the skate photography thread

[DirtCat]

I'm glad I found this thread, I had no idea there was a subsection in this subforum and I've missed it for years.  I've found a ton of rad IG accounts to follow now.

I'm a big time photo nerd and was a photojournalism student way back in the day before getting burned out.  Now I mostly just shoot medium or large format city/landscapes, but I dabble in some 35mm street photography here and there.  Home develop, home scan, etc.

Anyway...

I have a question for any of you Nikon shooters.  I'm looking to upgrade my trusty D810 to something with better AF and faster burst.  I'm not entirely ready to jump to the Z platform though, I'd like to keep all my lenses and just upgrade bodies.  Are any of y'all shooting with a D5 and liking it? 

no i don't have any skate pictures to add, most of the people i know in town are old bmx trail dogs and that's not relevant for this thread sorry pls don't hate me

[Fongstarr.]

^^^^^I am not a Nikon shooter but why not get a mirrorless and get the lens adaptor for your F-mount lenses? I think as far as autofocus, it has been proven good unless you use the native Z mount lenses.

Also to me, skate stuff doesn't rely on fast autofocus unless you are shooting like a demo or an event. If you shoot a skater, you sort of have a shot in mind and sort of just camp there until the skater gets the trick. That means you can sort of pre focus and just wait for the skater to come in frame all the time. Also if you shoot say flash, most times you are shooting at a more closed aperture which means your focus plane is just way larger and chances of getting a clear shot is high. All this is subject to change if you want a different look but I think a D810 is plenty fine for shooting skate. I currently shoot with a Canon 5D mark 3 but will go mirrorless soon.

[DirtCat]

Also to me, skate stuff doesn't rely on fast autofocus unless you are shooting like a demo or an event. If you shoot a skater, you sort of have a shot in mind and sort of just camp there until the skater gets the trick. That means you can sort of pre focus and just wait for the skater to come in frame all the time. Also if you shoot say flash, most times you are shooting at a more closed aperture which means your focus plane is just way larger and chances of getting a clear shot is high. All this is subject to change if you want a different look but I think a D810 is plenty fine for shooting skate.

All true, especially where flash and large depths of field are concerned, but I also spend a good chunk of time on a boat looking for whales or other marine life, where pre-focus rarely ever works out, and I've missed so many potential shots with a slow AF (at least that's what I tell myself, it's definitely not me...) 

I also shoot a lot with the 16mm fisheye so AF isn't even the equation there, it's pretty much all in focus.

I don't really have any issues with the D810, and with a battery grip it lasts me all day, but I guess I feel compelled to squeeze as much performance out of the DSLR platform before it goes the way of the buffalo

[Fongstarr.]

Expand Quote

Also to me, skate stuff doesn't rely on fast autofocus unless you are shooting like a demo or an event. If you shoot a skater, you sort of have a shot in mind and sort of just camp there until the skater gets the trick. That means you can sort of pre focus and just wait for the skater to come in frame all the time. Also if you shoot say flash, most times you are shooting at a more closed aperture which means your focus plane is just way larger and chances of getting a clear shot is high. All this is subject to change if you want a different look but I think a D810 is plenty fine for shooting skate.

[close]

All true, especially where flash and large depths of field are concerned, but I also spend a good chunk of time on a boat looking for whales or other marine life, where pre-focus rarely ever works out, and I've missed so many potential shots with a slow AF (at least that's what I tell myself, it's definitely not me...) 

I also shoot a lot with the 16mm fisheye so AF isn't even the equation there, it's pretty much all in focus.

I don't really have any issues with the D810, and with a battery grip it lasts me all day, but I guess I feel compelled to squeeze as much performance out of the DSLR platform before it goes the way of the buffalo

I guess a D5 make sense since you shoot with a battery grip already. I think it will run you about $1K for a used one or perhaps you can rent one if you want to be for sure you want to invest in that body. At least we are in a good position where there are a lot of options in getting the right camera you are looking for. I think back in the days, there was always that one camera you needed to get in order to do burst mode or whatever. Now companies have made it easy to do alot of stuff without getting the flagship.

[kwilks]

Made some darkroom prints of the homie doing a back 50

[gsosa]

Been fisheyeing a lot lately

[DirtCat]

Dude hell yeah these are so sick!  What's your usual flash/lighting set up?

