This was so close.

[MitchStrp]

The boys wanted to go out and get a photo for an ad in the magazine LowCard skate magazine (obviously). Corbin called his dad and sent him a snap shot of this set of stairs and said if I pull something out of my A$$ will you use it for an ad? His dad was stoked, said go at it and get a good photo.

First attempt was brutal! Ive never seen anyone slam like that in person and then get up and go at it AGAIN and AGAIN.You may not be able to tell but this is a VERY narrow opening and the rail is so close to the wall that you have to gap out and then grind the end of the rail which makes this so much gnarlier.
Unfortunately we have yet to land this trick so no magazine ads yet but this is what I came out with. When he lands it, which he will, this will be an ad in LC magazine UNLESS I get a better one.

 

[The_Traveler]

Is there an English translation?
Using buzz words belonging to another sport in a photo forum is unhelpful unless you are really going for incomprehension.

 

[amolitor]

I wonder who owns those stairs, and how pleased they would be to learn that some bonehead is "grinding" the railing to bits. Remember, skateboarding is not a crime, but wrecking other people's **** is.

To be honest, this looks like a pretty bad composite. Is there some giant strobe camera right that's making all those nasty shadows? The sky suggest sun off camera right, but I admit is vague. Or is this in fact a composite? I'd try to get the shadows to open up a bit, and crop in quite a bit tighter -- at least get rid of that streetlight and whatnot off on the left.

 

[sm4him]

Is there an English translation?
Using buzz words belonging to another sport in a photo forum is unhelpful unless you are really going for incomprehension.

^Gotta +1 that comment. As I read this, I thought, "Huh. Those are all English words..."

Still, I think I get enough to get the idea. Your friend is a skateboarder. He's attempting some ridiculously hard skateboarding maneuver in this location, that--IMO--was really NEVER meant for things with wheels to figure out a way to go down them. :lmao: I mean, seriously, those are called HANDrails for a reason...

Anyway...so when your friend stops doing face plants and starts actually doing this difficult manuever, you're getting to get a photo of it and it's going to be in some well-known (or possibly completely obscure) Skateboarding magazine.

I hope your friend accomplishes this BEFORE his parents have to pay for a hospital visit. And I hope you get "totally rad" photos of it when he does.

 

[MitchStrp]

I wonder who owns those stairs, and how pleased they would be to learn that some bonehead is "grinding" the railing to bits. Remember, skateboarding is not a crime, but wrecking other people's **** is.

This is in an abandoned parking garage and actually condemned by the city we had 2 police officers standing behind me watching this unfold. The cops were very interested and loved the slams ha imagine that. How can I make this image better I know the composition suck there is NO ROOM to move at all I was up against the wall when I shot this. No room for a fisheye and the only real angle is straight on because the sides are obviously blocked by the barriers against the rail. There is one flash camera right and would have liked to set up another but my other flash took a hit and didn't feel like performing. So what could you do to make this better?

 

[MitchStrp]

Sorry about the vocabulary, I run around with skaters all day every day and forget that people do not know the "lingo" all over. Our area is very knowledgeable about skateboarding and usually know the jargon, So I usually do not have to explain but I understand how most people on the forums would be lost as you probably don't have hooligans running around on skateboards in tight pants jumping down things that were not supposed to be jumped down or on.

 

[amolitor]

You need to diffuse the strobe and/or turn the power down. Do you even need a flash? You're shooting outdoors!

Turn the camera sideways, this shot's dying for a portrait treatment -- all the elements are vertical, right? So give the vertical lines room to breathe, and get rid of all that crap on the sides of the frame.

This might be a good shot for a rear-curtain sync effect, as well, if you can manage it. You probably don't want to be mucking around with camera tricks while he's trying to land a skateboard trick. He might hit it when you missed, and then he's beat you to death with his skateboard

Glad to hear nobody's property's getting wrecked. I got no problem with responsible skaters.

 

[MitchStrp]

If you dont use flashes in this enviroment then the skater will actually blend in to the background and not POP like he is now and maybe I will try the vertical portrait treatment as you suggested!

 

[jwbryson1]

I hope you get "totally rad" photos of it when he does.

:mrgreen: You are golden, Sharon.

 

[PhotoTish]

^Gotta +1 that comment. As I read this, I thought, "Huh. Those are all English words..."

sm4Him - I liked your comment because I understood the opening post and I am from the UK so, spot on


"... You may not be able to tell but this is a VERY narrow opening and the rail is so close to the wall that you have to gap out and then grind the end of the rail which makes this so much gnarlier."

Hi Mitchstrp. You have highlighted an important point yourself. If the viewer cannot see these details then the impact is lost. I wonder whether you should have tried to take the photo in portrait - perhaps getting in closer so the sides of the stairs frame the photo, showing the rail and skater closer up which might have given a clearer impression of the limited space the skater had to play with. I might be wrong of course but it is worth a try.

Hope you get that photo and your friend stays in one piece :thumbup:

Ah! I see portrait has already been suggested

 

[gregtallica]

Go back closer to night when the background is darker? Sunset, perhaps?


Hope your friend nails it. Good luck shredding the gnar

 

[Derrel]

A little less shown on the left hand side would tighten this up. Your exposure does look good, both on the skateboarder, and on the sky and building. Even the fluorescent overhead light inside the parking garage driveway area looks like it's rendered perfectly. I really think this would look a lot better if the board itself were brighter--the all-black board kind of blends in with that dark rail. I hope you get the desired shot someday.

 

[Brycycle53]

i didnt read all the comments, i understand the lingo mitch haha

go back and shoot a portrait orientation, im personally a fan of compositions that include a larger area and the subject is just a smaller part of it, but in this photo you dont really need tat there isnt much of anything interesting on either side of him to look at.. try placing the main light to the other side to avoid that nasty shadow, maybe place a second flash in the same place as in this photo for fill.
if you know the skater will blend in have him wear pants that arent black, and probably not a white shirt they are super easy to blow out.
always shoot different angles too, maybe try a fish eye shot looking down? stand on the wall behind him maybe.

 

[ktan7]

Great shot! Great way of retaining the exposure in the sky! No detail was lost.

 

[runnah]

Bunch of old farts in here!

Andy and Lew must be shaking their brooms at the neighborhood kids.