"Skateboarding is not a crime."

Been wanting to make this picture for some time.  It's part of a series where I  incorporate sports action and  car beauty.   Fun picture to make.  Interesting melding the two together, having to think about the car and the action separately, but shoot them so they fit well together.   Next one is gonna be pretty crazy.  Stay tuned.......

Roxy Fall

Flew to Utah for a day and a half to shoot a couple ads for ROXY.  Photographed Sarah Burke, the worlds best freestyle skier and Torah Bright, worlds best snowboarder.  Great girls.  They photograph so well for athletes and are super fun to hang and laugh with.  

Lifestyle photography isn't easy.  Especially when your not using professional talent or models.  It's all about creating a fun atmosphere and being fun.  As things unfold, that is where you tweak it with some direction and composition.  I love showing up to a location and feeding off of it.  I once read how Helmet Newton wouldn't ever travel further than 1o minutes from his hotel on an assignment to photograph a celebrity or model.  He was able to use what was 'around'.  I feel a little bit like that.  That no matter where I am I can find a shot.  There is always something to shoot.  

Anyway,   big thanks to Jessica Dalpiaz at Roxy for all her efforts.  She is entirely a multi-talented young woman.  

 

Mac Danzig Shoot

Shot Mac Danzig, the UFC World Champ today.  Great guy.  A really good landscape photographer it turns out.  I went home to watch him on YOUTUBE.  Needless to say I wouldn't want to tussle with him.  And, uh yeah the red stuff in the picture with Pamela my digital tech is real blood.  Thanks but no thanks!

Men's Fitness

More work from Monica Bradley of Men's Fitness. I love when my clients call back.  Means they like what I am doing.   Shot Jason Wright and Jason Osborn two Jason's who own a granola company called FEED.  Great guys.  Super excited to be in the magazine and really genuine guys.  Also shot Mark Steins of Entertainment Tonight.  Super nice guy.  Loves doing his own photography so it was fun to bounce ideas off him.  Had lots of energy and we just moved a lot and freaked out on each other.  Super fun.  Oh, did I mention we did both shoots in the same day.  Made it that much more fun.  I swear I wish I could do this every day of the week.  9-5 baby.  Hell, 6am-10pm wait......24/7 bring it on!

Oneill in Canada

This is a shoot for Oneill I did north of Whistler at SNOWCATS.CA.  A 40km snowmobile ride into the mountains.  Stayed in metal housing.  Shot close to 10,000 frames in a weeks time.  Enjoyed a -12 degree night camping in the wilderness and plenty of snowmobile exhaust.  But the beauty of the landscape and a wonderful group and our wonderful hosts made the shoot such a pleasure and almost to much fun.  Thanks to Martijn and Marc from Oneill for bringing me out to shoot.  Look forward to the next one guys.  Preferably on the beach.......

Lozza "It's just not possible"
Matt my assistant.  Great guy.  Hard worker and positive attitude.  Snuse got us thru.....
The Crew......after a free pow run.  I was to busy shooting.  I don't take free runs.  I work.
Girls camp site. Testing some exposures.  
Matt and Carolina wrestling.  I think Carolina held him for a three count for the win.

Frederick one of the pro snowboarders, hangsome but also kinda weird.  Super cool quirky personality.  We robbed him of all his snuse.
Mark Van Laar from Oneill.  The producer cracking the wip.
Reg, the owner of Snowcats.ca.  Thanks Reg and Kathy.  Great hosts.
Chris our guide.  This guy can ski.  One of the premeire Canadian Rockies skiers and guide.  Just check out Powder mag now and again.  He's the small black dot atop some sketchy ass line.

Big Pimpin' with my own grip sled.
A happy art director makes a happy photographer.  Martijn Andrissen from Oneill.  Great AD.
Northern lights.  In all my years out in the wilderness at night during winter have never seen them as beautiful as this night.  The sky looked as though  it was crying green fireworks.  If that makes sense.
Cabin attire.
Last but not least our dear savior, Gayle.  The cook.  If not for her nothing was possible.  A real lady.

Happy

It's been some years since I last ventured to Japan.  For me a brain visual frenzy.  So visually stimulating I can hardly walk straight.  Literally.  So much to look at and to photograph.

Here are a few sayings and little verbal ditties we have picked up thus far.....

Blood wipes

Flies ( for Frech Fries)

Japanese tapeworms

Holy Crink ( not sure what this means)

Play Happy

Total Party House Emotion

Yabai = Epic = neato

Huge Powder Happy

More Huge Powder So Night Happy

Soul Scorching Happy

Miso which crab is in it.

Reery?

Bowel of Sea Cucumber Happy

JAPOW ENTRY 1

Making my way to Japan with Arlie Carstens a writer friend to do a story on Jake Burton riding in the forbidden trees of Japan with some of the Burton team ( Nicoloas Mueller, Kevin Pearce, Mikkel Bang and Mason Aguirre). One 12 hour plane ride, three buses and one domestic flight later we are in Sapporo Japan.  More to follow...

Plains, Trains and Sushi?

Airport security bottle crusher.  I have no idea.......

