PhilBlairPhoto.Blogspot

This Blog Has MOVED! Please check out http://Blog.PhilBlairPhoto.com

2011-03-22T05:42:00.001-05:00

I am moving on from this blog, so please redirect your bookmarks and subscriptions to it's new address at http://blog.philblairphoto.com. Thanks so much!

http://blog.philblairphoto.com

Aaron "AJax" Johnson, Front Blunt

2011-03-08T01:10:00.000-06:00

It's always cool to meet someone for the first time and then to find out they know a bunch of people you know. One degree of separation becomes none. That was the case when I met AJax last week through my roommate Donny, and it turned out he knows all my buddies from the éS Game of SKATE. This past year AJax won the local Game here in California and then went on place 2nd in the international finals in Texas.
Here, Ajax puts to rest the generalization that kids who win Games of SKATE can only skate flatground.

Good Morning

2011-02-25T07:00:00.004-06:00

Time to wake up!

More Tearsheets: Editorial Work for Newport Beach and Laguna Beach Magazines

2011-02-24T02:26:00.004-06:00

I promise there are some skateboard photos coming here soon, but in the meantime here are a few tearsheets of my work featured in the most recent issues of Newport Beach Magazine and Laguna Beach Magazine.

These images, along with more that I shot, can be seen in the January-February 2011 issues of Newport Beach Magazine and Laguna Beach Magazine, which are on Southern California newsstands now, or online at http://www.OCInSite.com

Emerica Ad, a Quick Tearsheet

2011-02-23T02:03:00.001-06:00

Things have been pretty quiet over here on the blog, but rather than go into a lengthy run-down of what I've been up to the past 3 months I will keep it brief. I've been shooting a ton, both skating and product in the studio. I just wrapped shooting for Sole Technology's Holiday 2011 catalog a few weeks ago. Since that catalog isn't out yet, I can't show most of the work I have done, but I did get asked to shoot an ad for Emerica that is on newsstands now, so that is something I can show you.

This ad can be seen as a two-page spread in Issue 85 (April 2011) of The Skateboard Mag.

Los Angeles with Steven Farmer

2010-11-23T17:33:00.001-06:00

Like myself, Steven Farmer is a recent transplant to sunny Southern California, but it was in his hometown of Portland, Oregon where I first met Steven this summer while I was on tour with Hometown Heroes. So when I heard that he had also moved to the LA-area I hit him up, and on a particularly hazy day we met up in LA to go skate.

Steven Farmer warms up with a Front Board.

We shot another trick on this rail, but I am going to hold on to that photo for now...

After a fairly polite kick-out from that rail we made our way across UCLA's campus to another spot, this brick out-ledge, and with the last rays of golden sunlight Steven quickly landed about 4 tricks, including this Back Blunt and Crooked Grind.

I'm sure you'll be seeing much more of this dude.

Tutorial: DIY Sandbags

2010-11-15T18:56:00.000-06:00

This post is a break from the normal kind of content I post here, but one that I thought might be helpful to fellow photographers and filmmakers who have a bit of DIY spirit in them.
I now live in California but I grew up in Chicago, and while most true Chicagoans know that our Windy City moniker had more to do with our politicians than our weather, it does in fact get pretty windy in our Midwestern city. Inclement weather has never done much to keep Chicago skateboarders indoors or off our boards, and on an especially windy day last spring I was reminded why I had been meaning to make some sandbags when a gust toppled one of lightstands, along with the flash that was atop it.
Sandbags (like these) are a staple on photo and video production sets to keep things from toppling over, and protect both the expensive gear and the people beneath it. It makes sense to me that when setting up 8 foot tall lightstands around fast-moving skateboards one should do something to ensure those stands stay upright. The store-bought sandbags are great, but I couldn't bring myself to pay $30 a piece for a zippered sack, so I set out to make some of my own, and thought I would share my process with whoever reads this blog.

Calling these "DIY" might conjure images of two rocks with a string between them, but my goal was to make some sandbags as close to the store-bought quality as possible. That said, I am by no means a skilled seamster, so this project is nothing you can't do with your mom's sewing machine and a 5-minute introduction on how to use it.

1. For the size I determined would be best for my stands and purposes you will start with two 11"x17" rectangles of Cordura, or a similar fabric. I got mine on eBay for about $5 per yard, and one yard is way more than enough to make a few sandbags.

Put right-sides (the the side of the fabric you want to face out) together and pin them. Sew along one long edge about 1/2" form the edge. (If you know what basting is, do that here, if not, normal sewing is fine.)

2. Remove the pins and open the fabric so it lays flat. Pin that 1/2" of fabric on the edge down flat.

3. Lay your zipper right-side facing down along your seam. Pin it down.

4. With your machine's zipper foot sew along both edges of the zipper, then across the bottom of it, removing pins as you go. (If you've had any trouble up to this point just google "How to sew a zipper" and you'll find lots of tutorials that probably describe it better than me.)

5. Fold the fabric back in half, right-sides together and pin it together.

6. Make it a pouch by sewing along the 3 non-zipper edges 1/2" from the edge.

7. Open the zipper, and it will still be sewn shut behind that. Using a seam-ripper take out the stitching behind the zipper so the pouch is open. With that side open, you can remove the pins and flip the pouch right-side out. If you have done everything right up to this point you will now have a functional zipper-pouch with no holes.

