Ledge Loaf | Skateboarding Photography

Nikon Touch!

2010-02-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I haven't posted anything for a while. Here's a few links to a couple of things I've been up to lately:
My senior project group is working on redesigning KRCL 90.9fm's website. We are giving it a face lift and attempting to make things more user friendly. For those of you that may care, we are building the new site in WordPress so they can have a blog and use it as a CMS to update their site as they please. It's been a fun project so far.

current krcl site

Our new site in progress

I still enjoy animate GIFs and am learning about CSS 3 and HTML 5, PHP and Wordpress and lots about Photoshop. Tons of fun. I've been teaching a Photoshop class at UVU as an adjunct professor. I keep learning tons of tricks and wish I'd known some of the basics better when I started. (The same goes for learning photography and also web. All The Fundamentals ((ATF) - remember that skate company from the 90s?)

My website sandbox

So Nikon's new Nikon Touch bookmark is the raddest thing. You should check it out and then come back to my blog (or any blog you enjoy, or Flickr ect.) and use it to view photos! It's along the lines of Wii and Microsoft's Natal project and will basically blow your mind.

From the Archives: Skate Poetry

2010-01-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to get to this project for a long time - one of those things I've put off and put off. I want to digitize all my old skate photos and get them organized on a website or something. Anything better than in a box. When I pulled a box of my photos out of the closet my project turned out to be a bigger undertaking than I thought...so
I found some photos and other treasures. One of them was this poem I wrote when I was 8th grade!

I figured it would be best if I took it out of my stash and scanned it for your enjoyment.
One of my New Year's resolutions is to get all my old photos scanned.

Devin & the full pipe

2009-11-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

The thing about this photo is that Devin couldn't have got any higher in the pipe - he's crouched in the corner. Also he'd start at the other end of the pipe, run, throw down his board and snake carve it up. He told me he loves tranny.

Crail Life

2009-11-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of my friend Devin York. He displayed such nice form on his crail slide and it was Halloween so I had to give this photo a special Photoshop treatment. Maybe a little over done. Maybe. But I don't think it takes away from the rawness of Devin's slasher.

Spooky SKATE on Halloween

2009-11-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

SKATE on Halloween at the AF park - and in costume I might add. Many showed up Halloween morning for the festivities. Here's the results for the Spooky Game-O-SKATE:

1st - Trevor Mason. Costume: Indian boy.

2nd - Dustin Wayne Hill. Costume: Monk.

3rd - Justice Goble. Costume: Pirate.

And winner of "Matt's Huckfest" (best trick down the eight) . . . Chase Strikwerda. He destroyed it like a Velociraptor.
I still have no idea how Chase pulled off this front board. He couldn't see much of anything with that raptor mask on. Raw.

Some of the amazing Halloween costumes were Ernie from Sesame Street, Billy Mays, a pirate, a raptor, a nerd, a monk, an indian, a dinosaur and Link from The Legend of Zelda to name a few.
Trevor got 1st pumpkin.

Link the Tri Force is complete!

Dave had a boring costume, he was just a skater. Tre flip.

I had a blast. A nerdy one. Photo by Parker Cross aka Billy Mays.

Thanks to Milo and Siege Audio for the support.
More spooky shredding will be posted soon!

Spooky Game-O-SKATE

2009-10-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

We had to do it again this year since last year Frontside (RIP) did a Halloween contest and it was such a blast. Maybe it'll become an AF park tradition.
Scroll down to see photos from last year...

Halloween at AF park Last Year

2009-10-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Mad Scientist Boardslide | Warren

Pirate Backside Lipslide | Chase

Cowboy transfer | Matt

Scary Smithgrind | Brandon

The Full Wipeout

2009-10-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

More Ledgey Ledge Land

2009-10-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

This is definitely one of favorite spots of all time. It's been called the ball parks and Ledgey Ledge Land. I prefer the latter or Ledgey for short.
If you've ever been to this spot you know how tall and curved this ledge really is. Brodie did many backside tailslides and this one is my favorite.

Dustin can do curvy noseblunt slides. I saw him do a bigspin out of this one time.

