Session Magazine - Issue 58

ISSUE 58 | FEB / MAR 2014 | RSA R34.95 / OTHER R30.04

CLARK

- INTERVIEWS

14

- 2014 PHOTO FEATURE

26

- CLOSET ENVY

60

- BIZNESS

62

- STICK TIPS // RAINY DAYS

64

- BLACKBOARD

66

HERE: CRAIG LEAK - CROOKS FAKIE - SAM CLARK

8

COVER: JANSEN VAN STADEN

- REDIAL

WATC H “PAC I F I C N O RT H W EST” ONL I NE NOW

BACKSIDE SMITH GRIND, BACKSIDE KICKFLIP

ADIDAS.COM/SKATEBOARDING © 2014 adidas AG. adidas, the trefoil logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group.

REDIAL Brendan Body

SESSION,

on time

and online

To usher in the new year we have decided to make a few changes here at Session, the mag will now be available ONLINE, it will be available for FREE at www.sessionmag.co.za (Issue 58 onwards). But before you get all depressed and think we are dropping the print mag, think again! Session will remain a print mag primarily, as it ALWAYS has been. It’s still available through your regular skate shops and retailers. Nothing beats having a quality print publication in your hands and in your collection. However, the mag will now also be available on your mobile devices, laptops and notebooks, creating greater access to SA skateboarding on a global scale and to your cousin in the Karoo. In time, the entire 58 issue archive will also be uploaded to the website, so if you missed an issue or just want to look back on some good times, this will be a valuable online resource at your disposal.

in the skateboarding stoke. Luke Jackson has joined Session on a more permanent daily BASIS TAKING CONTROL OF ALL THINGS TEXT lNANCE AND WEB RELATED

Along with the magazine going online we are also making some changes to the current Session website which will now include heaps of new content and updates to keep you

Enjoy,

Brendan Body EDITOR IN CHIEF / ADVERTISING brendan@sessionmag.co.za

Adrian Henderson SUB EDITOR / ART DIRECTION ad@sessionmag.co.za

Luke Jackson WEB EDITOR / FINANCE luke@sessionmag.co.za

Clint van der Schyf PHOTO EDITOR clint@sessionmag.co.za

PHOTOGRAPHERS:

Ben Bergh, Miguel Howell, Pablo Ponzone, Tyrone Bradley, Warren van Rensburg, Gavin Scott, Tim Moolman, Rudi Jeggle, Alan Marola, Clinton Theron, Sam Clark, Jansen van Staden, Werner Lamprecht, Hein Kotze, Grant Mclachlan, Jonathan Pinkhard, Adriaan Louw, John Second.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Brett Shaw, Matt Henderson.

SUBS! R150 for 6 Issues Email subs@sessionmag.co.za with your name, address and contact number and get your Session delivered to your door.

| SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

In this issue we focus on skate photography and the individuals who deliver skate content to you behind-the-lens. The whole mag is a photo feature and includes interviews with some of our longest and most regular contributors. If you were ever interested in picking up a camera and shooting skateboarding then this issue would be the best place to start.

We have a bunch of new regulars coming into place from the next issue so look out for that but in the meantime here’s to a solid new year of skate sessions. Now take a look at this special edition and then go skate!

Bod

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Get in on the Session: info@sessionmag.co.za www.sessionmag.co.za SessionMag @SessionSkateMag @SessionSkateMag

* Support Independent Skate Media SESSION SKATEBOARDING MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY 6 TIMES A YEAR. SESSION WILL WELCOME ALL LETTERS, E-MAILS AND PHOTOS. WE WILL REVIEW THE CONTRIBUTION AND ASSESS WHETHER OR NOT IT CAN BE USED AS PRINT OR ONLINE CONTENT. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MAGAZINE, ITS OWNERS OR ITS MANAGEMENT. SESSION SKATEBOARDING MAGAZINE IS THE COPYRIGHT OF SESSION MAGAZINE CC. ANY DUPLICATION OF THIS MAGAZINE, FOR ANY MEDIA OR SALE ACTIVITY, WILL RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION A CAMEL EATING GECKO SENT AFTER YOU.

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E X C L U S I V E LY AT S K AT E S H O P S W O R L D W I D E

L E V I . C O M / S K AT E B O A R D I N G COMPTON NICHOLS & OUDALAY PHILAVANH SHOT BY JON HUMPHRIES

GRANT MCLACHLAN

JONATHAN PINKHARD

How did you get into skateboarding and then later into taking skate photos?

Some people at school were into it and I wanted to try it out. I got into shooting photos when I started getting a bit better at skating. We wanted to prove that we were really DOING THE TRICKS AND THEN IT JUST DEVELOPED INTO A HOBBY ALONG WITH lLMING ) STARTED taking it a lot more seriously around grade 10 because I had design as a subject and now it’s my job.

How did you get into taking skate photos?

'R \RX UHPHPEHU WKH ĹľUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX KDG SXEOLVKHG" Yeah it was a sequence of Luc Veermeer doing a tail drop and then ollieing over a wall, IT WAS FOR SOME COMP TO WIN SHOES BUT THE lRST REAL PHOTO WAS 2YAN .AIDOO S @) !-

How does skateboarding photography differ from your other day-to-day shoots?

:KR KDYH EHHQ VRPH RI \RXU LQĹśXHQFHV LQ VNDWH SKRWRJUDSK\ ORFDOO\ DQG abroad?

Sam Clark for sure! Ben Bergh, Wayne Reiche and Miguel Howell. Abroad, the only name that really stands out for me is Atiba Jefferson.

Well my commercial work is a full-time thing, it usually takes more planning and deadlines are more hectic. I work for a photography collective in Johannesburg, doing mostly advertising, editorial and documentary work. Shooting skating is a personal outlet, getting to hang and give back to skateboarding.

+RZ KDV VNDWHERDUGLQJ LQŜXHQFHG \RXU SKRWRJUDSK\" It’s made me enjoy architecture a lot more, and made me shoot in a documentary style.

Skateboarding magazines got me into photography when I was about 16, 3ESSION AND 4RANSWORLD WERE MY lRST INmUENCES

What advice would you give to people wanting to start shooting photos and skate photos?

Develop an eye by looking at lots of different photography and start getting a feel for what you like seeing. When you get to roll with a photographer ask questions and pay attention to how they do things. Shoot what you love and respect the moment over technical bullshit, it’s sometimes easier said than done though. :KDW ORFDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO SKRWRJUDSKHUV KDYH LQŜXHQFHG \RX" /BVIOUSLY "EN "ERGH HE HAS INmUENCED EVERY ONE OF US SHOOTING SKATEBOARDING IN 3!

Sam Clark and Jansen took it to the next level and seeing that made me want to better MY SKATE PHOTOGRAPHY -Y BIG INTERNATIONAL INmUENCES ARE GUYS LIKE -IKE / -EALLY 4OBIN Yelland, Nils Svensson and Marcel Veldman. Those guys put a lot of themselves into their work, making it more than just a well-lit action photo.

Tell us about working with skaters, the ups and the downs?

Tell us about working with skaters the ups and the downs?

Ups: They are my friends, we have fun and I get free stuff sometimes.

Downs: Wasting petrol on getting to spots that no one ends up skating, my car getting GROSS SHIT IN IT EVERYONE WANTS TO lLM RATHER THAN GET A PHOTO What are your photographic plans for the future?

Get more money and spend it on new gear, I want to shoot a lot more for session, try travel more, there are so many spots in SA no one has seen or skated and I’d love to BE THE ONE TO SHOOT THEM lRST

" | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

It’s rad going on missions and capturing moments with your homies, knowing that you’ve documented a part of someone’s life and to share it with the skate community. Downs - I’d say not getting the shot after a dude has wrecked himself for a photo, or when you SHOOT THE MOST AMAZING IMAGE AND THE SKATER DOESN T GET THE TRICK ) ALSO lND THAT ) CAN T shoot with just anyone, if I don’t feel hyped on their skating it’s very hard to get inspired while another photographer might feel different and get the best out of that homie. You lND THIS CHEMISTRY BETWEEN MANY SKATERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS What stokes you out the most about taking photos?

Getting paid! Haha, nah I’m not sure really‌ guess it’s the whole experience of exploring and creating, meeting rad people and doing new things every day. I can’t see myself getting stoked doing anything else.

@CONVERSE- CONS

WERNER LAMPRECHT

How did you get into skateboarding and then later into taking skate photos?

-Y DAD BOUGHT ME A lSHTAIL BOARD WHEN ) WAS YEARS OLD ) VE GOT FOOTAGE ON 6(3 where I’m standing on a board going downhill at age 4. That was my introduction to a skateboard, but my introduction to modern day skating came at age 12. Two of my close friends, Thys (LÜtter) and Eduard took their boards to prefects-camp at the end of 1999.

4HAT WAS WHERE ) POPPED MY lRST OLLIE AND THAT S WHERE MY LIFE CHANGED &UNNY ENOUGH

my dad was my introduction to photography as well. As I was growing up he shot videos AT WEDDINGS AND HE ALWAYS SHOT PHOTOS (E BOUGHT ME MY lRST @#LICKS SPECIAL WHEN ) WAS AROUND THE SAME TIME ) STARTED SKATING ) TOOK MY lRST SKATE PHOTO WITH THAT SAME camera. It was a photo (which I still have) of Nic Mavian doing a Fs Tail slide across the City Hall double set ledge in town. From that day onwards I knew that I wanted to carry on taking skate photos. Back then we had Blunt Magazine and that’s where I was introduced to the art of skate photography. The images I saw blew me away and all I wanted to do was to recreate them myself. :KDW ZDV \RXU žUVW FDPHUD DQG ZKDW FDPHUDV DQG HTXLSPHQW DUH \RX VKRRWLQJ with now?