8. Now we'll separate the pouch into two separate areas for sand with a crease down the middle for hanging. To do this, fold the pouch in half (perpendicular to the zipper) and crease it so you can see where the middle is. Sew along that crease, stopping just shy of zipper.

9. Now you have two compartments for sand, and all that's left is to attach a strap for carrying or hanging. Take a 20" length of nylon webbing in your color of choice and sew either end to the under-side of the bag right along that middle seam you just sewed. When carrying the bag this strap will be holding the weight of the bag so make sure you sew it on securely.

(Pictured here is the finished product. The two on the left are the size I describe here. The one on the right is bigger and turned out to be way too big to be practical, so I'd stick to the size I describe or smaller.)

That's it! Open the zipper, put a zip-lock bag full of sand in each side and close it up. You'll feel a lot better putting your $400+ flash at the bottom of a stair set with a couple sandbags helping keep it upright, and having made them yourself you'll be stoked to have an extra $90 in your pocket over the guy who buys a few sandbags.

For any any questions or clarifications feel free to comment.

2 More from SF, Pat Binkley and Mike Davis

2010-10-07T22:27:00.001-05:00

Pat Binkley slides a long Noseblunt while two lovers walk back from their tryst in view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Mike Davis Ollies the big gap at the San Francisco Library.

Skateboarder's Sunset Rampage

2010-10-02T16:38:00.000-05:00

Back in Illinois I had a mini-ramp in my folks' backyard that was host to some pretty epicly good times. Something about mini-ramps just brings out all kinds; street skaters, tranny skaters, lurkers; all just there for a mellow good time. So when Skateboarder Magazine decided to put a mini-ramp on a Hollywood hotel's pool deck it's no surprise that the event was such a success. Everyone from Louie Lopez to Andrew Reynolds to Lance Mountain was there, and my friends at Skateboarder had me out to man the party-cam for the evening. Check out the recap with photos from Jaime Owens, Jonathan Mehring, and myself online here, and next month's Mag.

Pat Binkley in Frisco

2010-09-26T02:13:00.002-05:00

Slowly but surely I am going through all my street photos from tour this summer. Here is one more for you from early June. Patrick Binkley reps his Couch-Tour-VIP-orange while blasting a big ollie on a little hip in San Francisco, CA.

Summer Recap

2010-09-18T17:57:00.002-05:00

Peter over at rEvolution waded through gigs and gigs of Adam and G's footage from this summer and condensed it into this clip. Check it out

Starting in on the Summer's Photos - Mike Davis, Drop In

2010-08-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

This ditch spot in California was the first real street skating we did this summer on the Hometown Heroes tour, and while most people wouldn't see a nearly vertical wall with a drainage hole in it as a spot, Mike Davis from Portland had no trouble dropping in on it. In fact he had so little trouble that he didn't mind doing it multiple times so the filmer and I could both get multiple angles. I could pick which one I like better, but it's the internet, so why not put up both.

So, everyone waiting to see their photos from this summer, you can see I am working on them and I promise they are coming. This is the first of 3-months' worth of rad skating. Lots more to come...

Two Street Photos from CA

2010-08-19T14:24:00.000-05:00

Before I get around to working on all the photos I shot this summer I wanted to catch up on some older stuff gathering some metaphorical dust on my harddrive. Here are two photos from my trip out to California last January

Skating around downtown LA this brick volcano spot is a pretty safe bet for a good time. Tucker boosted a little ollie before Paul road a Segway.

I have known Tylor for a pretty long time, so he is used to waiting for photos from me. Between my last post and this, he should be pretty stoked. He didn't come with Tucker, Paul and me on our trip out, but Tylor happened to be southern California at the same time, so we did some skateboarding and he got a Front Blunt across this Huntington Beach ledge.

Tylor O's Ramp Destruction Party

2010-08-19T02:38:00.000-05:00

After the Hometown Heroes finals at the X-Games in LA and shooting photos at Maloof in Orange County another summer on the road has come to an end. I have a few free weeks before my big trip West so I'm doing my best to catch up on editing some photos, and some of those should make it here to the blog. Here's the first of those

Back in April I got a message from Tylor O'Connor that he was moving out of his apartment and the affectionately titled Slum Dog Mini-ramp needed to get torn down. Tylor's not one to do anything quietly (ask his neighbors), so he threw a little Sunday night party to let everyone get their last tricks in on the mini-mini-ramp. The session ended with Tylor getting a Blunt-Fakie on a TV, and then smashing it.

Sorry for the wait for the photos, Tylor! Keep your eyes here for more catch-up photos coming soon...

Summer on the Road

2010-07-09T04:45:00.002-05:00

Between graduating from college in Chicago, moving out of my apartment there, and a day later hitting the road on a tour that has me in a new city nearly every day, this blog has had a bit of a dry spell. That said, my photos and I have been anything but absent from the internet.

If we are friends on Facebook then I am sure you have seen my Mobile Uploads blowing up the past few months, but if we're not then you can still keep up with all the day to day goings-ons of Hometown on its Twitter, which I am pretty much the only one to post to and is the destination for all my phone-photos seconds after I snap them. Follow @hhskate. If you're not into the Twitter thing you can see these same photos dished off to http://philsphone.tumblr.com

For the updates from Hometown Heroes contests check out http://hhskate.com/photos/. I shoot every contest that Hometown puts on and the photos are usually up within a couple of days.