[gsosa]

Dude hell yeah these are so sick!  What's your usual flash/lighting set up?

@Landmine thanks dude! All of these have been just with having a single flash in my hand. These just happened just skating around and thinking of a cool photo. But for something more elaborate or long lens I like using 2 flashes. Lighting the front at 45 degrees and the other or backlighting or at 45 degrees diagonally on the back side.

[Tonypimpskin]

Studio Skate supply owner Weston Sparks

[Tonypimpskin]

Another of pro homie Lucas Delao

[Fongstarr.]

Another of pro homie Lucas Delao

Nice....I didn't know you were a fellow Slap Pal. I just followed you back.



I've also been fisheyeing it as of late too like @gsosa. Started off the year just wanting to shoot my friends that I skate with on the weekends and kind of on a roll. It's been fun trying to take different compositions and styles since we only skate at a few places.

[DirtCat]

DUDE

That fog shot is insane!

[CHONGO]

I'm glad I found this thread, I had no idea there was a subsection in this subforum and I've missed it for years.  I've found a ton of rad IG accounts to follow now.

I'm a big time photo nerd and was a photojournalism student way back in the day before getting burned out.  Now I mostly just shoot medium or large format city/landscapes, but I dabble in some 35mm street photography here and there.  Home develop, home scan, etc.

Anyway...

I have a question for any of you Nikon shooters.  I'm looking to upgrade my trusty D810 to something with better AF and faster burst.  I'm not entirely ready to jump to the Z platform though, I'd like to keep all my lenses and just upgrade bodies.  Are any of y'all shooting with a D5 and liking it? 

no i don't have any skate pictures to add, most of the people i know in town are old bmx trail dogs and that's not relevant for this thread sorry pls don't hate me

I have been shooting on a nikon d5 for well over a year now. It is an absolute TANK of a camera. I absolutely love it. I shoot a lot of "professional" paintball photos and its seen some of the nastiest weather. I have been shooting more skate photos than ever right now. Autofocus on it is insane for an "older" camera. Many custom buttons that you can program on the front. If you do go for a D5 I would suggest shooting in Single Point autofocus.
Hit me up if you have any questions!

[DirtCat]

Expand Quote

I'm glad I found this thread, I had no idea there was a subsection in this subforum and I've missed it for years.  I've found a ton of rad IG accounts to follow now.

I'm a big time photo nerd and was a photojournalism student way back in the day before getting burned out.  Now I mostly just shoot medium or large format city/landscapes, but I dabble in some 35mm street photography here and there.  Home develop, home scan, etc.

Anyway...

I have a question for any of you Nikon shooters.  I'm looking to upgrade my trusty D810 to something with better AF and faster burst.  I'm not entirely ready to jump to the Z platform though, I'd like to keep all my lenses and just upgrade bodies.  Are any of y'all shooting with a D5 and liking it? 

no i don't have any skate pictures to add, most of the people i know in town are old bmx trail dogs and that's not relevant for this thread sorry pls don't hate me

[close]

I have been shooting on a nikon d5 for well over a year now. It is an absolute TANK of a camera. I absolutely love it. I shoot a lot of "professional" paintball photos and its seen some of the nastiest weather. I have been shooting more skate photos than ever right now. Autofocus on it is insane for an "older" camera. Many custom buttons that you can program on the front. If you do go for a D5 I would suggest shooting in Single Point autofocus.
Hit me up if you have any questions!

Hell yeah dude. The D810 hasn't let me down yet, and I mostly grab my D200 when I feel like shooting digital lately, but I'll holler if I think of anything! 

[Tonypimpskin]

Expand Quote

Another of pro homie Lucas Delao

[close]

Nice....I didn't know you were a fellow Slap Pal. I just followed you back.



I've also been fisheyeing it as of late too like @gsosa. Started off the year just wanting to shoot my friends that I skate with on the weekends and kind of on a roll. It's been fun trying to take different compositions and styles since we only skate at a few places.

Sick! i've been seeing your photos on Slap for years!!
your lighting is always on point
what kind of flashes you running?

[sharkjumper]

I'm glad I found this thread, I had no idea there was a subsection in this subforum and I've missed it for years.  I've found a ton of rad IG accounts to follow now.