-Y VERY lRST CAMERA WAS A 0ENTAX MM lLM CAM BOUGHT FOR BUCKS ) SHOT PHOTOS of all the dudes at The Ghetto (RIP) and one of the dudes I shot pics of back then was Deon Fourie. I was about 16 when I went to sleep over at his place and after his mom SAW SOME OF MY PICS OF HIM SHE GAVE ME MY lRST 3,2 CAMERA )T WAS A 0ENTAX + MM lLM CAM ) TAUGHT MYSELF PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THAT CAM ) SHOT lLM FOR ABOUT ANOTHER YEARS BEFORE ) HAD ENOUGH MONEY PUT AWAY TO GET MY #ANON D AND THAT S WHERE my digital photography started.

'R \RX UHPHPEHU WKH ĹľUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX HYHU KDG SXEOLVKHG" -Y lRST EVER SKATE PHOTO PUBLISHED WAS IN "LUNT )T WAS BASICALLY A THUMBNAIL SIZE PRINT OF a board slide down the reserve bank handrail performed by Musa. Nothing spectacular as it was for a competition where I won a New Earth complete setup. In terms of a proper PUBLISHED PIC MY lRST ONE WOULD BE A 4AIL DROP INTO A BANK *0 DID IN #ENTURION BACK IN 2008. :KDW SKRWRJUDSKHUV KDYH KHOSHG LQĹśXHQFH \RXU SKRWRJUDSK\ DQG ZKHUH HOVH GR you get your inspiration from?

I grew up with the photography of guys like Pablo Ponzone, Liam Lynch, Brett Thompsett, Barry Tuck, Ben Bergh and Miguel Howell. Their images made me realise what can be done to capture what we as skaters do. Internationally I’ve always looked at the likes of Atiba Jefferson, Grant Brittain, Mike Blabac, Ed Shigeo and Fred Mortagne. Each one of their photography styles helped me to where I am today. In terms of inspiration, I’d say that Ben Bergh is a bit of a cut above the rest at the moment.

What stokes you the most about taking photos?

The best feeling you get is when you click a photo and without even looking at the screen YOU KNOW YOU VE GOTTEN A PERFECT SHOT ) GOT THAT FEELING A LOT WHILE SHOOTING lLM AND IT carried over to digital. You get all the settings right, you get the focus ring in place, the skater rolls up and pops the trick, you get the shot and you know it’s another piece of art in the bag. That’s one of the best feelings. Also just being able to show the world the way you see things. It’s awesome when someone looks at one of your photos and they give it a “damn, that’s sick� referring to the photo as a whole and what the skater is doing. I’d say the thing that gets me the most hyped about photography is the fact that each one of us are all capturing memories of times and generations gone by. We’re not just taking photos but rather we’re telling stories.

) | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

RUDI JEGGLE How did you get into skateboarding and then later into taking skate photos?

I got into skateboaring in the late 1980s when I saw some other kids skating in Primary School. My parents got me one of those old 6ARImEX BOARDS THE ONES WITHOUT CONCAVE OR proper griptape. I think the grip was painted on or something. After that, I could just never leave it alone. Like most skaters, I always loved looking at the photos in the magazines, never really thinking about what went into them and how they get the light so good, etc. Photos were just photos and it was always more about the skating and not so much about the ACTUAL PHOTO ) THINK THE lRST TIME ) EVER REALLY looked at a skate photo and truly appreciated the artistic side of it was when I saw that old double page shot of Matt Hensley doing a frontside ollie on one of the bridges in San Diego, shot by Daniel Harold Sturt. Still one of my favourite skate photos to date. It was only

...we’re telling stories

many years later when I was living in Portland, Oregon that I decided I wanted to get a CAMERA ONE THAT COULD SHOOT hHIGH 3PEEDv SKATE PHOTOSĹ&#x; 4O BE HONEST THOUGH MY lRST passion in photography was taking photos of wildlife, there’s just a feeling you get from capturing the beauty of our natural heritage in a single shot. I can’t even explain that. :KDW ZDV \RXU ĹľUVW FDPHUD DQG ZKDW FDPHUDV DQG HTXLSPHQW DUH \RX VKRRWLQJ with now?

-Y lRST CAMERA WAS A &UJI 3 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT )T LOOKED LIKE A $3,2 BUT IT wasn’t. I eventually upgraded to the entry level Canon DSLR which is what I used during my photographic studies, etc. I used that and the basic entry level lens, nothing special.

As I got more and more into it, I upgraded and upgraded as the newer, faster cameras came onto the market. I currently shoot with the Canon 1D Mark IV and a wide range of LENSES &OR SKATE PHOTOS ) MAINLY SHOOT WITH THE #ANON MM #ANON MM lSHEYE LENS AND THE #ANON MM ZOOM LENS ) USE #ANON %8 3PEED LITES AND THE #ANON %8 SPEED LITE FOR LIGHTING MY SUBJECTS WHEN NEEDED :KR KDYH EHHQ VRPH RI \RXU LQŜXHQFHV LQ VNDWH SKRWRJUDSK\ ORFDOO\ DQG DEURDG" -Y NEPHEW -ARCUS -ASCHWITZ WAS THE lRST hPUBLISHEDv PHOTOGRAPHER ) EVER KNEW ) always loved his work. My friend Simon Weller who isn’t a skate photographer but his WORK DElNITELY MADE ME LOOK AT THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY ) D SAY PRETTY MUCH ALL THE international skate photographers such as Grant Brittain, Atiba Jefferson, etc. They’ve all INmUENCED ME IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER

You were asked to be the photographer for the Maloof Money Cup at last year’s KDC Cup, tell us about shooting skate contests and the differences from shooting regular/street images?

3HOOTING SKATE CONTESTS DElNITELY FEELS MORE LIKE WORK 9OU VE GOT TO BE FAST AND YOU VE got to be everywhere all the time, all day long. At the end of the day your hand hurts from holding your camera, you’re sun-burnt and don’t really want to think about shooting another photo. There’s nothing too exciting about shooting those contests, you’ve just got to capture the day as it unfolds and the tricks that go down. Shooting photos at the Maloof or the KDC is cool cause the pros land the tricks pretty much every go, you’ve just got to see through the madness and take note of who is doing what and make sure you get to your spot and capture that moment for the guys to showcase on the internet.

Obviously the guys want you to focus on the big names cause that’s what looks better on the site and gets more hits, etc. Shooting photos of street images is way more relaxed, you’ve got time to get your angle, set up lights and do your thing without having to dodge guys with go-pros on the ends of monopods and sticking their cameras in your face. I could kill those guys.

What would be some good advice for dudes starting out?

Never leave your gear in an un-attended vehicle, especially not at the Shell Ultra City outside of Middelburg. Bad things happen there.

ANDRE VISSER Well at the moment I’m attracted to a lot of European skate photography, stuff like GX1000 has up on Instagram. I’m trying to keep it more plain and simple with more of an emphasis on what is going on around the skateboarding. Whereas in earlier years I as more focused on the trick that was happening right here and showing as much of the skater and trick as I could, now it’s a bit more about the spot for me.

What advice would you give to people wanting to start shooting photos and skate photos?

How did you get into skate photography?

At the end of Matric I obviously had to go do something. I had an interest in photography before, picked up cameras here and there but hadn’t thought about it professionally. I was going to go study jewellery design but I realised I couldn’t do something like that.

Sitting at a desk 8 hours a day? Fuck no. So I went and did a 1 year course on a bit of everything: video production, graphic design, advertising and photography. And after that year I realised, well fuck, if I can shoot cool photos and keep shooting better photos then I could maybe get skate photos in magazines. I was amped to learn to do better photography. So after that I went and studied design and photography at Stellenbosch Academy, but I faded away from the design side. I just wanted to shoot photos. Then I WENT TO 3COTLAND FOR A WHILE ) SAW ) COULD BUY TRIGGERS ON E"AY AND MORE mASHES AND started experimenting more with skate photos. I had a digital setup before heading over there, but with adding on the extras for skate photography I kind of really started shooting skateboarding while staying there. I went on a lot of missions, just going out, playing with THE mASHES AND HAVING FUN Being a full time photographer how does shooting skateboarding differ from your other day-to-day shoots?

3KATEBOARDING IS DElNITELY DIFlCULT TO SHOOT MORE SO THAN A GUEST HOUSE WEDDING or corporate event. There are a lot more elements to factor in. The weather is always different, the light is changing and once you get the shot right then there is still the skater trying to land something gnarly, killing himself to get the trick. Sometimes it feels like a lot more pressure, but it’s about trying to get away from that - trying to keep it natural.

It’s also about being out there. I don’t even think about shooting anymore, I just try and GO OUT 9OU GOT TO BE OUT THERE TO lND NEW THINGS 4HESE DAYS WITH SKATEBOARDING ) CAN pick up the camera and set things up manually without worrying too much about exact settings. I know the aperture I need, I know what the light is doing, I can see what I want, all of which has only really come over time.

How has your style of photography changed over the years and what type of photos are you into taking now?

Don’t do it? Haha. Nah but skateboarding photography has almost taught me more about photography than anything else. I’d say, if you think you have a passion for it then pick UP ANY CAMERA YOU CAN lND n NOT A PHONE n AND GET STARTED )T TAKES TIME BUT IF YOU just play around with your camera you get to the point where you know the workings of the camera so well that you can focus on the composition and lighting more and get the result you see in your head. +RZ KDV VNDWHERDUGLQJ LQŜXHQFHG \RXU SKRWRJUDSK\" Well, skateboarding has allowed me to be out there. You don’t just shoot skating when you’re on missions. You go to a new town, get to a spot, see something interesting and you shoot it, particularly on road trips. If you see it, SHOOT it. Don’t wait. It’s not going to fucking be there tomorrow. If you’re driving and you see a shot, stop right there and then. Don’t think you can go back. Obviously, skating-wise we go back for things but for the other shit: don’t go back.