In addition to Hometown I was also brought on as the photographer for the Zumiez Best Foot Forward Am Contests Series and the Zumiez Couch Tour. The Couch Tour consisted of 12 stops across the US where Zumiez would construct a small festival in a mall parking lot, have bands play, and put up a skate course for the BFF contest, as well as a pro demo. As crazy and hectic as those days were, (not to mention the sleepless nights of photo-editing that usually followed) I met a lot of cool folks and had a fun time being part of the tour.
All of my photos from Couch Tour are online now at http://couchtour.zumiez.com, just click any of the dates at the top, then click Photos, or for better quality check them out on flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/zumiez/ where any of the 2010 Couch Tour or Best Foot Forward photos were shot by me.
All of the BFF photos are on its separate site at http://www.zumiezbestfootforward.com/photos

Aside from all the contests and events, Hometown is really about skateboarding, and I have been doing a ton of it, as well as shooting a ton of it. I have been lucky to meet, skate with, and share a smelly van with some really sick people this summer, and once I have time to actually go through them all, I have a ton of skate photos from across the country that I am hyped to share.
I am super psyched that Shak and everyone brought me on this trip, and it's not over yet, so be sure to keep up at the Hometown site and especially the Twitter @hhskate

2-for-1 at Ashland and Addison

2010-04-25T18:44:00.000-05:00

Blue ledge, blue bank, ollie up to bank, Ashland bank to ledge...whatever you call this spot, it is blocks from my apartment. But as convenient as it would be for me to skate and shoot photos here regularly, I totally understand why it's not the most popular spot in the city. The sidewalk is littered with everything from gravel to broken glass, then you ollie up onto the chunky, slanted, narrow blue ledge, and then try to get your trick within the few feet that are actually waxed.
That said, there have been some pretty cool tricks done on it, and some people find it fun. So here are a couple photos of suburbanites Mike Kadar and Jim Farrell getting down on a back tail and back 5-0, respectively.

Dalba, BS Feeble

2010-04-17T10:43:00.000-05:00

If you check my flickr with any regularity you might remember my post last fall that featured Dalba taking a bite out of Chicago Avenue. Here he is again with a land. Dalba has a unique bag of tricks that is always entertaining and unexpected. This bank-to-ledge in Chicago isn't the biggest spot ever, but a perfectly balanced back feeble with some warm sun backlight makes for a pretty solid photo opportunity.

Finishing College and Summer Plans

2010-04-15T15:19:00.002-05:00

Today is April 15th, which for most people means it's Tax Day, but for me it means that I have exactly one month until I graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from Columbia College Chicago. I am realizing that the last semester of college is the antithesis to the last semester of high school. At this point of high school you've been accepted to college, finished the bulk of your coursework, and are just looking forward to a leisurely summer before going off to college, but where I am in school now is just about the most stressful time of college. I am putting everything I have learned and experienced over the past 4 years into the materials and projects I need to get started in the photography world, from a new website, print portfolio, personal projects, and everything else. So I have a lot to do in 30 days. But once the semester and my college career are over I am fortunate to have some big opportunities coming my way.

Beginning May 17th, just two days after graduation, I am hitting the road to shoot photos for another skateboard tour, Hometown Heroes. You can check that link out for more about the tour, but essentially I will be doing the same thing as last summer, traveling in a van with a bunch of skateboarders, shooting photos of local skate contests all over the country, and doing a lot of street skating. I am really thankful to Shak, Brian, and Molly, and everyone at Birdsong 3/Revolution for choosing me for this tour, as it will give me a chance to spend the summer doing what I love, as well as make my future plans of moving to California possible.

Here is the list of everywhere I will be this summer:

May 8th Chicago, IL
May 9th Indianapolis, IN
May 17th Madison, WI
May 18th Milwaukee, WI
May 20th Indianapolis, IN
May 22nd Tulsa, OK
May 24th Phoenix, AZ
May 25th Las Vegas, NV
May 28th Seattle, WA
May 29th Seattle, WA
May 30th Portland, OR
May 31st Portland, OR
June 5th San Francisco, CA
June 6th San Francisco, CA
June 9th Salt Lake City, UT
June 12th Denver, CO
June 14th Denver, CO
June 17th Dallas, TX
June 18th Houston, TX
June 19th Houston, TX
June 21st New York, NY
June 23rd Baltimore, MD
June 24th Philadelphia, PA
June 25th Philadelphia, PA
June 26th Northern NJ
June 27th Cincinnati, OH
June 29th Chicago, IL
July 1st Minneapolis, MN
July 2nd Minneapolis, MN
July 3rd Des Moines, IA
July 5th Kansas City, MO
July 7th Lincoln, NE
July 9th Oklahoma City, OK
July 11th Nashville, TN
July 13th Atlanta, GA
July 18th Phoenix, AZ
July 19th Las Vegas, NV
July 20th Los Angeles, CA
July 29th Los Angeles, CA
July 30th Los Angeles, CA
July 31st Los Angeles, CA
August 1st Los Angeles, CA

If anyone sees our paths crossing this summer, let me know! Everyone else, keep up with my adventures here on the blog, on the Hometown site, and for the social media junkies, follow me on twitter and tumblr. See you on the road!

Tim Johnson, Wallride

2010-04-08T19:11:00.000-05:00

In addition to the lifestyle stuff on the side, I've been shooting skating more than I have in years, not to mention skating myself like I did in high school. I'm sitting on some of those photos, but here is one from a few weeks ago.

Tim said that he had been eyeing up this thin piece of curved plywood on a Fulton Market fence for months, and as soon as the snow melted enough for him to do so, Tim got the wallride he had wanted all winter. Here's to spring!

