SKATE >:)
Skateboarding is something that has been prevalant in American pop culture since before my inception. To me Its the same vibe as a speak easy. It's not meant for everybody but if you find that door you're welcome in. My introduction to skating was my childhood best friend (although I wasn't his) Jesus (not the prophet). He had a black and red longboard. With a normal board could hit an ollie over a curb. To me that's still a big deal. I was always too scared to actually get an ollie myself but the "scene" in San Diego is something I always appreciated and love to indulge in. Alot of the people I met when I was younger in the skate scene also grew up. Arts and Rec, a skate shop SD, was founded and now there's a local shop instead of just a Zumiez or whatever.
As I started photography and documenting music, the Skate scene is always something that lived in a lane of its own. One could say its own highway. Everytime I came back to it - it grew. the principles, the vibe, the culture are still there. For my photography its a breath of fresh air. My "Fuck it. For the shot" approach is something I see the scene appreciates. Something I learned and nourished from shooting music. Skating in San Diego to me is like that cousin you see once or twice a year. Everytime you see each other you make the most of it and appreciate the time you have with each other. Then when you run out of things to talk about the partys already ending and you can do it again next year.
I would love to cover skate full time and join a team but I ABSOLUTLEY DESPISE the VHS + Fisheye combo. You cant get into a relationship with a girl that has no father and expect to have a long healthy relationship. You cant buy a car from 1997 with 200k miles and not require constant maintenance on it. You cannot shoot (record) skate consistently without running into that fast food Mcdonalds setup. Convenient and efficient while killing innovation from a local food business. If your reading this and you do that then grow up and get creative. Copy and paste ass work ethic