I'm a big time photo nerd and was a photojournalism student way back in the day before getting burned out.  Now I mostly just shoot medium or large format city/landscapes, but I dabble in some 35mm street photography here and there.  Home develop, home scan, etc.

Anyway...

I have a question for any of you Nikon shooters.  I'm looking to upgrade my trusty D810 to something with better AF and faster burst.  I'm not entirely ready to jump to the Z platform though, I'd like to keep all my lenses and just upgrade bodies.  Are any of y'all shooting with a D5 and liking it? 

no i don't have any skate pictures to add, most of the people i know in town are old bmx trail dogs and that's not relevant for this thread sorry pls don't hate me

Late to the party here. But why not get a D850? It’s a meaningful upgrade to the d810 in every way. And probably the best DSLR nikon made. The battery grip should work on both and you’ll get 9fps. And 45mp sensor is great.
I have a d610 and d780. But have used a d850 for work a lot.

[CHONGO]

Expand Quote

I'm glad I found this thread, I had no idea there was a subsection in this subforum and I've missed it for years.  I've found a ton of rad IG accounts to follow now.

I'm a big time photo nerd and was a photojournalism student way back in the day before getting burned out.  Now I mostly just shoot medium or large format city/landscapes, but I dabble in some 35mm street photography here and there.  Home develop, home scan, etc.

Anyway...

I have a question for any of you Nikon shooters.  I'm looking to upgrade my trusty D810 to something with better AF and faster burst.  I'm not entirely ready to jump to the Z platform though, I'd like to keep all my lenses and just upgrade bodies.  Are any of y'all shooting with a D5 and liking it? 

no i don't have any skate pictures to add, most of the people i know in town are old bmx trail dogs and that's not relevant for this thread sorry pls don't hate me

[close]

Late to the party here. But why not get a D850? It’s a meaningful upgrade to the d810 in every way. And probably the best DSLR nikon made. The battery grip should work on both and you’ll get 9fps. And 45mp sensor is great.
I have a d610 and d780. But have used a d850 for work a lot.

Agreed. From what my research and all the other stuff I have read online a d850 is superior. And Nikons like “golden” camera to own. Definitely would be interested in getting one later down the road.

[RCB3]

I used my new flash for the first time and was pretty happy with what I could get. I'm so technically stupid when it comes to settings/flash power or whatever and the only real way I can learn is just messing around with it in person. It still took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get my flash connected for hi-speed sync.

Shoutout to Fongstarr for always being open to my elementary questions I have about flashes and lighting. He's been super helpful.

I'm also super stoked to be able to find some cool guys who are down to let me shoot photos of them despite me being some random 38 year old who reached out to them on Instagram. I really want to keep shooting more skating when I can and keep documenting the scene of the town I live in, which doesn't have a massive skate population.

Also, Im always open to critique/pointers for anyone who uses flash a lot.

[sharkjumper]

I used my new flash for the first time and was pretty happy with what I could get. I'm so technically stupid when it comes to settings/flash power or whatever and the only real way I can learn is just messing around with it in person. It still took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get my flash connected for hi-speed sync.

Shoutout to Fongstarr for always being open to my elementary questions I have about flashes and lighting. He's been super helpful.

I'm also super stoked to be able to find some cool guys who are down to let me shoot photos of them despite me being some random 38 year old who reached out to them on Instagram. I really want to keep shooting more skating when I can and keep documenting the scene of the town I live in, which doesn't have a massive skate population.

Also, Im always open to critique/pointers for anyone who uses flash a lot.

These are looking good!
For those first 2 back tail photos- if you get light like that again, try shooting like the setting sun is another flash. In other words, point a flash at the skater's back side. Almost aimed at his heel that's on his tail. It'll give some definition to that side. Kind of like a rim light. The front nose down the hall way is cool too. If you want to get crazy on a photo like that, you could get some color gels for your flash. Then you can match your flash color to that sunset color.

Looks like you're in Bend? Where is that spot?! Looks amazing. I'm in Portland, but don't make it out that way very often.

Edit to add: This site is a bit old, but really helpful for some lighting basics. Lighting a skate photo is way harder than a studio. So you're already ahead of the game. https://strobist.blogspot.com

[RCB3]

I appreciate the feedback! And that's a good idea about using the flash as a rim light. Down the line I might try to get a second flash to mess around with, but one right now feels a little overwhelming to me haha. But using the natural light of the sun as the main light source is a good idea.