Jay Reilly's Lifestyle Work and Why I'm Making Cheesy Photos

2010-03-29T16:38:00.004-05:00

While trying to shoot more lifestyle stuff for my book (which needs to be completed before my rapidly approaching graduation date!) I have been looking at a lot of lifestyle work from skate photographers, whether they would label it lifestyle or not, as well as photographers who specialize in that type of work outside of skateboarding. One who I recently came across is Jay Reilly, a lifestyle and editorial photographer based out of Oceanside, California.

Jay has a really solid portfolio and his images illustrate the strength of a good lifestyle/editorial image, which is its ability to tell a story. I love shooting skate photos. The technical and creative aspects that come together in a great skate photo are the best thing for me. But sometimes that one image can't illustrate all the other things that really make the trick as crazy as it is, like the rocks that had to be swept away, the sign you had to put over the big crack in the run up, the four times you came previously but got kicked out, not being able to get the tightness of your truck just right, or the hour of tries that chipped your board and skinned your hands before finally sticking it.

I know that to put the label of "lifestyle" on the photos I'm making right now would strike a lot of skaters, myself included, as kind of corny. But at the risk of looking like a Gatorade ad, I think it's rad seeing everything that went into getting a trick, because we all know that as awesome as the split second that a skate photo shows is, it is only a tiny part of what we really do as skateboarders.

Lifestyle?

2010-03-01T18:38:00.001-06:00

It didn't take too many portrait shoots to realize that I'm really awkward taking pictures of people who aren't doing something, and that that awkwardness translates into the picture. So instead of straight portraits I am slightly redirecting myself to shooting "lifestyle" photos. If this image of Adam Mills filming Dalba is any indication, I think I am going to like making these pictures a lot more and I think they will look a lot better in my portfolio as well. Now Chicago just needs to warm up so I can get people out skating again!

Another Friday at The Beerics

2010-02-27T14:52:00.001-06:00

It's winter in Chicago. Still. And there is plenty of snow on the ground to prove it.
With tediously long winters and the nearest indoor park being a 45-minute drive (and $12) away, skateboarders in Chicago have to take things into their own hands to avoid hibernation. One example of this DIY effort is The Beerics. Basically a bunch of dudes moved to Chicago from Michigan, got a house in unassuming Roscoe Village, and built the best ramp their 15'x15'x8' garage would allow.

In addition to building this ramp, they started a website lightheartedly spoofing Steve Berra's Berrics, and putting a Chicago spin on it. www.TheBeerics.com is the result. Every Friday skaters and onlookers cram into the standing-room-only garage with beers in hand to skate or watch their buddy attempt a trick for Fifth Try Friday, who has to shotgun a beer after each failed attempt.

I could go on about how much fun it is and how psyched I am to get to ride my skateboard in the dead of winter with a bunch of good dudes, but instead just go to the site and watch a couple videos and I think you'll understand for yourself.

Skateboarder Portraits

2010-02-14T15:21:00.001-06:00

It is my last semester of college so I am making my best effort to round out my portfolio and make it the best it can be. When I visited some photo editors out in California I was reminded more than once of the glaring hole in my portfolio - portraits. So, this semester I am focusing on that. This is the first shot of that effort. Lots more to come...

On the Road

2010-01-18T23:51:00.001-06:00

For about two weeks now I have been gone from the icy Chicago winter on a western adventure. Tucker Phillips, Paul Stacey and I piled into my Cr-V and just drove. You can check out our trip thus far and keep up with the rest over at http://MidwestToWest.tumblr.com

New website! www.PhilBlairPhoto.com

2009-12-17T22:26:00.002-06:00

I spent the past couple months working on a new website. The design and building of it took a long time but I also spent a lot of time going through my portfolio and deciding what to put up, so I am pretty happy with how it all turned out. Take a minute to check it out and let me know what you think!

www.PhilBlairPhoto.com
www.PhilBlairPhoto.com
www.PhilBlairPhoto.com

Z! One from Orange County

2009-12-12T11:26:00.003-06:00

(Click for Larger view on flickr)

In between the first and second legs of tour this summer Mark Waters graciously let me and a few of the other Game of SKATE guys not only crash at his house, but also skate his amazing backyard bowl well into the night. Here, Matt Zweisler, an Indianapolis local and recent transplant to Long Beach, floats a frontside ollie over the bump into the deep end.

And looks like after posting this photo on flickr, Z got some attention from overseas, being featured on www.EuropeSkate.com as the photo of the day. Nice!

Productive Fall Day

2009-11-15T03:19:00.007-06:00

Almost halfway into November here in Chicago the days are getting shorter and the air is getting a lot cooler, so any chance to get out and shoot some skating is great, but a weekend of warmth is even better. Last Sunday I got out with Andy Patterson, Eric Thomas, Nick Merisko, Thomas Hawver, plus a few more, and wound up with almost more photos in that one day than the sum of what I've shot since getting back from tour. I shot 4 or 5 rolls of Velvia, but here are a couple of digi shots from the day..

Nick Merisko tossed a crooked down this previously untouched metal rail/hubba in Chicago. Andy and Eric also both threw some crazy tricks here, the film of which is at the lab. This spot is going to blow up, but these three laid down an admirable foundation of tricks for kids to step up to.

At the last spot of the day, Bank One, I had pretty much packed up for the day, satisfied with my pocket full of 120 film, when I saw Thomas trying this Pop Shuv off the bench and into a slightly banked wall. I threw up some flashes and Thomas rolled away in a few tries.