Tell us about working with skaters, the ups and the downs?

7ELL WE ARE KIND OF WEIRD CREATURES 7E DON T WANT TO BE CONlNED TO ONE PLACE WE WANT TO MOVE AROUND WANT TO BE OUTSIDE WE DO ALL THESE THINGS @AGAINST THE LAW AND all that crap. We all have a mutual thing though. You can get along with any skater whether it’s a kid or OG, that’s our bond. But working with skaters‌ Obviously it is fun and you build relationships with these people. Even if you don’t like the dude much, you still end up building a working relationship. They have a job, you have a job. There’s an understanding. There are some skaters I don’t shoot with, not because I don’t want to, BUT BECAUSE THEY MAYBE @CLICK BETTER WITH SOMEONE ELSE 3OMETIMES YOU CAN SEE IT Like Matt and I, we’ve shot some really good stuff together because it doesn’t take so much effort. He’ll want to try this or that and I’ll see a way to shoot it. It’s an easier and more fun process.

What stokes you out the most about taking photos?

-OST OF THE TIME IT S lNDING SOMETHING NEW 4HE BEST IS WHEN YOU lND SOMETHING NEW and there’s a skater who is amped for it. They want to get something right there and then and it comes together. I don’t really like planning too much. I’m over trying to take this skater to that spot to do that trick. I prefer when we just out there and you get to a spot AND SOMEONE S LIKE @) M GOING TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW !ND THEN THEY DO IT AND YOU SHOOT THE PHOTO AND YOU HAVE THE PHOTO RIGHT THERE !ND IF THAT S THE lRST SPOT OF THE DAY THE rest of the day is a bonus. That stokes me out the most.

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA | .

JANSEN VAN STADEN How did you get into skateboarding and then later into taking skate photos?

All the cool kids were doing it, and shit, I wanted to be cool. Out of that group I was the only one left after a while. My dad got me into photography, after that I just carried a camera around when we went skating. When I used to be addicted to watching skate VIDEOS AND WHEN THE DUDES SKATED AT NIGHT mASHES FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER WOULD GO off on the screen and the whole screen would be white for a second. I learned much of my timing from trying to pause that white screen on the computer.

'R \RX UHPHPEHU WKH ĹľUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX KDG SXEOLVKHG" We had a trip to Amsterdam and Barcelona in 2006, shot a bunch of photos, mainly lSHEYE AND GAVE IT TO "OD ON OUR RETURN (E MADE A COLLAGE TYPE ARTICLE ABOUT IT FOR Session. Thanks Bod.

:KR KDYH EHHQ VRPH RI \RXU LQĹśXHQFHV LQ VNDWH SKRWRJUDSK\ ORFDOO\ DQG abroad?

Sam Clark has his shit dialed. He’s very dedicated. He also has the patience and sense of humor to pull it off. He can’t skate much but he’s got the eye. Daniel Harold Sturt.

He’s a master. Lots of natural light, and his timing and composition are unparalleled in SKATE PHOTOGRAPHY 9OU CAN T lND MANY OF HIS PHOTOS ONLINE BUT WHEN ONE DOES APPEAR in a magazine, you know it’s him without even reading the caption. Fred Mortagne is brilliant. He’s a master. The European take on skate photos is inspiring. Magazines like Grey and Document come to mind. Flashes are brilliant, but to me, you can’t contend with some grain, the right time of day and a little luck on your side. Pinkhard knows WHAT ) M TALKING ABOUT (E S GOT HEART THE PHOTO mAMES ARE BURNING BEHIND HIS EYES 'HĹľQH \RXU VW\OH RI SKRWRJUDSK\" Lucky! Gary Player said, “The more you play, the luckier you get.â€? Nah, but I’d say documentary.

What advice would you give to people wanting to start shooting photos and skate photos?

Shoot as much as possible, and try to learn from each photo. Use the histogram!

Don’t delete on camera. Become comfortable with your gear, the whole process should become smooth after a while, as if second nature. You’ve got to at least know how to ROLL TO BOMB A HILL OR TO CARVE 4HE SKATE lRE HAS GOT TO BE BURNING INSIDE !LWAYS BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ALTERNATE ANGLES !ND REMEMBER YOUR lRST PHOTOS WILL BE CRAP +RZ KDV VNDWHERDUGLQJ LQŜXHQFHG \RXU SKRWRJUDSK\" Skateboarding has given me the opportunity to witness life on the streets. It allowed me to meet weirdos in strange corners. It introduced me to the world outside of my comfort zone.

Tell us about working with skaters, the ups and the downs?

4HE DOWNS n SKATING IS SKATING THE ACT OF GETTING ON YOUR BOARD AND SKATING NOTHING more and nothing less. Photography is photography, an act of choosing a moment to press a button whilst looking through a lens. The photo or footage is not skateboarding.

There might be some confusion these days. To go skateboarding just to see what I’m going to look like whilst skating or skating for some reward other than the reward of skating itself. The feeling of skating should come to reign again as the main motivator.

Maybe I’m just reaching with some idealistically charged ideas.

4HE UPS n ALL OF IT 4HE SUBTLE UNDERLYING CHILDISH ARROGANCE 4HE RELATEDNESS TO the streets, to see I’m not invisible inside my car. The humbling realisation when WITNESSING THE CLEAR CUT INCOME SITUATION GAP 4HE CLASHES WITH AUTHORITARIAN lGURES The surprisingly friendly security guard, or the old tannie chearing us on. The feeling of being part of one big skate family. Seeing someone get up from a bad slam, again and again, trying his heart out to land the trick. Even if it takes hours of struggling, a smile and sense of accomplishment is waiting in the end. And a photo or even footage is just an added bonus.

What are your photographic plans for the future?

Guess I’ll take some more photos. | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

SAM CLARK

How did you get into skateboarding and then later into taking skate photos?

I got into skateboarding pretty late compared to most people. I grew up on a farm where there were no tar roads so it was all mountain-biking till I was about 16 when I got my lRST BOARD )T S KIND OF BEEN WHEELS INSTEAD OF TWO EVER SINCEĹ&#x; "ACK THEN THOUGH ) HAD no idea I wanted to be a photographer, I was always running around with a little video camera making random clips with the homies. It was in 2007 after a gap year in the UK WHEN ) lRST GOT AN 3,2 CAMERA AND INSTANTLY REALISED THE SATISFACTION FROM THE SINGLE CLICK of a button was far more rewarding than capturing DV tape for hours on end. :KDW ZDV \RXU ĹľUVW FDPHUD DQG ZKDW FDPHUDV DQG HTXLSPHQW DUH \RX VKRRWLQJ ZLWK QRZ" Due to getting into photography so late, meant that I joined the digital age straight away and have never really shot too MUCH lLM -Y lRST CAMERA WAS A #ANON $ 4HESE DAYS I’m shooting with a Canon 5dmk2 for stills and a Canon 7D for sequences, lens wise I have a 70-200mm 2.8is, MM MM AND A MM lSHEYE AND SOME SUPER SKETCHY .IKON mASHES lRED WITH 0OCKET 7IZARDS AND HOPEFULLY A 1UANTUM 4 DR WITH 4URBO BATTERY BY THE TIME this interview comes out.

'R \RX UHPHPEHU WKH ĹľUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX HYHU KDG published?

Yeah it’s pretty embarrassing to look at it now but the old EDITOR OF "LUNT -AGAZINE #RAIG -CKUNE GOT THE PRINT lRE LIT when he published my photo. It was shot with a 10-20mm lens up close so my homies’ arms are all distorted and shit.

I like to think I have come a long way since then!

I think it’s in the last two years that my style has changed for a more artistic approach. ) LIKE TO THINK SO ANYWAY )T WAS DElNITELY THE MOVE TO %UROPE AND THE STYLE IN THE MAGS there that made me stand back with the long lens and try to incorporate more of the scene than just the trick.

What would be some good advice for dudes starting out, taking skate photos?

Don’t just spend loads of money getting the best gear from the get go and think you’re going to be able to pay it all back in no time. You got another thing coming!

I worked as a photojournalist for three years before I decided I want to travel and shoot skate photos full-time. In those three years the experience I got was priceless! Learning to use your camera in the craziest of situations and knowing you’re going to have an editor crap you out if you screwed the job up was something that really drove me. I also learnt so much from the business side of things when it comes to usage and rates, something skate companies like to take advantage of.

Also, don’t sell yourself short by giving photos to companies and magazines for “exposure�. It’s not going to pay for your beer and insurance at the end of the day! The bottom line is that if you are trying to make a living from it, then skate photography is a business, so think of it as one.

“ It’s not going

to pay for your beer and insurance at the end of the day!

“

:KR KDYH EHHQ VRPH RI \RXU LQĹśXHQFHV LQ VNDWH photography, locally and abroad?

Locally, I was always hyped on Ben Bergh and Miguel Howell’s stuff that was coming out in Session growing up. Overseas, there are just too many portfolios that I check out for inspiration. I must say however that Alex Irvine the ex-editor at Kingpin Magazine is someone I owe a lot of thanks to for running photos of MINE WHEN ) lRST MOVED TO %UROPE AND THEN HIRING ME TO SHOOT SOME EVENTS AND BUILD UP somewhat of a name for myself that side.

How has your style of photography changed over the years and what type of photos are you into now?

9ES A SHITLOADĹ&#x; !T lRST IT WAS ALL ABOUT GETTING THE ACTION ALL UP IN THERE WITH A lSHEYE BUT

What other skate mags have you had your work published in?

Transworld, Thrasher, Skateboard Mag, Kingpin, Monster Magazine (GER), Place Magazine (Ger), and Color Magazine (CAN) are some of the bigger ones but I have had stuff in quite a few other smaller local US and Euro mags too.

