shot by Dan Sturt is the most memorable one from back when I was a kid. He’s definitely the most influential photographer to me. He’s got a crazy sense of framing and angles.

What were the best and worst bits of advice anyone gave you in regards to photography?

All I can think of is a compliment I got from Mike O’Meally, who told me that, not only my photography is original, it’s got a recognizable style. This was great to hear.

Have you ever felt bad about taking a photo? If so, which one?

I have a hard time shooting pics of strangers in the street, like if I’m close to them, if they notice me. I would love to have the power of being invisible when I need to.

What’s the relationship like between a photographer and filmer?

There’s usually a great mutual respect, and there are rarely any problems, because we work things out together. But no matter what, I hate filming when there’s a photographer around, and vice versa, because it limits my work, my angles, my options. It sucks to have to deal with a situation, where you know you are not shooting from the best angle… this kills me, really. Makes me sad.

Please tell us why you have picked your fave skate shot you have submitted, it’s beautiful.

It’s one of my most powerful photographs, and it’s typical of the way I’ve been shooting skate photography. It’s always on the side of my filming duties, and this was no exception. It was during a Cliché tour in the north of France, we ended up at this amazing architectural place, designed by Brazilian guy Oscar Niemeyer, whose works are very famous around the world. The place was insane, so good for skating, filming and shooting pictures. I want to go back.

So we’ve been filming, but when we were leaving, I spotted this thing. I asked Lucas Puig to do something quick, we only had a few minutes…like always. That’s why most tricks in my pictures are easy ones, I can always shoot when the session is done, within 5 minutes… I’m stoked about this pic, like some other ones of my “classics”, because 2 or 3 photographers were there at the same time, with some other teams, for a long time too, but no one thought of it… I just pictured it, and we made it happen. That’s a good feeling.

What main advice would you give to upcoming skate photographers?

Have fun, don’t run after money and develop your own style.

Are there ways of getting better/free equipment as you continue to grow or do you have to fund everything yourself?

I never have any hook ups, I’m too antisocial.

Is the work of a skate photographer well paid? Do you get by in life with this income alone?

I guess it can be good, but you got to shoot a lot. Ideal is to get employed by a mag or a company I suppose, if you really worry about money… But I don’t, so instead of selling my pics, I just shoot, and keep them in the cellar, like good wine!!

Does music ever inspire your photography? What music artists can you not leave for a tour without?

Definitely. I like listening to music when I shoot photos, not so much for skating, but for other shit, like when I wander around in a city. I like to put on some freaky ambient music, to create some weird atmosphere… Godspeed You Black Emperor! is one of my favorite band to have to go through my ears. And “Koyaanisqatsi” soundtrack by Philip Glass, is just amazing. Whoever hasn’t seen that movie, I highly recommend it.

Please tell us about your non skate shot you have submitted and the story behind it.

That’s one of my first pics ever taken in 2001, in Osaka, Japan. I had just purchased my camera, at the time I wasn’t deep in photography at all, I was more like a tourist who snap shots to have memories… On the contact sheet, that’s the only cliché of that place, I shot only once, whereas if I would be there now, I would shot so many times, to have it right. It’s an important picture for me because it made me realize I was able to come up with some very cool pics.

Funny story about it, is that when I went to Japan again, I was flipping through TWS Japan, and saw that photo, I mean, not this one, but the same exact place, pretty much same framing. For a second I though it was mine, but then the lady on the bike wasn’t there. I was tripping. It was shot by Jody Morris, who had come on an Etnies Tour. I shot mine on a ES tour, so I guess, the same distributor put us in the same hotel, where it was shot from! It got me even more hyped about my pic, because I thought it was so much better with the bicycle.

Would you recommend digital or film?

It’s up to people. Both have advantages. It just depend on what you want to do. I’m sticking to film. Actually, yeah people, use film, so it doesn’t die, so I can still use it. I’ve heard Kodak is suppose to kill it’s photography film department in 2008, which would be really crazy, and a big shame, and a big problem!

What are the benefits of using film or digital?

Film for quality, printing, for real photography, the effects of light on chemicals. Nothing will EVER replace that. Digital for convenience, faster progression, and budget reasons.

What kit do you use?