Also, if you haven't checked out http://PhilBlairPhoto.com since its redesign last spring, check it out, because I am tried of the layout again and am working an all new redesign. The new site will most likely include a blog page so further content will be over there, but I'll post here when that is ready to go. Enjoy the autumn air, everyone!

"Featured" in The Program Zine

2009-07-24T20:16:00.002-05:00

The Program Zine is a project from Louisville photog Andy Collins that is gaining steam with every issue it puts out. Presently only available for viewing online, the tenth issue just dropped last week and I was pleasantly surprised to see myself as the "Featured" photographer for the issue. Andy laid out a whole bunch of my photos in a great looking format, featuring mostly skate photos, but also a few portraits and some panoramic stuff too.

It would be awesome if you would check out my Feature, but also take time to "flip" through the whole issue, there are some great stories and photos in there. Head to www.TheProgramZine.com or click one of these tear sheets to be redirected!

2009 Maloof Money Cup

2009-07-19T02:09:00.009-05:00

On the weekend of July 10th, 2009 a year's worth of planning came to a head in Costa Mesa, California when the biggest names in skateboarding came to the Orange County Fairgrounds to compete in the 2009 Maloof Money Cup. Thanks to my internship with éS, a SoleTech brand, I had the awesome opportunity to shoot photos at the contest for the MMC and its title sponsor Etnies.

The following photos are a few selects from throughout the weekend. Being contest photos, I didn't have the option to set up flashes and shoot the way I normally shoot skating, but it was still a completely unique chance to shoot a huge number of top skaters all in one place, so the photos are cool in their own way. Not to flatter myself, but just to cover the bases, these photos are all shot by Phil Blair and are not to be taken for commercial or personal use without the consent of the photographer. Thanks!

Click on any image in the slideshow to see it bigger.

Back Smith Before I Left

2009-06-12T01:47:00.001-05:00

Shot this snap of Pat Devine back smithing across the gap a few weeks before leaving Chicago.

éS Internship of A Lifetime

2009-06-11T02:23:00.005-05:00

About two months ago that is what I saw after submitting my website and a short statement explaining why I wanted to hit the road with the éS Game of SKATE to take photos. Honestly, the next thing I expected to hear about the contest was an update on the éS site (which I checked daily) awarding some California photographer this amazing oppurtunity, but it was a bit sooner when my phone rang on a particularly slow day of workm which happened to be the day of the judging for Red Bull Get It On Record, and Mark Waters and Jay Brundege at éS were on the other end running through some questions with me, the biggest of which being "Would you be interested in hitting the road with us?" And just two days later they called to let me know that out of everyone who applied, and the finalists they interviewed, they had chosen me.

From there out the whirlwind began. I had to quit my job, find a leaser for and move out of my apartment, and gather everything I would need for an entire three months of skateboarding, taking photos, and living out of a van, basically a dream summer, and did I mention it was all expenses paid in addition to getting college credit. And now here I am, on Jay's couch, two Games and two weeks down, many more to come. We will be leaving Sunday for everywhere from Seattle to New York to Tampa and back. There will be lots more to see over at the éS Game of SKATE Website where I and others from the tour will be blogging from the road. My first post is up there now, so click the picture to check it out:

Red Bull: Get It On Record, 1st Place Winners

2009-05-15T17:59:00.005-05:00

So this is the promised update on the first of the two exciting contests I have recently won. In short, this contest, put on by Red Bull, in its third year overall and first year in Chicago, was a design competition for college students. I applied with three images and a short statement about why I thought I would be good for the contest. I was accepted as a photographer and put on a team with a filmmaker, Jordan Gzesh, a designer, Katie Swanson, and we, group 10, were assigned a client. Our client was a breakdancer named Torsion. Our assignment was to create a marketing package for our client, however we interpreted that, utilizing all four of our respective talents.
In the 30 days we had to complete the project we met many times, bounced ideas off eachother, always building on what everyone else came up with, and just collaborating in every sense of the word. While almost every tangible part of the final project materialized in the last 10 days, the prior 20 were what made the project what it would become.
I was super lucky to be grouped with 3 talented individuals, and without further description, here is the finished product (click for larger):

Photography: Phil Blair
Video (Shot and edited): Jordan Gzesh
Design (Graphic work as well as book construction): Katie Swanson
Dancer: Tori "Torsion" Howard

Those are the shots of the finished product. The book, handmade by Katie Swanson was held shut magnetically, and when opened contained a tri-fold pullout featuring large images, a DVD with Jordan's video, and a digital picture frame that cycled through a slideshow of Torsion.
Also contained are Torsion's business cards, which feature his logo and contact info on the front and back, and in between is a flipbook of Torsion breaking. The flipbook sequence is featured at the end of Jordan's video, which is here (I recommend going HD and full screen!):

Also, Click here to be taken to the Flickr set of all the images featured in the project:

Thanks so much to Red Bull for sponsoring this contest, and Katie, Jordan and Tori for being so awesome to work with! The experience was worth it, but having the win on my resume and the gift card for an Apple Macbook are nice perks!
1st Place!

Updates / Get Hyped!

2009-05-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy month, and an even crazier week, culminating in two huge announcements worthy of this blog. Each probably deserves its own in-depth post, so I will do that when I have a minute, but before weeks go by without mention I'll do a little brief updating here.