Paul D. & Toby K.

2009-10-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Walking the dog

Stay Tuned

2009-10-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Will Paul catch the frisbee?

WY trip

2009-10-05T11:23:00.001-07:00

2009-10-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Full Pipe

2009-10-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

Fall

2009-09-28T22:01:00.001-07:00

If anyone wants to get some fall skate photos let me know. Wear a flannel or hoodie and bust a kickflip in some leaves and the crispy air - sounds nice to me.

Skateboarding HDR Tester

2009-09-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking of a way to shoot skateboarding in HDR. This is one way, but I needed a tripod. I learned about another way, but I need to see if my camera is capable of it. If it is there will definitely be more to come. For those not familiar with HDR photography check out this fine link.

More at OP

2009-09-24T06:45:00.001-07:00

This is only a test....

2009-09-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

Gnarly Wallride

2009-09-17T09:09:00.001-07:00

Shutter Study

2009-09-15T22:36:00.001-07:00

Fast Shutter Speed
The shutter speed for this photo was 1/4000th of a second. About 7 times faster than the one below.

Slow Shutter Speed
The shutter speed for this photo was 1/30th of a second. About 7 times slower than the one above. Photoshop didn't blur the action, the shutter speed did.

Both are fractions of a second, but one freezes the blue-flannel-ollie-action and one blurs it. Keller has nice ollies.

Trip to the Pacific from 2003

2009-09-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Took my parents van on a road trip to the coast with a few friends 6 and a half years ago... Zoob ollied into this steep rough and tuff bank thing at a look out point in Joshua Tree.

This is one of my favorite photos. Greg contemplates the vastness.

Destination Undefined Tour 2003 team photo. Left to right: Goin' to Mississippi Greg, Zackattack, Dark Farticus and Comfort King.

OP Gold Hour

2009-09-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

Went to OP before my night class and ran into Paul. He can ollie real high.

I like how this one turned out even though it's out of focus. We didn't realize the camera was on manual focus mode and I don't have that many photos of myself skating...

Paul's pyramid bouncer. Check the full circle lens flare.

Shooting into the sun is a challenge. Paul has a trick he's working on that I'll be stoked to shoot.

Walker Ryan Day

2009-08-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

I heard the Circa Team was supposed to be at the AF park this afternoon, so after a morning at the farmer's market in Provo eating good food and trying not to get sunburned, I decided to head to the AF park to continue trying not to get sunburned.

Weston, here's that photo you wanted for your mySpace profile.

I probably have a couple hundred photos of this rail so I found a different angle to shoot some rail chomping. If you've skated this rail you know these 2 tricks involve some solid commitment.

Walker Ryan showed up and played SKATE with some of the local yokels. Nollie inward heel flip.

AF Park After Rain

2009-08-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Swith feeble grind...in the puddle.

The concrete wave with drama.

The concrete wave without drama.

Anyone who's skated this quarter pipe knows how hard it is to get hang time like Taylor is sporting here. (Click for larger view)

Derby Cam

2009-08-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Pinewood Derby

2009-08-11T19:38:00.001-07:00

Remember the Pinewood Derby? I do. I remember making a car in my garage and being so exited to go race it. If you're not familiar check this kid out.

The other day my wife and I built this Pinewood Derby car for a race that was for grownups only. It was pretty fun. We got 4th place every time. There was one car that was powered by Co2 that schooled everyone. The Lakai car was so stylin' though.

Zero Demo at South Jordan Park

2009-08-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

If you weren't aware (like me) that Zero came through Utah recently, you'll be stoked that there are lots of good photos and a video clip of the shredding that happened on Zero's website.

The Chief's FS 180 NG 180 was my favorite trick.

Fun With Fireworks

2009-08-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about shooting skate photos with fireworks for sometime now.

I picked up a 'bargain bag' of fireworks after the 24th. Siouxzy and June helped my take some photos the other night. I hope they had as much fun as I did.

This one reminds me of old skate photos from the early 90s shot at night with 1 flash and a long exposure.