Mostly a Nikon FM2, with a motordrive…I want to get new stuff, with better optics, but I haven’t found the camera that fully meets my demands. I’m really picky, and I guess it might not exist yet, I might have to design it!

Your photography website address if you have one?

www.frenchfred.com

Richard Gilligan is one of those blokes that is great to hang out with on a skate trip as i found out last summer, and especially if his Irish crew members are in tow as well! His photography skills are based in his home in the magic City of Dublin, Ireland where he works freelance both in and outside the skate world.

His captured work has been published in SLAP, Sidewalk, Kingpin, Slam (oz), Monkey
Say (oz) and he has also shot ad’s for the likes of Heroin Skateboards, Kill City, Etnies, Addict and Lord Clothing. Richard also shoots a lot of documentary style work and has even published a rocking book about the legendary “burnside” skatepark as well as working and completing several other published documentary projects.

With his work exhibitied worldwide, he continues to shoot and skate as much as he can and enjoys frontside grinds that make him go “UGH!” – which makes Rich one of the best there is….Welcome to Gilligans Triple Set.

How long have you been a photographer?

Since I was 15, so I guess that’s 10 years as I’m 25 now. I saved up the money from a shitty summer job cleaning dishes and bought an old Fujica SLR for one hundred Irish pounds and never looked back.

How did you get into skate photography?

I spent hours and hours of my early teenage years just staring at the photos in R.A.D mag, it just fascinated me. I always had an interest in photography from a really early age, I remember we had this photo of me and my mam that was a double exposure (like a ghost image of us in the same photo) and I used to spend hours staring at that too as a kid. It was a natural thing really as skateboarding was (still is) the thing I spent most of my time doing.

So I really just started wrapping my camera up in a hoody and throwing it into my bag when I would be going skating in town. I shot so much then, and fucked up so many photos but it was always a fun thing to be doing, I would get as excited about getting a good photo as I would about learning a new trick.

Why did this image you have submitted inspire you so much to take up photography? What effect did it have on you?

I have chosen an old stereo ad here and to be totally honest I’m not even sure who shot the photos in it! (that’s really bad- a fucking skate photographer who doesn’t even know who shot his fave skate photos?) Prob Gabe Morford or Lance Dawes? In fact I think I’m more into the photo of the old fella cutting up his chicken than any of the skate shots!

To be honest I don’t think it even really matters that much who took them as they are all such strong images, but what I found so inspiring about this is just the whole package. It was old ad’s like this and the original Anti-hero ad’s from around 1994-1997 that really inspired me to start taking photos and make zines etc.

I just love the layout of it and the style is just so good! Ethan Fowler and Greg Hunt are two of my fave skaters from this era so maybe thats got something to do with it too. I was a big stereo fan back in those days and still am today. Their stuff was just such a breath of fresh air during that time in skating and I think they really inspired a lot of people to go and pursure ideas/impulses and just the creative side of skateboarding in general.

What were the best and worst bits of advice anyone gave you in regards to photography?

Best advice is to buy a fully manual simple SLR camera and just go shoot, shoot, shoot in natural light and try learn from your mistakes. So many people give up on photography because they feel the technical side of it is too much to get there head around, but stick with it, put in the hours and you are bound to progress.

Worst advice would be to buy lots of really expensive gear and lenses. Keep it simple, especially at the start. Don’t buy a digital kit as your first camera. You will learn more from shooting film than any photoshop tutorial / auto option will ever teach you.

Have you ever felt bad about taking a photo? If so, which one?

For me I’ve never felt genuinely bad for taking a photo, both in and out of skating. I feel photography is very much a 2 way thing, and if you don’t have respect for your subject then I don’t feel you should be shooting them. From time to time when shooting something really gnarly in skating you do get the hee-bee-jee-bee’s though. but I just get on with it, I never force anyone into doing anything.

What were the best and worst days shooting skateboarding of your life ever and why?

The best was getting sent to Marseille bowlriders by Kingpin last summer, (click here to view feature and video) that was really like a dream come through for me, and having Jay Dords and Bruce along too just made it non stop laughing and shredding. Marseille is my fave place to skate bar none, just endless lines and grinds…

I can honestly say I’ve never had “a worst day” shooting skateboarding, even though sometimes you can get kinda burned out on the getting busted/kicked out factor and just sometimes the stress a skater can put on them self to land a certain trick and then end up just hurting themselves. That stuff can be bad, but there is always something fun about the whole experience so yeah, I’m happy to say I’ve never had a worst day… not yet anyway.