And yup, I'm in Bend. That spot's right next to the ice rink. It's an unused bus stop and totally open to skate whenever, which is great. They use that area and parking lot in the summer when they rent out tubes for people to float the river, so it's probably not available during the busy parts of the day in summer, but most of the year it's open to skate.

[sharkjumper]

2 flashes isn’t so bad once you start using them. Make one your key light, and the other to fill in shadows or rim light and you’re good to go.
Thanks for the spot intel!

[Fongstarr.]

Sick! i've been seeing your photos on Slap for years!!
your lighting is always on point
what kind of flashes you running?

Just saw this. Sorry.....never come in this thread as much as I should. I use Godox flashes. For the price point, they are great compared to say Profoto. I have 3 flashes total and actually like to use all three when possible but most fisheye photos, I can just use one really which I would just hold in my hand. Most of the time, I promote the AD300 strobe cause it's small and powerful enough but I have the AD600 and I swear that always gets the results that I want. I am that guy that brings way too much to the skate spot but since I do this for fun, I never worry about bring all that crap as long as it fits in my car.

I do generally position my flashes like this if possible. Of course this is all subject to change if the sun is out and acts as a light source. Most of the time my fill light is in my hand when shooting fisheye. Then I have key light my 600 watt strobe and the 300 watt as the backlight which doesn't necessarily work cause it's always not powerful enough.

[Tonypimpskin]

Expand Quote

Sick! i've been seeing your photos on Slap for years!!
your lighting is always on point
what kind of flashes you running?

[close]

Just saw this. Sorry.....never come in this thread as much as I should. I use Godox flashes. For the price point, they are great compared to say Profoto. I have 3 flashes total and actually like to use all three when possible but most fisheye photos, I can just use one really which I would just hold in my hand. Most of the time, I promote the AD300 strobe cause it's small and powerful enough but I have the AD600 and I swear that always gets the results that I want. I am that guy that brings way too much to the skate spot but since I do this for fun, I never worry about bring all that crap as long as it fits in my car.

I do generally position my flashes like this if possible. Of course this is all subject to change if the sun is out and acts as a light source. Most of the time my fill light is in my hand when shooting fisheye. Then I have key light my 600 watt strobe and the 300 watt as the backlight which doesn't necessarily work cause it's always not powerful enough.

Nice yeah i use the godox TT660 which are good but have been thinking about getting a AD300 just havent pulled the trigger on it.
Just something to overpower the sun

[Fongstarr.]

I am sure people have seen this photo. Just wondering what people thought on how this was shot. I have done this double exposure shot recently but did it as two photos and composited it together. For this show, they had a light trail which you have to move the camera. How the hell did they combine two photos with light trails using a fisheye lens? It is impossible to stack photos with fisheye unless it is on a tripod.

[Simcity]

Looking that photo, it may have been two photos taken separately and put together. The light trails could have been added in post as where are those light sources coming from?  For light trails like that there must be a source. Or it could be three separate photos. One for the scene, one for the 5050 and one for the crook. Cool shot

[Simcity]

Some recent shots, I have not posted here in a while
Bunch of others on my insta

[RCB3]

Those are all so rad Simcity! For all the night ones, are you doing handheld with a slightly slow shutter mixed with flashes? I really like how that the subtle blur of the city scape mixes with the sharpness of the skater. If you don't mind, what's your shutter speed on that switch crook and nose manny shot? I'm going to be experimenting shooting some night skate photos in the coming weeks and really have no idea what I'm doing, so it'll be an experiment.

[Simcity]

Thank you, much appreciated

I was shooting at 1.3 second for the sw crook, the flashes stopped the action. I slightly moved the camera to distort the background

nose manual .5 of a second .

Both were hand held


So if you want this look, use the flashes to stop the action, a skater who is down to work on something and some trial and error. Hope that helps

[gsosa]

Louie Barletta Slap Cover inspired

[sharkjumper]

I am sure people have seen this photo. Just wondering what people thought on how this was shot. I have done this double exposure shot recently but did it as two photos and composited it together. For this show, they had a light trail which you have to move the camera. How the hell did they combine two photos with light trails using a fisheye lens? It is impossible to stack photos with fisheye unless it is on a tripod.

I would guess shot on a tripod, and then pick up the whole tripod for the light trails.