I hadn't skated in a while (or blogged) so my bag o tricks only consists of 180s and my trusty 1 footers. I think it would look better with a 360 flip or something...

Depth of Field | Hyperlink!

2009-05-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

I remember trying to figure out how only part of a picture could be in focus. I'd bring a skate photo to my friend and ask, "how did they do it?" He patiently taught me about depth of field.
Later I was so inspired by Brian Gaberman's photography with his 4x5 view cam that when you look through the lens the image is upside.... and backwards... and tilt-shift lens...and fill flash...shooting skateboarding! I need to find that issue of Skateboarder...

I like depth of field. I like how photos looks when not everything is in focus. The phrase depth of field sounds like poetry too.

These are a few photos with some dramatic focus or 'focus drama' I recently did. Sometimes the effect is overdone, sometimes it's just right. Other times it makes things look like miniatures. Sometimes done with a special tilt-shift lens, or in Photoshop. But hey?

Depth Of Field is also a great song by Snapcase.

More Wild in the Parks Footy

2009-05-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

The Ledge of Ledges

2009-05-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

A nice relaxing afternoon at one of my all time favorite spots, in the shade with a couple of good allies. Taylor was pushing bluntslides (and almost popping out - his shoes and socks were worn thru and bloody) and I was enjoying the pure joy of using 3 flashes with Weston. Wireless freedom indeed, Pocket Wizard!
I remember the first time we discovered this spot, probably 9 years ago, and it's still good. For a while there was a scare during some construction that it'd get bull dozed, but thankfully it's still around.

Taylor, when you get some new shoes that aren't canvas vans let me know.

Video! | Volcom Wild in the Parks

2009-05-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Video by Tom Kittell

The Results Are In...

2009-05-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

During the ProAm division, zone 1 - the 8 stair got sessioned quite heavily by many. Matt Fisher, Brodie Penrod, Oliver Buchanan, Cordale, Sam Hubble, Kevin Hutson were a few who pulled off some amazing tricks.

And the winners are....
1st Brodie Penrod. Kickflip crooks / kickflip backtail
2nd Oliver Buchanan. Frontside halfcab flip / Nollie flip backlip
3rd Kevin Hutson. back heel / back noseblunt
4th Sam Hubble. BS 360 / BS 180 nosegrind
5th Kevin Fedderson
I would've hated to be a judge...tough call on some wonderful skating!
(No worries, plenty of sequencial verification will follow.)

Shout Outs:
Volcom for loving the AF Park. Jeff, Jared, Josh and everyone else whose name starts with a J and the others who wondered around the park for 5 hours getting sunburned shooting photos and filming.
All the guys I don't get to see very often who I won't name cuz I'm shy, but you know who you are!
The judges.
Everyone who brought their camera and took photos. Keep shooting and send what you got if you want it posted...
Every kid who skated.
Every one who came to support a skater they know.

Wild in the Parks 2009 - Under 15

2009-05-11T10:37:00.001-07:00

So many tricks I saw just inspired me to be a better person. Especially those who got gnarly in the under 15 years old division.

Here are a couple tricks that were nothin' but bolts. Well done guys!

P.S. If anyone knows the names of any of these skaters please leave a comment!

Volcom | Wild in the Parks | AF Park

2009-05-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Fine Print: as always mouse over images to see skater and trick name. All images Blake Johnson copyright 2009....
Yesterday was fun. I was supposed to go camping, but didn't because I going to teach a photography class in Orem, but no one showed up... Weston called me back to say he was out of town and that I should go check out the Volcom contest happening at the AF park. "I had no idea that was today." I said. So I went to rubber neck at a house being burned down for fireman training near my house.

Then I applied large amounts of sunscreen to my head, grabbed my camera gear and some water and headed for AF park.

Last year (the first year Volcom put on this comp) I had a great time talking to people I hadn't seen forever and shooting photos. I even met some of the Volcom guys and got some photos on the Volcom website. Jeff and Jared (hope I got their names right) are among those who made the event rad.
So this year was no different (except I got way more photos and was happy to see way more people I don't get to see often and got way more sunburned) it was a great day at AF park. There were many notable tricks. I got stoked.
Check back later for more photos of some of the more memorable tricks from Wild in the Parks 2009!