As I mentioned a few weeks back, I qualified to shoot photos as part of a team for Red Bull's student design competition, Get It On Record. My team, Jordan Gzesh on video, Katie Swanson designing, Tori "Torsion" Howard as our dancer, and I, worked super hard for 30 days and came up with something we were really proud of. What's more, we won! 1st place!

I will update soon with the pictures I made for that and our finished product.

A few days after that excitement, I got a call from Mark Waters at eS telling me I have been chosen to hit the road with the eS Game Of Skate as the Photographer! I am beyond psyched on this opportunity and everything in store for me. I feel like my years (over 5 now!) of shooting skate photos, working hard (as hard of work as one can consider this), and traveling have really paid off in this.

Again, I'll get more in depth with what each of these wins means and how I got there, but I wanted to let anyone who reads this blog know what's up!

Horizon Perfekt and Digital Alternatives

2009-03-29T15:39:00.002-05:00

So a while back I posted on how excited I was about getting a Horizon Perfekt "Swing-Lens" Panoramic camera. Since I got it I have loved pretty much every photo that has come out of it, all having such a unique look, and without the normal low-quality that comes with Lomo cameras.

Another appeal was, I thought, there is no way to do this with digital, as you can't curve a sensor the way the 35mm film in my Horizon curves. But it looks like the folks at Sony may have outsmarted me (big surprise).

I don't know what the quality will be like, and there are definitely advantages to the Perfekt, not the least of which being that you can make quick exposures, rather than slowly manually panning the camera, but with quirky images like these, having digital to toy around with all you want, instead of a finite roll of film, is definitely a selling point. Plus if you take the DSC-HX1 out with you, you can still make "normal" non-pano photos from the same camera.

Furthermore, apparently there is a pretty effective algorithm in Photoshop to accomplish the same end as seen here (before and after) captured on a Nikon DSLR. So, while nothing beats the wind-up sound my Perfekt makes as the lens sweeps across the film, are these better alternatives?

I Qualified for "Get it On Record"

2009-03-28T01:26:00.002-05:00

"OBJECTIVE:
Judges will select the top 30 creative's from the applications and form teams of 1 designer + 1 photographer and + 1 videographer. Your team must utilize the expertise and talents of each member to present a package that clearly defines and presents your client's image."

I submitted a few images and a short statement and I got an e-mail the other day saying I was chosen as one of the ten photographers for this competition. The first meeting is this coming Monday when I will meet my designer and filmmaker, and we will meet our client. Even though this next month is going to be way too hectic, I am super excited to start collaborating and to see how this will all play out.

I haven't shot skating in a while...

2009-02-28T19:08:00.001-06:00

but I did recently photograph some soap.

Tucker flexin afer the shoot

2009-01-10T16:52:00.002-06:00

I hear he does like 100 VX curls a day.

The 8+ inches of snow and 15- degrees outside have me inside and going through old files. Messing with this snap was more fun than prepping a portfolio for internships.

5 Teens Shot at Chicago Skate Spot

2009-01-10T13:14:00.005-06:00

Chicago can't keep its face out of the news lately. Chicago's own recently impeached Governor Blago put a national spotlight on the breadth of corruption in our fair city. Furthermore, in 2008 Chicago had more murders than any other large city in the U.S. coming in with 508. Only one week into 2009 Chicago has already seen lives lost to violence, and late last night five young men were shot in a drive-by at a well known Chicago skate spot, Dunbar High School. Dunbar, on South King Drive, is the home of the 7-flat seen in lots of local videos including some runs in the Midwest Video. Obviously these kids weren't skating, nor were they skaters, but its worth noting what goes on at the questionable places we sometimes choose to put ourselves in.

Read more here: http://chicagoist.com/2009/01/10/five_shot_outside_dunbar_high_after.php

Hey, at least we can claim Obama.

Nick D

2009-01-06T01:01:00.002-06:00

Do yourself a favor and check out Nick Dompierre's Mag Minute over at The Skateboard Mag's blog

http://theskateboardmag.com/watch/nick-dompierre/

60 seconds of ripping in HD set to More Than a Feeling. Solid.
And it warrants mention on this photo blog (really, this is) as you see tons of hassy fisheye in a bunch of those clips as well as a skater who has no issues avoiding the maze of flashes we skate photographers like to set up.

Happy Christmas to everyone

2008-12-24T09:39:00.003-06:00

While obviously a few years old now, I can't see not posting this picture on Christmas. Me and one of my best friends, and one of the best photogs I know, Ely.

"The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!" Luke 2:11

Happiest Christmas and a blessed New Year to everyone

via: J. Grant Brittain, "Another lame photo I shot years ago when I was good."

2008-12-13T15:15:00.001-06:00

"J. Grant Brittain—December 13, 2008

Steve Rocco in 1987 at the beach. A cop just happened to walk by when we were shooting.
"

Yeah, real lame, JGB.

I'm a Nikon guy

2008-12-09T21:52:00.003-06:00

and I would love a D700, either in camera-form..

..or Red Velvet.

In other Nikon news, Hitler will not be getting a D3x

..he only shoots jpg anyway.

