Shooting the Skate Park with style.

Here are some great tips if you are just starting out, or working towards shooting skating professionally.  Here's the first truth:  You don't have to shoot pros.  They are not willing to sign releases usually and are tougher to get a hold of.  The amateur guys are often just as good, and are far more fun to work with since they don't shoot all the time!  They are more excited about getting great images and often more willing to work with you.

So how did I find these athletes to shoot with?  It does help that I'm at the skate park quite a bit skating for fun....  However, often times I'm shooting people that just happen to be at the park and are good.  And no, shooting them from a distance and hoping to get a good shot is not the best approach.  Walk up to the athletes and ask them if they want to take a few shots.  They are usually very interested!  Also, get them to sign model releases if they are willing after the shoot.  This way you have them in case you sell the images for stock purposes.

With skateboarding photography you can't really be timid.  If your staying back too far you may not get the best shots.  A lot of published images are taken in close with wide angles lenses.  This is because it makes the trick look a little bigger and showcases how extreme the sport really is.

So here are my 2 favorite shots from an hour of shooting with Will, the descriptions contain my setups and why I set them up the way that I did.

Skate Denver Shoot

Sunny weather, smelly people(you know who you are...), sessioning features, and sun burns.  These are just some of the aspects that made up the great shoot that I had on Thursday for Cavan Images.


Read more and learn some of my methods to the madness.....................................