Tell us about working with skaters, the ups and the downs?

Every skater has something unique that makes them tick, some are overly motivated and think they have to get a trick every day and end up focusing their board and screaming like a little bitch when they don’t. These GUYS CAN DElNITELY BE A BIT OF A DOWNER TO WORK WITH AT TIMES BECAUSE SKATEBOARDING IS supposed to be fun and I would rather end the day with a smile on my face. That being said I know guys have seen me get just as bummed when I don’t get a photo, whether it’s due to gear malfunction, getting bust or me just not being on point that day.

The other side of the coin are the guys that party almost every night of the week and are unreliable when you make plans. These are also usually the dudes that bring the good vibes to the session so I don’t mind putting up with it.

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TIM MOOLMAN BMX rider Greg Illingworth showed me that spot in Soweto but to organise a shoot there wasn’t easy. We had to sweet talk management for several months and get everyone to sign indemnities, etc. The architect actually told us he’d designed the building that way TO BE SKATED 4HE RUN UP IS DIFlCULT AND ALTHOUGH WE HAD TOWED GUYS IN BEFORE EITHER BY "-8 OR 6ESPA %VAN LANDED THIS UNDER HIS OWN POWER (E SLAMMED THE lRST TIME WE TRIED it and got a concussion and the other rider we took out there let their ego get in the way and didn’t land anything. We went back two weeks later (at 5am to get the best possible light) and with encouragement from Lu Peixoto and the BMX riders Evan landed a few before riding away from this clean. It’s a spot that requires a blend of tranny and street skills and not many guys will be able to manage the balls out approach that Evan took.

How did you get into skateboarding and then later into taking skate photos?

In 1988 we moved from Cape Town to Bloemfontein and I started skateboarding BECAUSE IT WAS THE CLOSEST THING TO SURlNG ) WAS YEARS OLD AND AT THAT STAGE THE ONLY skateboarding photos I knew of were the few I saw in ZigZag. We saw Thrashin’ and found Thrasher mags at our CNA and that kicked it all off. I’m a self-taught photographer and got a break when I was living in the UK and ended up as a trainee photographer at an established company. There weren’t many skateboarders there so it wasn’t until I got back to South Africa that I really started shooting more skateboarding.

Being a full-time photographer, how does shooting skateboarding differ from your day-to-day shoots and the other photography you do?

I’m fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to shoot everything from the Isle of Man TT and Maloof Money Cup to weddings in the Kalahari and various celebrities. Skateboarding is not as high pressure as a wedding, press event or concert to shoot where you only have one chance to get it right but it has its own stresses and frustrations. Some riders embrace the camera and the shoot and bring their game while others are too INTIMIDATED BY THE PRESSURE TO LAND A TRICK ESPECIALLY IF IT S A SPOT THAT WAS DIFlCULT TO get into. Skateboarding for a photo shoot takes a certain level of professionalism for skateboarders. Of course, since they’re under all this pressure to land the trick you can’t afford to miss it when they do!

What advice would you give to people who want to start shooting skate photos and what entry level cameras they should be looking at?

For guys starting out the choice is simple, Canon or Nikon and the wide angle kit lens is good enough to get started with. Then you should get a cheap 50mm prime lens which ALLOWS YOU TO SHOOT PORTRAITS AND IN LOW LIGHT ! lSHEYE IS ALWAYS ESSENTIAL KIT FOR SKATE photography but for some of the best shots photographers use a telephoto lens.

You recently shot the cover for Issue 56 with Evan Binge. Tell us the story behind getting that cover photo?

TYRONE BRADLEY How did you get into skateboarding and then taking skate photos?

Cross pollination from the other side of the tracks, namely, BMX. I used to ride and do a lot of demos and shit with some of the guys and once I got into photography my involvement with skating and the friends stepped itself up a notch. BMX photography and skate photography are really similar in terms of timing and knowing spots, etc. So it was appealing from the start.

7DON DERXW \RXU HDUO\ GD\V WDNLQJ SKRWRV DQG WKH HTXLSPHQW \RX ZHUH XVLQJ WKHQ" I got into photography through a BMX magazine (Source) that a friend Jonathan Sherwood and I started. We didn’t have budget to pay guys as there was no industry to support it through ads and there were hardly any BMXers who shot photos so I had to SHOOT IT MYSELF ) STARTED OUT WITH A MM .IKON & 8 WITH A CHEAP LENS AND THEN GOT A CRAPPY lSHEYE LENS WHICH MADE ME GET SO AMPED ON SHOOTING )T WAS LIKE hHOLY SHIT NOW I can shoot like the guys overseas�. I ended up winning a BMX contest in the UK and won £1000 which I spent in less than 24 hours on a digital setup on eBay. That was a Nikon $ WITH AN MM AND A 3IGMA MM LENS BUT IT CAME WITH A 3" mASH WHICH YOU COULD lRE REMOTELY WHICH WAS EPIC )T WAS ONLY AFTER ACQUIRING 0OCKET 7IZARDS that the game changed for me. I really had no idea what I was doing. I was self training and just learning from mistakes. Thankfully people were patient with me and some of the photographers were always willing to impart their knowledge. I remember being in Dubai with Christi Wiehahn, Puddy Zwennis and Alan Marola plus some BMX guys and we were all messing around shooting photos. Those were good times.

7HOO XV WKH VWRU\ EHKLQG WKH ĹľUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX HYHU KDG SXEOLVKHG DQG ZKDW mag was it in? #RISIS THIS IS EMBARRASSING AS ) CAN T REALLY REMEMBER WHICH ONE WAS MY lRST ) THINK IT was the feature with Wandile back in early 2009 that was published right between these pages. I had so much fun putting that together. We shot a couple of times, mostly around Joburg CBD at spots he was sure no one had skated. We went to some sketchy parts WHERE ) DElNITELY WOULDN T HAVE FELT SAFE WITHOUT HIM 7E STILL TALK ABOUT IT WHENEVER WE see each other. :KDW RWKHU ORFDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO SKRWRJUDSKHUV KDYH LQĹśXHQFHG \RXU photography? !TIBA *EFFERSON WOULD BE THE lRST REAL INmUENCE BUT IT WAS 0ABLO 0ONZONE WHO lRST MADE ME PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS POSSIBLE WITH A CAMERA (E WAS MY lRST CALL WHEN ) WANTED to document something scary on my bike. Liam Lynch taught me the importance of a narrative and now I look more to the masters like Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Annie Liebovitz, etc. | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

What cameras and lenses do you shoot with currently and why? ) HAVE THREE DIGITAL CAMERAS .IKON $ $ $ 4HE $ IS MY MOST USED )T IS A full frame and is phenomenal in low light and focuses lightning fast. She’s my baby and ) WORRY ) ABUSE HER TOO MUCH 4HE $ IS MY lSHEYE CAMERA BASICALLY BEING A CROPPED DIGITAL SENSOR AND ALL ,ENS WISE ) HAVE A MM &ISHEYE FOR THE $ WHICH IS A staple for skateboarding. My main lenses are 24-70mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, 70-200mm f/2.8. All being pro glass so they’re tack sharp and fast. I’d ideally like more primes but that’ll come.

You have shot a lot of images for Session over the years, what are some of your favourite or most memorable images in the mag?

Dlamini on the symmetrical slide - the spot and the lighting just worked out the way I wanted. Yann with his broken board over his head - it just represented an attitude that had been lacking in my images up until then.

Dlamini on the dumpster, which took two hours to get. It was so dark in there and if Dlamini fell into it he would have been in a bad way but everything came together so well.

You are a full-time photographer, what other sports or agency photography do you shoot and how does it differ from taking skate photos?

I shoot mainly for Red Bull so I cover everything from dancing and music to culture documentation to Formula 1 cars. I also do stuff for Mr Price Home and some clothing labels which is my commercial work where I work with a team rather than solo. It’s very different to shooting skating. They’re worlds apart but the commercial stuff pays bills and skating and the action sports stuff is more passion based. It would be very hard TO MAKE A LIVING SPECIALISING IN THIS COUNTRY UNLESS IT S IN AN ADVERTISING lELD 3HOOTING skating has taught me how to time things and it’s something I’ve carried across into my commercial work.

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GAVIN SCOTT How did you get into skateboarding and then later into taking skate photos?

I got one of those PnP boards with the plastic wheels for Xmas. I somehow managed to push around the entire block on that thing on pretty rough tar and you know if you want to skate again after that experience, you’re hooked. The Germiston bowl had also just been built so that became my local. It was always really packed so I got exposed to a whole new world of skating there. I had always been interested in photography and had been SHOOTING ON A lLM @POINT AND SHOOT UNTIL ) DISCOVERED THIS OLD 2ICOH lLM CAMERA WITH A MM LENS THAT MY DAD HAD tucked away in a cupboard. It was at this point that I decided to try and shoot some skateboarding. From reading MAGAZINES AND HAVING A BEDROOM WALL COVERED WITH SKATE PICTURES ) HAD A GOOD IDEA OF THE RESULTS ) WAS AFTER and went about learning how to get them. Digital cameras had made their way onto the scene so when I started WORKING ) BOUGHT A VERY BASIC SETUP AND BUILT ONTO IT FROM THERE What stokes you out the most about taking skate photos? ) GET STOKED WHEN ) DELIVER A GOOD SKATE PHOTO %VERYONE WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT DElNITION OF WHAT THAT IS BUT WHEN I see an image that strikes something in me, inspires me, or just makes me stare for a while so I can appreciate WHAT IS GOING ON THAT S A GOOD IMAGE 4O BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT SKATEBOARDING THE WAY ) SEE IT AND HAVE PHOTOS published is really rewarding. There are a lot of elements that go into shooting a skate picture and some of them YOU CAN T CONTROL 4HE PROCESS CAN BE FRUSTRATING AND YOU OFTEN HAVE GO BACK A COUPLE TIMES GET KICKED OUT OF SPOTS DEAL WITH INJURIES BROKEN BOARDS BUT WHEN IT S DONE AND DUSTED AND YOU HAVE CAPTURED IT JUST THE WAY YOU WANTED IT S ALL WORTH IT ) ALSO LOVE DOCUMENTING THESE TIMES NOT JUST THE SKATING SIDE BUT ALL THE LIFESTYLE STUFF in-between, you can’t fake half the stuff that goes on. When I look back at old photos and it puts a smile on my face, that makes me stoked.