Carpe Noctem

2008-12-04T01:51:00.003-06:00

I was first made aware of the Sleeping Giants project on the skateboard photography forum I have been visiting and participating in for years now when the photographer behind the series posted looking for critique. Since then I have seen it linked from a number of sites including the blog of a photographer I follow from New York and the San Francisco art site Fecal Face. I have been seeing work from Brooks Reynolds on Agro (back to when it was still SkateboardPhotography.com) for some years now and clicked the link to be brought to a simple flash gallery filled with compelling images that, in my opinion, accomplish what they set out to do:

"Summer nights encompass some of the most unforgettable times of our lives.
There is a certain mystery contained in the darkness & tension.
In 48 photographs, ‘WE ARE SLEEPING GIANTS” eludes to the stories of youth, isolation &
nearly supernatural experiences during this annual epoch."

I was going to gush about Brooks's use of light and effectiveness of capturing whats really an indefinable mood, but just go look at the images. They speak for themselves.

WE ARE SLEEPING GIANTS

Over-Processed

2008-11-26T20:31:00.002-06:00

For a while now I have been seeing photos around the internet, a lot of them band group shots, with a particular over-sharpened kind of desaturated look to them. Sometimes it works really well, other times it is wildly overdone and looks terrible, but regardless I was interested and wanted at least to know how it is done. So, with some experimenting, I figured it out. Or one of what I'm sure is many many versions of it.
For the image to try it out on, I set up a quick self-portrait in my cramped and cluttered studio apartment. To Try something else out, I threw some color-correction gels on my strobes that I recently purchased. The key light has a 1/4 CTO gel and the rim has a 1/4 CTB.

Please CLICK to see bigger.

It turned out kind of interesting. I am not completely sold on this kind of over-processed look, but it seems like people who are doing it are getting a lot more work than I am presently, so it is clearly not a bad technique to have in my toolbox, and when it's done well I think it has real potential.
So, what do you think?

Blow your mind: 5D Mark II

2008-11-26T12:21:00.002-06:00

With the Nikon D90 in stores and the new Canon 5D Mark II shipping now, there are some extremely interesting new worlds opening to photographers as each of these DSLR bodies also shoots HD Video. As a skateboard photographer (one who hates sequences at that) I am not sure I am excited about the notion of skaters asking/telling you to just film a trick instead of shooting a photo, but having the equipment available for instances when a photo just is not going to happen may be a way for photographers to supplement their skate-related income, all while further flooding the already over-saturated skate-filmer market.

Concerns and points of interest are plentiful with this new technology, but it looks like the quality of the video is not going to be of concern what-so-ever, as is evident in this short film shot by photojournalist Vincent Laforet using the new Canon 5D Mark II. Check it out before the server gets overloaded again and have your mind blown.

View Hi-Def HERE

Blurb

2008-11-02T15:12:00.004-06:00

http://www.blurb.com/

Just saving that address for myself. I'm thinking this would be a fairly cheap, fairly professional looking way to make a portfolio for myself.

or
http://www.viovio.com/wiki/Catalog

(Viovio photo books
Receive 25% off your next order on Viovio through December 31, 2008. Enter JPGM8 at checkout.
www.Viovio.com)

you can run

2008-10-16T18:16:00.001-05:00

push

2008-10-13T00:27:00.002-05:00

God forbid..

2008-10-06T00:49:00.002-05:00

"Walk places"? "Ride bikes"? Preposterous, I'll take the Landrover.

Ollie-over Lipslide

2008-09-13T16:03:00.001-05:00

I'm cross-blogging here, but I think it is appropriate.

get it, Tim.

Perfekt

2008-09-13T15:59:00.001-05:00

It will be mine.

O yes.

Blogs, blogs, blogs

2008-07-08T17:54:00.002-05:00

So I recently took a technological step forward and upgraded my phone to a Blackberry Curve. Said Blackberry has kept me more connected via internet than ever, so it is not too much of a surprise that I recently started another blog on tumblr to house a different kind of photos. Here's the rundown:

http://PhilBlairPhoto.com
My most "official" and never ever updated website.

http://PhilBlairPhoto.blogspot.com
Frequent updates, occasional words, and often real photos.

and lastly
http://PhilsPhone.Tumblr.com
The internet home for photos hot off the blackberry.

So get an RSS feeder (i.e. Google Reader) and keep up

Cornerstone, Day 1

2008-07-01T23:38:00.004-05:00

The End of June brings me back to southwest Illinois to photograph Cornerstone Festival. I have been here for just over 24 hours and am completely exhausted already (not to mention hungry and sunburnt). I will see what I can do to post on here as the fest goes on, but be on the lookout for my photos in the "Live Coverage" section of the Cornerstone website.

In spite of the amount of "work" (the quotation marks are important here) I have to do here, the decreasing number of bands I care to see, and the lack of company, cornerstone remains one of my favorite times of the year.

skate > blog

2008-06-26T09:32:00.000-05:00

I realize today is Thursday, really I do. And while I don't think there were too many people holding their breath for a photo post yesterday, I'll just say that when it came down to blogging or riding my skateboard, I chose the latter
More to come

It's Wednesday..

2008-06-18T09:18:00.001-05:00

..And you know what that means
PHOTO DAY!

BLAISE WAGENSOMER with a nollie BS Lip in Sherman Oaks, California from my last trip out there. The colors got a little sucked out in uploading, but it'll do. Sorry for the wait, Blaise! I just remembered I think I heard Blaise would be in town this week, if that's the case give me a call!