What about your fave skate shot you have submitted? – It’s a gnarler!

The photo I’ve submitted here has to be the bridge drop-in of Bruce “the Ox” Kelliher in Kenmare, Co. Kerry back in 2001. This photo opened so many doors for me and Bruce as it ended up being my first ever published photo that appeared in the gallery section as a double page in SLAP mag. Anyone who has met Bruce knows how off the wall he is, (a truly inspired character with an over-active imagination on his skateboard.)

This imagination however, has a knack of turning disturbing thoughts and ideas into reality, a lot like this drop-in he did. To this day that is the gnarliest thing I’ve ever shot. I remember me and Ciaran who was filming just looking at each other and laughing nervously as Bruce started to climb up the bridge on that freezing cold morning at about 7.30am.

What’s the relationship like between a photographer and filmer?

Back the fuck up!

What main advice would you give to upcoming skate photographers?

Just shoot as much as you can and enjoy it. Be patient and learn how to print and develop your own black and white work! You will learn more technically from doing this than any book you can read. Send stuff into mags and just try to be cool to people and if your work is strong enough, it’s only a matter of time before you see it published. Most skate mags are run by really enthusiastic and friendly people, but they are also very busy people and it can be hard for them to get back to you. Stick with it and its gonna happen sooner or later.

Are there ways of getting better/free equipment as you continue to grow or do you have to fund everything yourself?

I fund everything myself, except if I’m doing a job/article specifically for a mag then they will generally look after all film costs etc. I once got a really good hook up from Kodak by getting in touch with them about any old b and w stock and they sent me a full box of tri-x (great b and w film)!!! I couldn’t believe it! If you dont ask you’ll never know…

Is the work of a skate photographer well paid? Do you get by in life with this income alone?

No and no (but I would be doing this if I got paid or not so I really just try to treat it as pocket money or put it straight back into my photography) It would be great if my skating work alone could pay the bills, maybe someday? But unless you are staff with a mag, its not really an option. I shoot a lot of other documentary stuff outside of skating and I want time to be able to pursue this plus I also like to shoot skate photos of stuff that inspires me and I would hate for it to become a chore where you start feeling like a robot, just constantly shooting for deadlines.

OK, please tell us all about this very intrigueing non skate shot you have submitted and the story behind it!

This is a photo I shot in the lost property section of the London Underground beneath Baker Street Station. It is taken from a photographic project I made there called “Cinderella Moments“, a series of still lives of all the stuff that people lose on the tube. One of the staff down there explained to me that the only way people can tell if the teeth are theirs or not is by trying them on and that’s what inspired me to shoot this photo. Nasty stuff…

Does music ever inspire your photography? What artists can you not leave for a tour without?

I can’t imagine my life without music. I bang the drums a bit and have been messing around on guitar for as long as I can remember. As for going on tour, I need these:

AC/DC – “Highway To Hell”

A Tribe Called Quest – “Midnight Maurauders”

Bonnie Prince Billy – “Ease On Down The Road”

Neil Young – “Harvest”

The Redneck Manifesto – “Thirty Six Strings” [The best band to come out of Dublin in years]

Biggie Smalls – “Ready To Die”

And some Smiths, Ramones and Pougues thrown in there too for good measure!

Great choices Rich..ok if you were to buy a pocket snapper for capturing skating on a budget to get going, which camera would you suggest?

Probably a little Nikon digital compact like a coolpix one, but I’m not really sure? Fuck it, just buy an old manual camera for fuck all and you will better off in the long run…

Would you recommend digital or film?

Film.

What are the benefits of using film or digital?

Digital makes sense for sequences but I don’t shoot ’em so I’m backing film 100%

What kit do you use?

A battered Nikon FM2; 50mm Nikon lens; 16mm Zenitar lens; Hasselhoff with 80mm; 2 Sunpak manual flashes natural daylight (an often forgotten tool in modern skate photography); Pocket wizard radio slaves; 2 sketchy old tripods. I keep it really simple and I like it that way….

Do you wanna tell people about your photography website?

Oh go on then…it’s www.richgilligan.com