'R \RX UHPHPEHU WKH ĹľUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX HYHU KDG SXEOLVKHG" 'AVIN -ORGAN SWITCH HEEL OVER THE $URBAN BEACHFRONT GAPS THAT S STILL ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PHOTOS ) HAD JUST BOUGHT MY lRST CAMERA #ANON $ AND -ARCUS HAD LENT ME A VERY BASIC MM LENS AND WE WERE DOWN IN $URBAN ON A +&$ TOUR 'AV STARTED SKATING THE GAP AND ** WAS lLMING ) WAS JUST TAKING SOME SHOTS FOR FUN IN THE background but when I saw it on screen I knew I had captured something good. :KR KDYH EHHQ VRPH RI \RXU LQĹśXHQFHV LQ VNDWH SKRWRJUDSK\ ORFDOO\ DQG DEURDG" ) WOULD SAY "EN AND 0ABLO HELPED INmUENCED ME THE MOST ) WAS SHOOTING AND SKATING WITH THESE GUYS QUITE A LOT SO ) LEARNT AS MUCH AS ) COULD AND THEY HELPED POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ) REMEMBER "EN S SHOT OF #LINT 6AN DER 3CHYF DOING A B S NOSEBLUNT ACROSS A BOX ON TOP OF THE FUNBOX AT %AST 2AND -ALL WITH THE RAD SUNSET AND JUST THINKING HOLY SHIT THAT LOOKS AMAZING ) HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO SHOOT LIKE THAT 0ABLO ALSO CONSISTENTLY PRODUCED GOOD IMAGES WITH RAD LIGHTING SO ) TOOK A LOT OF ADVICE FROM HIM 4HE REST OF MY INSPIRATION CAME FROM MAGAZINES AND GUYS LIKE !TIBA "RITTAIN -ORFORD AND $ANIEL (AROLD 3TURT :KDW ZRXOG EH VRPH JRRG DGYLFH IRU GXGHV VWDUWLQJ RXW WDNLQJ VNDWH SKRWRV" 9OU DON T NEED THE BEST EQUIPMENT TO SHOOT GOOD PHOTOS ,EARN HOW TO USE A CAMERA IN MANUAL MODE AND UNDERSTAND HOW SHUTTER SPEED APERTURE )3/ AND LIGHTING WILL AFFECT YOUR SHOTS (AVING ALL THE GEAR AND NO IDEA will get you nowhere. Shoot as much as you can and learn where you are going wrong. For cameras I would STICK WITH #ANON OR .IKON AND YOU CAN BUILD YOUR COLLECTION SLOWLY 4WO LENSES TO HELP YOU GET STARTED ARE THE lSHEYE AND A TELEPHOTO MM LENS &LASHES WILL HELP FURTHER YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUT YOU can add them down the line. Without explaining each of the following HERE YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND HOW THE FOLLOWING WILL BENElT LIMIT YOU CAMERA FORMAT FULL FRAME VS CROP SENSOR #ONTINUOUS SHOOTING SPEED MEASURED IN FPS FRAMES PER SECOND ANYTHING BELOW FPS AND YOU WILL STRUGGLE TO CAPTURE mIP SEQUENCES AS YOU LL MISS SOME FRAMES &LASH 3YNC 6IDEO RECORDING ABILITY n )F YOU PLAN ON lLMING

a fold out screen helps and a lens with image stabilizer is necessary FOR HAND HELD lLMING )T S SO HARD TO SUGGEST ONE BUT FROM THE #ANON RANGE CHECK OUT THE #ANON $ OR $ BODY 3IGMA MM lSHEYE AND TELEPHOTO LENS UP TO ABOUT MM 'OOD LUCKĹ&#x;

PABLO PONZONE the mag came out. Then Miguel got the Hasselblad and killed it because you can’t beat SHOOTING WITH THE lSHEYE AND THAT CAMERA IT SYNCS AT TH OF A SEC SO THE SHOTS LOOK SICK WHEN YOU USE A mASH DURING THE DAY PLUS BEING A SQUARE FORMAT IT JUST LOOKS BETTER As for international photographers, Atiba would have to be the one that I always looked up to because as far as I know he was the one who started the whole medium format and shooting with Hasselblad. Also Seu Trinh, the cover of Rodney Mullen in the TWS was one of the best photos I’ve seen.

How has your style of photography changed over the years and what type of photos are you into taking now? ) DON T THINK IT HAS REALLY CHANGED MAYBE IT GOT RElNED THROUGH THE YEARS BY BETTER EQUIPMENT ) STILL LOVE A GOOD SKATE PHOTO SHOT WITH A mASH TO MAKE IT MORE DRAMATIC JUST LIKE WHEN ) STARTED ,ATELY ) VE BEEN FOCUSING MORE INTO lLMING AND EDITING BECAUSE IT S cool to learn something new, it’s like learning new tricks on your board.

What cameras and lenses do you shoot with currently and why?

I’ve still got a Canon 1D mark 2 and most of the time I use my 7D, they both sync at 250th of a sec. That is essential when shooting skate and you can shoot sequences at 8 frames per second. Then lenses, the standard 80-200 F2.8, I don’t think you can call YOURSELF A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER IF YOU DON T OWN ONE OF THESE 4OKINA lSHEYE IS OF the utmost importance for skate photography and 50mm f1.4 for portraits. Then I also OWN DIFFERENT mASHES FROM AN OLD .IKON 3" TO #ANON %8 AND ALSO 3UNPAKS )T S ESSENTIAL TO HAVE mASHES THAT YOU CAN MANUALLY CHANGE POWER SETTINGS &DPHUD HTXLSPHQW FDQ EHFRPH TXLWH SULFH\ KRZ RIWHQ GR \RX XSJUDGH \RXU FDPHUDV DQG HTXLSPHQW" A good camera will usually last for about 5 years and lenses if you buy the best ones and take care of them they will last you forever.

7HOO XV DERXW VKRRWLQJ RQ ĹľOP DQG WKH GLIIHUHQFH EHWZHHQ WKDW DQG WRGD\Ĺ‘V GLJLWDO cameras and processes?

How did you get into skateboarding and then taking skate photos?

I was introduced to skating in the late 80s by my brother Max. Back in Argentina he used to skate vert because the streets are so rough there and I used to go watch him skate.

A couple of years later we moved to SA, my brother bought a complete setup, he skated it a couple of times and then it just laid there collecting dust because we all started SURlNG 4HEN ONE DAY ) DECIDED TO START SKATING BY THE PARKING LOT ALONG THE BEACHFRONT

my brother showed me how to ollie and later met the only other skater in my high school, Shaun Cook. Shaun introduced me to super baggie pants, ever slicks, the Questionable Video and how to bunk school to go skate at the beach front. Back then we only had THOSE ROUGH BLOCKS TO SKATE ON THE PROMENADE AND THAT WAS WHEN ) SHOT MY lRST SKATE photo of Shaun doing a K-grind on one of them. Then later I introduced skating to a couple of other classmates and we started going on street missions and that was when I started to focus more on photography as well.

The main difference for me is that it was more fun back then, you went out and shot a couple of rolls and had to wait and see how things turned out, this also meant that you HAD TO BE REALLY ACCURATE WITH EVERYTHING FROM YOUR TIMING EXPOSURE AND mASH PLACEMENT Now it’s way too easy, the feedback is instant and there is a lot of people trying to do it whereas in the past there was only a handful of people that where shooting.

7DON DERXW \RXU HDUO\ GD\V WDNLQJ SKRWRV DQG WKH HTXLSPHQW \RX ZHUH XVLQJ WKHQ" During those early days things were tough because I didn’t have that much money to BUY BOARDS OR SHOES TO SKATE WITH NEVER MIND lLM TO SHOOT PHOTOS ) REMEMBER WALKING to school so I could save my bus money to buy second hand boards, but somehow in the long run I made it work. The camera I used was my dad’s Miranda. Everything was manual on it so you could operate it without any batteries because it was all mechanical.

It was a camera made in the late 70s with a 50 mm f2.8 lens. So we used to go out street skating and when someone was doing something decent I took out the camera and tried shooting a photo of it. There were a lot of unusable shots but every now and again I would GET SOMETHING REALLY COOL AND THAT MOTIVATED ME TO BUY MORE lLM AND CARRY ON SHOOTING 7HOO XV DERXW WKH ĹľUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX HYHU KDG SXEOLVKHG DQG ZKDW FDPHUD \RX were using at the time?

Because the skate scene was so small here in Durban, after a couple of years I ended up meeting Michael Sutcliffe and Andrew Morck, at the same time Andrew was starting to design skate shoes for Island Style and Blunt magazine was coming alive. Then one DAY WE WENT STREET SKATING AND ) SHOT A PHOTO OF -IKE DOING A mIP OFF A mAT BANK INTO THE road and later on they used it for the Island Style ad in Blunt. I was still using the Miranda and the 50 mm lens. :KDW RWKHU ORFDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO SKRWRJUDSKHUV KDYH LQĹśXHQFHG \RXU photography? ,OCALLY -IGUEL AND "EN ALWAYS HAD A HUGE INmUENCE ON MY PHOTOGRAPHY 7HEN THE lRST Session came out and I saw the cover it immediately pushed me to do better. From then on for me it was a competition to see who would shoot the best photos, but friendly competition and it was really cool because Ben was in JHB and Miguel in CT so for most of the time we would shoot our skaters and cities and then compare notes when

What would be some good advice to skaters who want to get into skate photography, and what would be a good entry level camera to get started with?