12 Days til Cornerstone..

Wednesday is PHOTO Day

2008-06-11T15:20:00.003-05:00

I've been slacking on updating, and the posts have admittedly been rather unphotographic, particularly considering the subtitle to this blog is "A photographic supplement". Therefore, I am instituting PhotoDayWednesday, because while they may not be the best, my photos are inarguably more interesting than my life as of late. SO HERE GOES:

ELY PHILLIPS comin through with the crailslide at Wilson
This is the photo that was run with his little interview last month in FTK Mag, so in case you already saw that, to be fair I'll throw in another one

THOMAS CHRPA threw down for this photo to help me finish my studio final. The ollie wasNOT a land, but as far as my final goes, he really came through in a pinch for me.

so there you have it, I'll do my best to keep up with PhotoDayWednesday, and maybe even get some photos in in between as well. So, what do you say, DO YOU LIKE IT?

Good One, Chicago

2008-05-27T09:40:00.000-05:00

off to work, then summer school starts today

FTK Mag

2008-05-09T14:11:00.002-05:00

I got another photo run this month, and it couldn't be better for you, the reader. Why? Because not only did I shoot the photo, but it is of my good buddy Ely, and it accompanies a short interview with him regarding the wild world of skateboard photography.
You can view the magazine online, just by clicking the cover below then again on the FTK site, or pick up a FREE copy at any fine skateboard retailer.

Big Week

2008-04-24T00:27:00.004-05:00

So much going on this week.
Got out shooting skating for the first time in...months..over the weekend. Shot with ELY and got one that may run in FTK.
Last week I came out of class to this:
so that sucked real bad, but I replaced the stolen wheel with a slight upgrade:

I've been putting the new wheel to good use at work. Monday I kept very busy and as a bonus got hooked up with some excellent car-rate runs as well

and for my final run of the day my dispatcher offered a sunny ride way up northwest; I graciously accepted

(Click)

So this week I had 1 Research Paper for History of the American City, 1 Ad recreation for Studio Lighting 2, a sculptural piece due in 3D Deisgn, and a group presentation in History of Photography with an accompanying response paper, all along with 3 full days of work. Needless to say I'll be glad when I can close the book on this week.
But I did get a new bike...

My Hero...

2008-04-22T01:38:00.002-05:00

I need a dog

Earthquake in Chicago?

2008-04-18T09:31:00.002-05:00

I was awake on my couch late last night/early this morning working on a paper and around 4:40 the room seemed to be shaking, but I brushed it off as some adverse effect of my lack of sleep. I only just realized it wasn't a creation of my sleep-deprived mind when I just saw on the news that a 5.4 earthquake shook Chicago.

Time You Enjoy Wasting is not Wasted Time

2008-04-06T21:22:00.009-05:00

The past few weeks have been busy to say the least. Since the trip to Canada it's back to the routine, Monday work 8-6. Tuesday class 1030-5. Wednesday, the killer, work 8-6, class 6-10. Thursday class 1030-4. Friday work 8-7. Any "free time" on weekdays is generally spent working on papers/projects for school and weekends I just try to get enough sleep to make it through the next week. I love my job and I like my classes, but through all this its difficult to find time to see my friends and not lose my mind, and both of these things will get increasingly difficult with more projects and papers and tax season at work all coming up this next month. SO this weekend, with the first 2 consecutive days of 60+ degree weather I pushed all this nonsense aside and just enjoyed God's beautiful earth.
Yesterday I went to the zoo and visited some aminals, and today I checked out a new church with Kate, and before riding around aimlessly in the sunshine I ordered a new bike frame, which while exciting to me, would bum Brian Anderson way out.

One thing weighing heavily on me this semester is the workload from my Studio Lighting 2 class. At least 3 significant projects still lie ahead this next month for this class alone. My midterm was the cause of this face, but it finally got done and while I'm not extremely excited about how it came out I am hugely thankful to Jeannette, Kate, Bob and Geoff for helping me out. So before I get to the point of hating these pictures I will post them up
The assignment was "Hollywood Portraits"

It's the freakin weekend baby, and I had me some fun

Maiden and the Great White North!

2008-03-23T01:08:00.007-05:00

For all my years listening to Maiden I have said that if they ever toured with Bruce Dickinson anywhere near me I would pay any amount to see them. I was finally presented with that oppurtunity when they announced their Somewhere Back In Time World Tour, and as a bonus they would only be playing songs from Powerslave and Somewhere In Time(plus a little Killers and fear of the Dark), the golden age of Maiden.

So with my ticket and a mapquest map to "Toronto, Ontario, Canada" in hand, and no further plans me and tucker loaded up the car and hit the road.

Tucker took dat one, and these next 2

After another night sleepin at the Honda Civic Hotel we jammed around the city some more, explored queen st west, and saw a gnarly bum fight, it was time for the most epic show of my life

Beyond worth it all.
Right after the show I met a buzzed Tucker at a cafe and once he finished his Canadian brew we hit the road for our 500 mile drive back to Chicago through the night to get Tucker back to his 10AM class

A sunrise as cool as they come welcomed us to Indiana
9 hours, 500 miles later, we were back in Chicago, and with midterms this week my day had just begun,

but it was all worth it

The Price Is Right!

2008-02-20T21:51:00.004-06:00

check that upper left corner

yes.

Unload

2008-02-16T22:52:00.012-06:00

I just unloaded about a year and a half's worth of pictures off of my cell phone. I think they're a nice little slice of my life.

A beginning of something simpler

2008-02-16T21:02:00.001-06:00

So I have this fancy website at http://PhilBlairPhoto.com, but while I think its kinda neat, I find it far too big a hassle to update it every time I take a picture. So I decided to start this for the photos I shoot that will never make it onto the website. We'll see what happens