Brook Run Skate Park

Brook Run Skate Photography

The photography you will see in these pages will cater to the essence of skateboarding. I shoot skateboarding from the perspective of an old school, classic skateboarder. I believe in smooth lines, hella speed and most of all, style. Images of stink bug frontsides, flatland, flippity flailing and other less-than-flowing skateboard scenes will not make it to these pages.

What you will see will be images of skaters going big.

Big air.

Smooth carving.

Styled-out, front side layback grinds.

Tweaked smith grinds.

Lean-to-tails, crails, and crazy bails.

Remember the Gonz? Eric Dressen cess slides? …how about Christian Hosoi’s laybacks and styled-out nose wheelies from Dogtown’s Scott Oster? That kind of sick style.

These are the types of skating and BMX images that get us fired up; but, we are not implying that we are not interested in street area photos. I see street skaters tearing it up on a regular basi. Same with BMX cyclists and aggressive, inliners. Got good pics? Send ‘em on.

Skate Photography Tips and Techniques

Shooting quality photos of skateboarding can be a challenge. The subjects are typically moving very quickly, lighting is always challenge, and most consumer level cameras are not capable of going wide enough to capture the entire subject. The following are some very basic tips and techniques to help you shoot better skate photos:

Use the right equipment

A quality camera and lens makes all the difference in the world. While it’s possible to get decent shots with consumer-level, point-n-shoot cameras, you are much better off getting a digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera. The good news is that these high quality, digital cameras have dropped in price over the years and can be purchased for as low as $500 brand new …and even less, used.

There are some excellent choices available and every photographer has their brand favorites; however, for the scope of this document I will suggest some popular choices known for image quality and reliability:

• Canon Digital Rebel - a great entry level digital SLR
• Nikon D40 - another high quality camera
• Canon EOS 30D - The next step up from the Canon Digital Rebel
• Canon EOS 5D - a full-frame digital SLR with superb quality *

* Personally, I shoot with the Canon 5D. It’s a full-frame camera which is somewhat of a technical term, but in short means that it performs most like a traditional, 35MM film SLR. For skateboarding, where wide-angle photography is the norm, a full-frame digital camera can be a real advantage.

Use the right Lenses

Wide-angle lenses are best for skateboarding. Ultra wide angle lenses, sometimes called fish-eye lenses, really help the photographer ensure he is getting the full subject and trick in the photo. Whichever lens type you go for, pay attention the lens speed. Typical speed for quality wide angle lenses is anywhere from 4.5 to 1.4 with the smaller number being the fastest. A fast lens can handle less-than-optimal lighting conditions but better than slower lenses.

Naturally, like anything else, the speed of the lens can dictate it’s price. If it’s a toss-up between a 1.8 lens and 1.4 lens, opt for the 1.8 - you almost never be able to tell the difference between the two, especially for web shooting, but the price difference can be in the hundreds of dollars.

Overcast days create optimal lighting conditions

Bright sunlight can create awful, unbalanced lighting conditions adding severe shadows to your skate photos. This concept is compounded when shooting in overhead sunlight (typically, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.). If at all possible, it’s best to use a ‘hood’, fill flash or lens filters in these conditions to cut down on the glare, shadows and other lighting anomalies.

A tripod is your friend

Shooting with a tripod is not only easy and certainly not convenient in the confines of a skatepark. Other skaters will get pissed at having to dodge the tripod and setting up the unit can be cumbersome creating a lot of downtime as skaters wait for modifications. That being said, it’s very difficult to obtain the same level of sharpness and image quality when shooting hand-held. (i.e. no tripod, shooting off-the-cuff)

If you must shoot handheld, which will be the case 90% of the time, be sure to use the fastest shutter speed possible for conditions to cut-down on potential blurring of the subject. Also, moving your camera at a similar rate of speed as the skater is another tricky way to stay sharp.

Open Call to Skate Photographers

There are two ways for images to end up here. I shoot ‘em or other photographers submit their images for display on the site. All photographers submitting images can be assured that their images will display proper photographer credit.

For images to be accepted and displayed on this site:

• Images should be of high quality
• We prefer high quality JPEG images, but will accept RAW, TIFF or PDF as well
• Don’t be afraid to submit your images. That’s how you learn.