3TART SHOOTING YOUR FRIENDS DOING SIMPLE TRICKS lRST AND GET THE HANG OF IT THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS CALL SOMEONE UP AND MESS UP THEIR mIP DOWN A 2EAD PHOTOGRAPHY books and learn technique, this will help develop your own style of shooting, copying other people’s photos is a sure way of creating more of the same, remember photography is an art. Try paint a unique painting every time you go out and shoot. A good camera to shoot skateboarding needs to sync at 250th and shoot 8 fps at least to get enough frames in a sequence, I’m not sure about Nikon but the Canon 7D is still a good one to buy.

You have been shooting for Session since the beginning, what are some of your favourite and most memorable images you shot in the mag?

Any photo that I’ve shot with Brett Shaw, I haven’t shot with anyone that puts so much effort into shooting a photo and although he is close to his 40s he still puts more into it than anyone, whatever I suggest he does, from waking up at 5 in the morning to get the sunrise or driving a couple of hours to get to the spot. Then Loucas’ 48 hours because everything fell into place and the photos turned out great, it was also during that trip to JHB that I really got to meet and spend time with people like Bod, Clint and Gavin. Also shooting with JP Redpath, that kid was crazy. We’d go on missions by ourselves and he’d try the gnarliest of rails or stairs, I don’t think anyone has done anything on the Westville Library rail to this day and he skated it by himself. Then cruising around JHB with Wandile is the best, we always seem to get a really good shot.

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

MIGUEL HOWELL How did you get into skateboarding and then into taking skate photos?

Thrashin’ got me hooked and then I met Ryan Mervin Williams. A year and a bit later we ended up in the same class in Std 6. We pushed each other a lot, in reality he made me skate much better than I would have, I realised that only much, much later. Ryan passed on in 1999 and in him passing the local scene changed and I ended up in the UK, I lost that drive to be better at skateboarding but was stoked on learning photography. While in the UK my work allowed me to save a few quid and buy camera gear. Brendan Ryall worked at a photography shop and was part of the SA skate crew who we rolled with and he schooled me while I took pics when we went skateboarding.

7DON DERXW \RXU HDUO\ GD\V WDNLQJ SKRWRV DQG WKH HTXLSPHQW \RX ZHUH XVLQJ WKHQ" 7E lLMED IN THE S 3OME OLD MM CAMERA AND THEN STARTED TAKING @PROPER PHOTOS

) BORROWED AN /LYMPUS /- WITH NO CLUE OF WHAT ) WAS DOING 4HE PHOTOS REmECT 4HEN ) BOUGHT A .IKON FM AND A &ISH EYE STRAIGHT UP BOUGHT GOOD STUFF 2OPEY mASHES AND CABLES &ILM WAS NOT A DIFlCULT TO USE MEDIUM WITH A DECENT LIGHT METER ! MM MM &ISH BODY POLAR LIGHT METER 7ARREN AND mASHES THAT ) THINK AN I0HONE WOULD OUT perform.

7HOO XV DERXW WKH žUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX HYHU KDG SXEOLVKHG DQG ZKDW FDPHUD \RX were using at the time? .IKON & A TOTALLY AMAZING CAMERA )T WAS SEXY AS ALL HELL lRM FAST AND SO SOLID ) THINK it was the Christi f/s blunt slide at UCT (Jamie in the same image) while hoards crowded around to shoot the same trick. Contentious picture indeed, yeah if it was the 1st then it’s a banger for a 1st. Actually, I think Sandro Dias was an A4 in the same mag, less topical but sweet with Lions Head in the background. :KDW ORFDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO SKRWRJUDSKHUV KDYH LQŜXHQFHG \RXU SKRWRJUDSK\" Ollie, Brendan Ryall, Leo Sharp, Pablo, Ben, Jamie O and Sam. Never forgetting the Don. How has your style of photography changed over the years and what type of photos are you into taking now? ) THINK ) GOT WORSE 4HREE mASHES GELS AND MEDIUM FORMAT TO DIGITAL AND TWO SMALLER LIGHTS TH VS TH -AYBE THE AGE OF EASE OVERRULED QUALITY ) M DElNITELY LESS HUNGRY AND LESS IN THE MOOD TO MISSION ) STILL LIKE THE lSH EYE AND BIG RAILS THOUGH What would be some good advice for dudes who are starting to take skate photos?

Shoot with your homies who are amped to push. Your photography will improve as their level increases. I owe it all to Brendan, Glen, Alan and Christi!

What cameras and lenses do you shoot with currently and why?

Nikon and a Hasselblad for the special rare occasions. I have always liked Nikon, apparently they suck for those who use the left eye to shoot, it’s a feeling. Funny enough, when my wife and I met, we both used Nikon and now we have a mountain of different cameras, Lomos, Rollis, Voightlander and some other crazy things made before I was born. A Minolta light meter, my favourite tool.

You have been shooting for Session since the beginning, what are your favourite or most memorable images that you shot in the mag? +IRK NEARLY BREAKING HIS NECK AND WALKING AWAY FROM THAT DOGGY RAIL UP BY @THE STRAP ON towers in Cape Town and Christi’s lip slide, having to buy a camera to shoot that day. Tom #ROWE S AIRWALK IN THE MEANWHILE BOWLS ) SHOT WITH A (ASSELBLAD lSH EYE FOR THE ST TIME that day). There are too many, hooking up with Christi a week ago. All good times! The best part is packing up after being successful. &DPHUD HTXLSPHQW FDQ EHFRPH TXLWH SULFH\ KRZ RIWHQ GR \RX XSJUDGH \RXU FDPHUDV DQG HTXLSPHQW" Buy good shit and it will last! Don’t let skaters knock it over. That will get you out of pocket quickly. The UK and work set it all up for me. From then I just rolled them over time.

7HOO XV DERXW VKRRWLQJ RQ žOP DQG WKH GLIIHUHQFH EHWZHHQ WKDW DQG WRGD\őV GLJLWDO cameras and processes? &ILM WAS ABOUT ANTICIPATION @DID ) GET THE SHOT WASTING ROLL AFTER ROLL ETC !ND THEN YOU found a gem on the roll and the whole expedition became a triumph! Digital instant GRATIlCATION CAME ALONG ) STILL DON T ULTIMATELY LIKE DIGITAL )T HAS ITS PROS .OT HAVING TO DRIVE TO A LAB SEARCH FOR lLM ETC 9OU KNOW THERE AND THEN IF YOU TIMED IT &LASH sync is not right. Leo told me about the pocket wizard attachment, which can get one closer to the magical 500th. Until then digital still loses to me and in that breath I lost the stoke. If you have 15 000 pounds you can get a H2 or something, phase one digital back. Images need to be sharp and with sunlight I’m often disappointed. In the dark and low light it works well.

Favourite Session cover photo you shot?

Bubs, Kirk, Christi, Ryall‌did I get anymore? In that case Ryall. Kirk passed on and he was tough as nails. He won that cover hands down. RIP. +RZ KDV VNDWHERDUGLQJ LQŜXHQFHG \RXU SKRWRJUDSK\" I love skateboarding. It was an extension for me, being able to be with the best and to be part of the story. It’s the only real photography I enjoy funnily enough. The rest is ok but shooting a trick and getting it right is magical.

What stokes you out the most about taking photos?

7HEN WE BOTH CONlRM THAT WE ARE ON THE WAY !NTICIPATIONx IS IT GOING TO HAPPEN

" | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

BEN BERGH is edgy and brings the viewer closer to the action. I try to include the subject as a very bold element in the composition.

As a commercial photographer, my work has extended into genres such as advertising photography, portrait photography (which is a strong link to advertising photography), architectural photography and landscape photography which gets me out of the city and into the parts of the country I most like to spend my time in. Driving up into the remote areas and spending time there, that is something that’s good for the soul. The mad, rushed city life needs to be balanced by spending quality time in the many wild and uninhabited places of South Africa.

What would be some good advice for dudes starting out?

Don’t overspend on the best and most expensive camera body and overly fancy array of lenses. Start by sticking to the basics. Spend a fair amount on well-researched lighting kit and radio slaves. The photographer can’t always use available light to create a shot and needs to have the right kit that can create the right type of lighting in any situation. If it’s sunny you’ll need an action freeing solution that can overcome the issues that bright sun may create in action stopping exposure. In low light conditions you’ll need to have the kit that is pertinent to that kind of lighting challenge. Ensure you have the right kit for any lighting eventuality.

How did you get into skateboarding and then taking skate photos? ) STARTED RIDING IN 3OMERSET 7EST IN THE #APE ROUND ABOUT @ -AGS LIKE 4RANSWORLD Skateboarding, Thrasher and RAD magazine inspired me to go hit the curbs and launch ramps, but Thrasher in particular became my new bible. I had kind of always digged CAMERAS BUT ONLY STARTED SHOOTING SKATE STUFF IN WHEN ) COULD AFFORD MY lRST camera, an Olympus OM2 with motor drive and 28mm lens. I started experimenting with strobe techniques such as shooting on Bulb and strobing a sequence into a single frame.

Money was tight and even the most basic kit was inaccessible so a tight budget had to stretch far - especially keeping in mind costs related to developing and then scanning or printing. You can only do so much with limited kit though which meant the learning CURVE WAS SLOW AND IT TOOK YEARS TO LEARN SLIGHTLY MORE ADVANCED mASH AND RELATED ACTION techniques. Back then I started a small company called Fraud Skateboards and used to shape blank decks and even made a concrete mould which produced one laminated deck which was pretty cool, but it needed some adjustment in the rocker department.

