Tim Johnson, Wallride

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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