blading

Photo three of three from the new ONE: Dallas Kilpatrick cess sliding across a patch of ice in New Berlin. I didn’t expect much on this bitterly cold February afternoon, but I was excited to use my new Canon 5D Mark II, even if it meant shooting skate “snapshots” while Dallas and Andrew Kazlauskas worked a fun ledge to bank. My fingers were thoroughly numb when we called it a day. As Kaz and I walked to the car, Dallas slid across a patch of ice, and it sparked an idea: When was the last time you saw someone cess slide ice in a magazine? (Or a video, for that matter.) I couldn’t feel what I was doing, but I set up a couple of strobes, laid down on the ice and snapped a few frames of the trick. Sent it off to Justin Eisinger, editorial director at ONE, when I got home, and he loved it. Just in time for the current issue’s deadline! Lesson learned: Keep your eyes peeled for those unique tricks and spots, no matter how trivial they may seem at the time.

Photo two of three from the new issue of ONE magazine. This time, it’s Brandon Sanwick fishbraining a Madison drop ledge. This deal was shot about an hour after this one, which also made it into print, albeit in Be-mag. These two hot shots redeemed an extremely unproductive (photo-wise) Saturday afternoon of skating. All it took was Brandon getting off work and showing up to handle business.

ONE magazine’s newest issue hit the racks recently, and it includes three of my photos. Above, that’s Milwaukee’s Michael Froemling nailing a roof gap over a good-size drop and a couple of fences. About a year ago, resident skate flick maker Andrew Kazlauskas filmed Froemling at this gap, but I wasn’t able to make it out. Finally, at least six months later, after getting foiled by parked cars and busy schedules on several occasions, we captured this shot with ease. It’s great when something with as many variables as a skate photo can be put to bed so quickly.

Here’s a different angle that didn’t make the cut:

The spot: right next to the highway in a high-traffic, high-visibility location across from Marquette University’s new law building. The trick: Dallas Kilpatrick grinding a freeway wall then jumping over a fence into the bank. Dallas tried the trick once, then on the second attempt nailed it for this photo. Marquette security, Milwaukee police and county sheriff’s deputies swarmed on us about 30 seconds later. Understandably so… the ledge Dallas was grinding is the side of the freeway, so cars traveling 60mph or more were just a few feet away. The authorities, however, were more concerned with questioning us about the then-recent spate of (very lame) highway graffiti. Can’t say I blame them. That stuff cost governments big bucks to remove. And as far as art goes, it was poorly done.

I knew we’d attract attention quickly, so I didn’t set up any lights. I locked on my 70-200mm telephoto, ran to a spot across the street and waited for the right moment. Be-Mag liked the photo, and you can see it printed in their current edition.

(CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGE)

Finally, I can show this! Be-Mag’s newest issue features this photo as a two-page spread, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s amazing how after nearly 15 years in blading I still get so juiced to see a new skate magazine. Seeing my photos as part of it enhances that irreplaceable feeling. This time, there’s more in the mix: First, I didn’t think this photo was going to happen. But it did. Madison’s Brandon Sanwick really came through. Then, after finding a buyer in Be-Mag, the economic turbulence delayed publication of several issues, including this one. So things have finally come to fruition. And damn that feels great.

Be-Mag, a global magazine about freestyle rollerblading, recently printed this photo of mine from the end of winter. It’s Ashley Peterson of Janesville, Wis., nailing an alleyoop soul on a dangerous rail here in Milwaukee.

A lot of really gnarly stuff is going on in the sport worldwide right now, and not a lot of people are aware of it; that last part’s changing slowly but surely. Wisconsin’s skating scene, while exhibiting a very high skill level, is barely the tip of the iceberg as far as the craziness people are performing on skates.

To capture this shot, I stood on the window sill you can see in the bottom right corner of the frame, right next to the 12-foot-plus drop. I used two off-camera strobes, one set about head-high on a light stand at the top of the steps, and the other high on a light stand about 15 feet after the end of the rail. My trusty fisheye lens offered the perfect perspective.