If you are just starting off on skate photography the best way would be to buy some Speed lights for your camera as they are small and portable and use them with PocketWizard TT1 and TT5 radio slaves. These radio slaves enable Hypersync technology that means YOU CAN USE FASTER mASH SYNC SPEEDS SUCH AS TH SYNC AND UPWARDS DEPENDING ON THE CAMERA MAKE AND MODEL 4HESE SLAVES WILL ALSO ACT AS NORMAL TH SEC mASH SYNC units for standard studio work or other where high speed syncs are not required. If any of you need help you can contact me via my website - www.benberghphotography.co.za.

It’s painful spending money on kit that is not the most suitable for the task, so it helps to BUY RIGHT THE lRST TIME

7E BROUGHT OUT TWO ISSUES OF &RAUD @:INE 4HE lRST ISSUE HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH 3VEN Martin as well as an interview with the local bottle store owner who was interviewed on his comments relating to our attempts at making alterations to the tar banks in his parking lot by pouring a bakkie load of cement over part of the banks one evening, we wanted to make the banks more skateable.

Somerset West had a super cool scene back then with guys like Sven and Haldane Martin, John Hall, Dylan Kemlo, Quintin Buys, Roger Coyles and many others that are MOSTLY @LIFERS AND WILL ALWAYS STILL BE INVOLVED IN THE SCENE TO SOME DEGREE 7DON DERXW \RXU HDUO\ GD\V WDNLQJ SKRWRV DQG WKH HTXLSPHQW \RX ZHUH XVLQJ WKHQ" ) STARTED WITH THE /LYMPUS /- MM LENS AND ONE -ETZ HAMMERHEAD mASH 3OME YEARS LATER ) GRADUATED TO A .IKON & AND THEN A .IKON &- AND 3" mASH ) DIDN T HAVE A LIGHT METER SO mASH EXPOSURE WAS GUESSWORK MOST OF THE TIME RESULTING IN LOADS OF BADLY exposed shots. With the passion being so deep-rooted however we persevered and kept acquiring bits of kit as time passed.

7HOO XV WKH VWRU\ EHKLQG WKH žUVW VNDWH SKRWR \RX HYHU KDG SXEOLVKHG" ) SUPPOSE ONE COULDN T REALLY CLASSIFY A @ZINE AS PUBLISHING ESPECIALLY AS IT WAS PHOTO copied. If my memory serves me correctly, it was a shot of Adrian Day ollie’ing the hip of the funbox at the old Kyalami skate park, which sparked a load of shoots for Blunt magazine. Miles Masterson was the editor back then and he was a very cool guy to work with because he shared the same passion. :KDW RWKHU ORFDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO SKRWRJUDSKHUV KDYH LQŜXHQFHG \RXU photography?

MOFO and Grant Brittain were photographers who have been there from the early days and were out in the skate parks and streets doing incredible work long before the advent of the fancy kit we all use today. Along with others such as Craig Stecyk, these dudes spent years in the streets, at skate parks and backyard ramps, giving us our monthly doses of info on the skate scene.

How has your style of photography changed over the years and what type of photos are you into taking now?

One tries to analyze style, technique and composition and then grow these elements, but ) GUESS ) CAN BEST DESCRIBE MY ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE AS @IN YOUR FACE ACTION WORK THAT

What cameras and lenses do you shoot with currently and why?

I shoot with Nikon. Nikon has been my choice since I could afford to get what I wanted.

They build solid, reliable cameras and accessories. Whatever you do, ensure you buy into a versatile system. There are many old and newer camera brands around. Do your research and ensure you buy into a brand that has a good variety of lenses for whatever purpose you may envisage. Ensure that the camera works effectively with the right type of radio slave to achieve the action freezing results you are after. Whether you’re using mASH IN THE SUN OR IN LOW LIGHT 4HE BRAND SHOULD HAVE BACK UP AND SERVICE MAINTENANCE set-up that will sort you out, whether you live in a large centre or in a small town in the Karoo.

You have been shooting for Session since the beginning and you even shot the ĹľUVW FRYHU ZKDW DUH VRPH RI \RXU IDYRXULWH RU PRVW PHPRUDEOH LPDJHV LQ WKH mag?

Yeah I was privileged to have been around at that time-frame in the mag’s existence.

Those times have cemented friendships with many riders that will remain, even if we don’t see each other that often anymore. Those years in the streets have been some of the best of my life and have been instrumental in my growth in photography and I owe a lot to all involved for allowing me to be a part of that. There are way too many favourites to mention. Some of the standouts on a personal level are JP du Preez’s ollie/grab over THE 3KINNER 6OLCANO 3AM +HUMALO S SHOVE IT OVER THE THIRD mOOR GAP IN THE 3UNNINGHILL building, Adrian Day’s ollie over the railing in JHB city in his 48 hours, Clint’s street plant on the Nelson Mandela bridge and anything I ever shot with Kev Love, Rudy Kindler, Brett Shaw, Loucas Polydorou, Maanda, Yann and the dozens of other dudes who I had the honour of working with.

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA | (

Yann Horowitz -Backside Noseblunt - Sam Clark

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA | .

Shaun Burger - Wallie - Ben Bergh

| SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Dewald Bruwer - Pivot Fakie - Sam Clark

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

Adriaan Louw - Jansen van Staden

Khulu farted - Sam Clark

Kids outside Baseline - Jansen van Staden | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Brett Shaw - Frontside Smith - Pablo Ponzone SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

| SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Rayn Naidoo - Ollie - Grant Maclachlan Holga shots - Jansen van Staden

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

KHULU DLAMINI. WALLIE. PHOTO SAM CLARK

Sechaba - Switch Crooks - Jonathan Pinkhard

) | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

-OSES !DAMS 6ARIAL (EELmIP 4YRONE "RADLEY

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA | .

| SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Loucas Polydorou - 50-50 pop out - Sam Clark SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

Anthony de Mendonca - Pop Shuvit - Jonathan Pinkhard

Jansen Pushing - Werner Lamprecht

| SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

PINKHARD

Lwando Gwili - Crail Grab - Jonathan Pinkhard

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

Adrian Henderson - Pivot Fakie - Andre Visser

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

Mark Stoutjesdyk - Polejam - Sam Clark

" | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Handpoke Tattooing - Jansen van Staden

Coenraad Spaumer - Backside Nosegrind - Werner Lamprecht

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA | (

) | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Paul Ronchetti - Tweaked Backside Air - Rudi Jeggle

Anton Roux - 50-50 - Andre Visser

Taking aim - Jansen van Staden

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA | .

Gavin Scott - Wallride - Assisted by Justin Biddell

,U 0EIXOTO 3TALElSH 4IM -OOLMAN

| SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Figgy getting inked by Tyler Murphy - John Second

Josh Chisholm - Frontside Blunt transfer - Jansen van Staden SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

Brendan Dyamond - Polejam - Jonathan Pinkhard

| SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

VAN STADEN

Geoff Mouton - Jansen van Staden

Jimmy Wong as Peter Pan’s Shadow - John Second

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

Stuart Walker - Rock and Roll - Tyrone Bradley

Will Twala’s wedding day - Jansen van Staden

| SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Cruising - Werner Lamprecht

Ryan Naidoo - Crooked Grind - Grant Mclachlan SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA |

Alan Marola - Boardslide - Sam Clark

" | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Kanya Spani - R10 Frontside Bluntside Fakie - Sam Clark

SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA | (

Dlamini Dlamini - Frontkside Nosegrind - Jansen van Staden

Daniel Miltiadou - Wallie jam - Gavin Scott

) | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

Soweto - Jansen van Staden

The End SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA | .

CLOSET ENVY

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It’s got up to 1080p video mode and 16MP still image capturing so all the footage is HD. It has a built in GPS, Accelerometer and Altimeter sensors, and you can even link it with ANT+ enable accessories like Heart Rate, which is then incorporated into your video.

The Virb Elite is a great camera to get started WITH WHEN lLMING YOUR NEXT SKATE SESSION Visit www.garmin.co.za for more details.

Von Zipper Bookers

DC 5 Panel

Plan B

Element

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Vans Chukka Mids

Nixon

" | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

CONS CTAS Pro Skate

Vans Chukka Lows

Skullcandy

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Nike SB Lunar Gato

Nike SB Koston SE Fragment

RVCA

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WHEREVER YOU LIVE AND SKATE,

sessionmag.co.za is just a click away.

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Dylan Vaughan. Wallride. Ph. Visser

THE BIZNESS

Industry News and Skateboard Banter

Converse CONS is hyped to announce its new involvement within the local skate scene. CONS have brought Luke Jackson on board to guide their new South African skateboarding program. New CONS skate styles are dropping in select stores imminently such as Chocolate pro Kenny Anderson’s second signature model, the KAII and a reinforced version of the iconic Chuck Taylor, the CTAS Pro Skate, designed to handle the demands of modern skateboarding (see Closet Envy for images). Be on the lookout for team rider announcements, event details and more! Visit www.sessionmag.co.za to view Javier Mendizabal’s new CONS welcome edit called @4XABOLISM &OLLOW #/.3 ON INSTAGRAM CONVERSE? cons The DC Shoes REELedit 2014 contest submission deadline has just come and gone. The impressive judging panel is comprised of international DC team riders Hyjah Huston, Tommy Fynn and Felipe Gustavo. They are going TO DECIDE EXACTLY WHO WILL WIN THE 2 THAT $# HAVE put up for grabs. Check out www.dcshoes.co.za for details and be sure to vote for your favourite edit.