Oh, and there was a Devin sighting. At least for me it was a sighting. I'll post sequencial verification later. And if you don't mind me saying, I think he looks like Dan Drehobl in this photo.
P.S. If you have any photos or video send em my way and I'll post them on Ledge Loaf and/or we can put a link to your website/twitter/blog/facebook/myspace...

Semester is Over!

2009-05-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Finally finished all my school projects! (That's why the blog was temporarily dead. Or you could say Temporarily Blind, which is a great song.) No more homework for a while....now I plan to focus on my own projects....here's one of them: Kinetic Medium. Tell me what you think. Tell everyone I'm looking for a job.
Also, check out the new links added over there to the right >>
This is were nice local stuff on the web goes. So if you have something to add or know of something that needs to be added let me know by leaving a comment or sending an email.
Summertime is coming...

BubbleTweet

2009-04-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Watch my new BubbleTweet video here!

Skateboarder Photography Project

2009-04-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Weston Colton's The Moral Minority

Opening tonight, April 10th, Weston is a part of a group BFA show from the BYU Dept. of Visual Arts.
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m. Location: the Gallery 303, in the Harris Fine Art bldg. on BYU campus.
Four of the images from his series The Moral Minority will be on display (along with works from numerous other artists, designers, and photographers.)
All are welcome to attend and there will be food!
Show will be up until April 24th, with the gallery hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Come out and support!

Twitterpated

2009-04-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

Follow Ledge Loaf on Twitter here! It's the new Facebook... or click the 'follow me' link on the right side of this page. >>

The Berrics - Bang Yo Self 2

2009-04-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

Check out local shredders Brodie Penrod and Matt Fisher in the Bang Yo Self 2 - Montage at the Berrics!

Crappy....

2009-04-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Since no one seemed to notice the fat baby in a cheese burger photo, I took it off...it was April Fool's Day....
It just keeps snowing even though the first day of spring was 2 weeks ago....

Raise The Ramp

2009-03-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

Checkout Raise the Ramp on Facebook -- the newest, dopest skate group!

Ledge Loaf - The PodCast

2009-03-27T06:52:00.001-07:00

Have been working on the podcast...and studying statistics...
The podcast will highlight Utah skateboarding and showcase skating, photo, video, design, music, skating and skateboarding talent from around these parts.
Thanks to all the kids at the Orem Park that helped out with the audio on Tuesday!
Expect to see the first few episodes in a few weeks on the website and in iTunes.
Here's a couple photos for being such a ledge loaf.
(hover your mouse over photos to see caption)

I shot a 2 photo sequence just messin' around and then landed it that try so I put them together.

It's weird that the weather was so nice a while ago.

The Challenge is Still Beckoning

2009-03-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

BLINDSIDE CHALLENGE #3 with Dustin Hill from dustin hill on Vimeo.

Stop Motion Grindage. Are you a grinder?

2009-03-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

A test run at stop motion project I've been thinking about. Jordan was willing to be the guinea pig. Thanks for posing neighbor!

Decline Game of SKATE

2009-03-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Decline Skateshop in AF put on a game of SKATE in their roomy parking lot. It was the first contest or skate event of the year for me.
And fittingly the weather was spring fresh. Brodie conquered again in a showdown of tre flip variations. And I think his name was Kyle, aka Kitten, won the short skater division. Well done.

Check out that trick!

view of an intense game in the distance.

Tre flips all over the place. The game ended with a missed switch pants tre flip.

First Things First

2009-03-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ideas for building a skateboarding website have been burning in my mind for months now...
While I'm working on that I decided to create a blog as an outlet and support for that website.
Today was good, it felt like the first day of spring. Today was the first time I'd:

skated in a long time.
used my new camera - the Nikon D300 - outside to shoot skate photos.
used my long lens to shoot a sequence. Stoked.
met 3 or 4 of the guys I skated with.
not worn a jacket at all in a long time.
blogged.

Check out more photos at ledgeloaf.com