Breakfast.  Ummm, yeah don't ask.....
Live feed of our Sapporo landing.  Just like the Disneyland Great Adventure ride, but a little more daunting

No photography on the planes.  This stewardess wanted to Karate chop my face.  Ever see The Ring?

Arlie (Mr. Areeri) and our dinner.

Best seat in couch. 4 across....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.......

4x5 Film for sale.

I have some 4x5 film and polaroid for sale.  

Fuji FP-100c45 - Expired  12/2006.  Should be fine.  New goes for $35 a pack.  I will sell it for $7.  I have about 60 packs.

Portra 160 VC ready loads 20 per box.  Expired in late 2007.  Goes new for $72.  Will sell for $30

Happy shooting.

Rock the Republic!

Thanks to Monica Bradley from Men's Fitness for a great assignment photographing Michael Ball and the Rock & Republic road cyclist team.  Michael is the President and designer for Rock and Republic denim.  Great guy and easy to photograph ( had some fun stories about Paris Hilton). Pouring rain we also headed out on the road to shoot his cyclists.  Pretty hectic shooting in the rain, following cyclists down PCH.  I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Sunday!  I almost got my ass kicked by a mechanic.  He was sweating me for taking pictures of him and proceeded to throw a water bottle in my direction.  I informed him (nicely) I was just doing my job and killed him with a bit of kindness.  It was quite hectic with four other photographers there, but we managed to get great photographs.  Michael threw a great party afterword.  Lots of food and bike industry types at a cool hillside Malibu home.  Very gracious event. 

Mt. Baldy Buried!

A text came from my friend Eric Kotch.  "Mt. Baldy TOMORROW!!!!  The anticipated 2 feet of fresh forcast for the Los Angeles ski area is a real stoke to us mountain transplants.  Jon Boyer a snowboarding legend and Andy Blumberg the action sports journalist/marketeer/brand developer were also in.  I arrived at Boyer's house around 6:30, we greeted in the rain and made our way.  The rain swamped highways in LA were a good indications of the amount of moisture that had fallen.  We knew it was going to be EPIC!

We met Eric at some strip mall in Upland. He rolled up in his Porche Carrera and some snowboard clothes.  That was it. His board and bindings were supplied by me and Andy. Classic. He lost the cashmere sweater he was wearing and geared up in the parking lot.  We took refuge underneath some flower/gift shop.  Eric needed to cut his toenails or hangnails or whatever it was. He's the type of friend who is always dialed - friends are always going to him for advice, but he showed that every once in a while even the most organized can have a melt down.  The flower shop lady was perplexed.  Half nude snowboarder dudes changing, cutting toenails and peeing ( yes peeing) in the planter outside her shop.  We are all educated, gainfully employed gents, but when there is 2 feet of fresh it all goes out the window pretty fast.  

We soon made our way up the mountain road, swerving in and out of valley kooks who have no idea how to drive in the snow.  Even the PCH officer  seemed pretty clueless.  The cars were sliding around like school children on and icy sidewalk.

Once we made it up to the mountain we had to wait around while they performed their avalanche control work.  Slides actually came down all the way to the base of chair 1.  People freaked, running as if a bomb had been dropped from the sky.  The cloud of snow and debris rose 50 feet in the air.  Quite a bizarre sight.  Have not seen anything like it in all my time traveling the world; being in pretty extreme conditions on the biggest mountains.  Keep in mind this is an hour and a half from the beach.  Unbelievable.  On a sad note, and as CNN reported, a few skiers were killed in the backcountry near the resort.  So please please know before you go.

We made our way up to the Lodge.  It looked like it hadn't  been remodeled or cleaned in 20 years.  Fantastic B&W pictures from the 40's adorned the walls, the communally-managed fireplace was blazing, the american flag was flown and the  Ramen stewed.  Finally the call came in and the mountain was open.  I blinked and the lodge was empty.  We let the crowds go. In no rush.  We knew we would get ours.  Plenty to go around.

We definitely got our runs.  8 or 9 to be exact.  These were heli quality runs people!  Untracked tree lines.  Mini flutes and rollers EVRYWHERE!  I was trying to get Boyer to perform for my lens and he oblidged me up until the point where I wanted to shoot more than ride.  Then he reeled me in and slapped me upside the head and brought me back to the reality that we were here to ride and enjoy the pow.  We all got in this great grove of zigging and zagging amongst each other.  Hauling ass, laughing all the way through the gladed tree lines!  It's runs like these that you yearn for and what keeps you snowboarding year after year.  But being intelligent blokes and knowing our older-aged bodies well enough we all unanimously decided on the 9th run we had enough.  We loaded up Chair 1 to download as we still were not allowed to ride down or we would have a run in with the law and potentially with Mother Nature.  Once safely down, we stood around the car bullshitting and laughing about the day.  But it wasn't over just yet.  One last stop.  Boyer knew of a Korean foot massage place in Alhambra.  FANTASTIC!  Best massage I've had in a while.  They put your feet in hot tea and give the best scalp, neck and leg massage you'll have.  1 hour - $15.  

Day ends with a pleasant sushi dinner.  Soon after we said our good-byes and it was over. I drove home.  

Easy peasy.

Till next time.