The Kimberley Diamond Cup is gearing up for another year of skate events, both in Kimberley and around SA WITH THEIR (OPE TOUR 4HE lRST EVENT COMING UP IS THE +$# Midway Mayhem planned for the beginning of March at the Kumba skate plaza in Kimberley. Stay tuned for more details.

The adidas Skateboarding crew lead by Pieter Retief are off on the latest of their regular skate tours around South Africa. We can’t say too much about where they are going and just who is in the van but keep up-to-date with www.sessionmag.co.za and the Session FB page for daily updates from the tour. You know their tour edit is going to be amazing, they always are.

" | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

The Dope x Plankie video is coming along nicely. The Plankie contingent and friends just did a tour up to PTA from CT over December and squeezed in a visit to the Eastern Cape on the way back. We all eagerly await the footage that this heavy squad is stacking. Dope x Plankie boards are now available in JHB, PTA and CT, get yours before they’re gone.

Indigo Skate Camp just added a vert ramp to their repertoire of ramps in the Valley of a thousand hills. The CAMP WILL PLAY HOST TO A "ALLIE 3KATE $AY ON -AY RD which aims to reunite a host of old school SA legends and skate enthusiasts. The winter skate camp is running FROM TO *ULY IT LL BE THE lRST WINTER SKATE CAMP AT Indigo since 2002 so get involved. Check out www. indigoskatecamp.co.za for details.

Element Skateboards welcome local shredders Khulu Dlamini and Khule Ngubane to their local team. The pair both made the move over from Plan B. DPD is proud to announce Mitchell Rice has been appointed Team Manager of the Technique team whilst Allan Adams has been putting it down for DPD’s team webisode, soon to be hosted by Africa Skate (Lookout for details at Technique Skateboards’ Facebook Page).

Technique Skateboards has just dropped their logo team boards ranging in some wider sizes from 8� all the way up to 8.75 for some of you old schoolers out there. The full Technique Wheel Co team has yet to be announced, we will keep you pondering until the next issue of Session. If YOU WANT TO SEND YOUR @3PONSOR ME VIDEOS KINDLY SEND to demo@diversitydist.com.

BLOX

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I AM

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Rookies on the rise

Trae

RICE

quickly to some demented dance music. Why you wonder? Who knows, but we are all glad it was just a phase. Trae seems to UNDERSTAND THE @EASY ON THE EYE AESTHETIC OF SKATEBOARDING WHERE you don’t have to do a bigger-spin out to try and make the trick look better. He has a good bag of tricks and he always skates fast! Trae is more than a gifted skateboarder and a misguided dancer. Spend a night or two with him and you’ll have plenty of tales to entertain THE HOMIES WITH FOR WEEKS %SPECIALLY IF YOU HIT THE DANCE mOOR

One of the things I love about skateboarding is the people you meet. Skateboarders generally are a distinctive bunch, a far cry from your average robbie. I’ve met some twisted and talented SKATEBOARDERS THROUGH THE YEARS MANY OF THEM lNE PEOPLE AND RIGHT UP THERE IS 4RAE @-ALIBU 2ICE Trae is the younger brother of well-known local skateboarder Mitchell Rice and has been skating for most of his life. This becomes self-evident when you see him step onto a board. He’s not afraid to explore new ground. A while ago Malibu took a year’s sabbatical from skateboarding and decided for some inexplicable reason to master the Jozi-2-Step which is a ridiculous dance craze, PECULIARLY LINKED TO *O BURG 3IMPLY PUT YOU SHUFmE YOUR FEET REALLY

I look forward to seeing what my boy Malibu has got lined up in the future.

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STICK TIPS The Element How To’s.

Ladies and gentlemen, after featuring numerous Element team riders doing a variety of tricks around South Africa in 58 Issues of Session -AG OVER THE YEARS WE GIVE YOU THE lNAL 3TICK 4IPS 'IOVANNI 6OTANO SHOWS YOU HOW TO HARDmIP AT THE +ING S "EACH SKATE PARK IN 0% 4HERE are a thousand trick tip videos online nowadays but the only true way to learn something on a skateboard is to get out there and try it yourself. Skateboarding is about physical trial and error, sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. Giovanni won this battle, now get off your ass and go win a few of your own.

THERON

A wise Asian man named Daewon once said, “Kids always come up TO ME AND ASK ME HOW ) DO KICKmIP NOSEBLUNTS ) TELL THEM THAT ) JUST kick the shit out of it and land.�

RAINY DAYS Luke Jackson

Just as video killed the proverbial radio star, So Instagram has killed the photographer...

Or has it?

A lot of photographers complain that everyone thinks they’re photographers now because they can shoot PICTURES AND ATTACH lLTERS ON THEIR MOBILE PHONES "UT ) M calling bullshit on their complaints because some of the best photographers also have some of the best Instagram feeds. They aren’t all involved in a boycott. A rad photo is a rad photo, pure and simple. Who cares what you used to take it with and what your job title is. The best stuff still shines through the muck, there is just more muck to wade through. Nothing beats a solid photo in a print mag but you can still get virtually stoked on all the good stuff out there that you can’t directly access in SA or on the weekend missions your mates across the country are involved in. At the end of the day skateboarding is more about personality than it is about technically correct photographs.

Skateboarding is 24/7 nowadays, you can follow Japan and Australia while you eat breakfast, see what’s going on in Europe during lunch and when you’re getting into bed !MERICA IS HITTING @SHARE )NSTAGRAM IS GIVING US A GREATER insight into different scenes, product launches, spot searches, tour antics and even trick spoiler alerts. Some

") | SESSIONMAG.CO.ZA

might argue that this is a bad thing and sure there are valid points but personally I like how it gives an individual more insight into what they choose to follow. Social media has given smaller niche scenes and independent videos a platform to build an international following, something that wouldn’t be possible in the big budget realm of traditional MEDIA )F YOU DON T LIKE SOMETHING THEN JUST @UN FOLLOW BUT if you love something, you get to live it vicariously through your phone.

3KATE lLMER 2YAN 'ARSHELL ALSO GOES BY THE NAME gx1000. He is constantly travelling on skate trips and producing the GX1000 edits for Thrasher, as well as contributing footage to brand videos. He has some amazing photos on his feed. ,EGENDARY 3WEDISH SKATEBOARDER ARTIST AND lLM MAKER Pontus Alv also goes by the name @polarskateco. He is A GREAT INNOVATOR AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT ) lND MYSELF getting more hyped off of his Insta-feed than I do off of most videos nowadays. His no-comply variations and video part remixes make him a favourite for sure.

We’re always a little behind the technological times in SA but recently a bunch of crews around the country have been getting their names out there and using hashtags on tours, this is something you’ll see a lot more of in the coming months.

4HE BATTLE FOR @LIKES IS RAGING OUT THERE HOW MANY followers have you got?

Follow us: @sessionskatemag and use #sessionskatemag to add your posts to the tab on our website.

blackboard

ponzone

Brett Shaw

Go out and get it If you look through any of the top skateboard photographer’s portfolios you’ll see that guys like Tobin Yelland, Brian Gaberman, Mike Blabac, Atiba and Mike O’Meally seem to gravitate towards certain skateboarders. The reason for this is really simple, it’s because they are friends. Over the years there is a weird relationship that develops between a skateboarder and a photographer and it’s a mixture of trust and respect that makes it work or fail. When you’ve been shooting with a photographer for over 10 years you both understand each other’s methods, superstitions and madness.

There’s a lot of unsaid thoughts and subtle body movement that go into the process. For me this sets skateboarding apart from any other physical activity because if you want to capture that perfect moment you both need to take a chance and put your body on the line regardless of the consequence.

I’ve been in hundreds of situations when someone almost landed their trick, so close, so far, but there’s a point where you have to walk away and let that trick haunt your dreams, until you can maybe go back.

Most times you never get to go back to recreate that moment which can be very irritating but I also think that sometimes the skateboarder has been beaten and they don’t want it anymore.

this is where you can make a name for yourself. Just remember that skate park tricks don’t count and just because your cousin’s dad’s friend took a cool photo of a gecko eating a camel doesn’t mean they can shoot skateboard photos.

I watched this documentary the other day called “Press Pause Play” and it’s basically about how with the World Wide Web and the amount of information that’s available now everybody thinks that they are a musician, artist, film maker or a photographer. So there’s a lot of mediocre music, film and photography out there but the really good stuff always somehow rises to the top. So look carefully at all the photos in this issue and think about how the spot had to be swept, cracks needed to be cemented, security guard factors, concerned citizens, wind, rain and bad light. The pool pumps that had to be rented, gas money, trips to the hospital, broken boards, dented egos and then the celebrations that went down after the tricks were landed.

But it all started with the skater finding the spot, the call to the photographer and then the timing to make it all happen.

...a cool photo of a gecko eating a camel doesn’t mean they can shoot skateboard photos

SESSION has definitely played a huge part in raising the standard of skateboard photography in this country because it created a platform for individuals to show what they are capable of, both behind and in front of the lens. We’ve come a long way from film to digital and even running video frame grab sequences in the first few issues. If you want to be sponsored or pro or perhaps you just want to be the baddest MoFo in your hood then

Skateboard magazines are special because they capture moments in time and for those of you who haven’t been in this magazine yet it should be your goal to be in here one day. And if you’re not good enough to be in the mag for skateboarding then maybe you want to have your photos published in the magazine. Both paths take hard work. If you have the skills, determination and drive, it will happen. Just pray to whatever god you do or don’t believe in that Bod doesn’t run the picture that you risked your life to get, post stamp size.

© CLARK

USTRIES KANYA WEARS THE “HAWAII” BUCKET HAT, POCKET TEE AND BOARD SHORTS. JIMMY WEARS THE “CAPTAIN” BUCKET HAT, BUTTON UP SHIRT AND BOXER SHORTS. SEE THE ENTIRE RANGE AT DOPEIND.COM

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