Futures AM Series - Skateboarding

[titaniumsportz]

Of course C/C are welcome

#1
http://www.titaniumsportz.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/skateboarding_events_51/futures_am_series__culver_city_skatepark_59/Futures AM Series - Culver City Skatepark_20090506_1083209153.jpg

#2
http://www.titaniumsportz.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/skateboarding_events_51/futures_am_series__culver_city_skatepark_59/Futures AM Series - Culver City Skatepark_20090506_1923120449.jpg

#3
http://www.titaniumsportz.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/skateboarding_events_51/futures_am_series__culver_city_skatepark_59/Futures AM Series - Culver City Skatepark_20090506_1394672835.jpg

#4
http://www.titaniumsportz.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/skateboarding_events_51/futures_am_series__culver_city_skatepark_59/Futures AM Series - Culver City Skatepark_20090506_1265359230.jpg

#5
http://www.titaniumsportz.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/skateboarding_events_51/futures_am_series__culver_city_skatepark_59/Futures AM Series - Culver City Skatepark_20090506_1066599594.jpg

#6
http://www.titaniumsportz.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/skateboarding_events_51/futures_am_series__culver_city_skatepark_59/Futures AM Series - Culver City Skatepark_20090506_1667259101.jpg

#7
http://www.titaniumsportz.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/skateboarding_events_51/futures_am_series__culver_city_skatepark_59/Future AM Series - Culver City Skatepark_20090506_1873860908.jpg


#8
http://www.titaniumsportz.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/skateboarding_events_51/futures_am_series__culver_city_skatepark_59/Future AM Series - Culver City Skatepark_20090506_2011228398.jpg

[kandyredcoi]

the pics need to be a bit larger for better detail so we can CC it

my .02

[jeff2231]

Yeah, small they look nice. I like the PP but would like to see larger :)

[GetOnMyLevel]

the composition is really awkward on #5 and #6, get lower on #7, and on #8 you probably should be at the right end of that stairset.

and maybe personal preference on this, but i don't like artsy dave hill-esque editting on skate shots.

[zom1414]

what lens did you use set at what? I think they look cool

[AdamLewis]

Its hard to tell much since theryre so small...

From what I can see, I like 7 and 8

[Gibbo]

10-17 fisheye??

[Robp412]

I like the colorsss, well from what I can see.

[jbergdoll]

Take your fisheye off and uninstall photoshop immediately. The extreme(ly retarded) post processing doesn't make these uncomposed photos any better.

[AdamLewis]

Take your fisheye off and uninstall photoshop immediately. The extreme(ly retarded) post processing doesn't make these uncomposed photos any better.

Thats rather ironic.
While I am not a huge fan of the processing, I wouldnt say its "extremely retarded". As far as composition, there are a few that are composed rather well. At least they dont have giant beams, chains, and yellow poles floating around on the side of the frame...

[titaniumsportz]

Take your fisheye off and uninstall photoshop immediately. The extreme(ly retarded) post processing doesn't make these uncomposed photos any better.


You sound like your very expert on skateboarding photography. A beginner like me what can you suggest? So you mean to say in general, the PP thing in photography doesn't work at all on any photography? just a simple newbie question like me

[jbergdoll]

Just think about composition more. Some of these don't even show the landing and that's a HUGE no no. The ones of the boardslide down the rail has way too much sky in it and you could've gotten a lot closer. The whole Dave Hill style thing just ruins photos and doesn't really look cool at all. Shoot long lens too.

[Big K]

You sound like your very expert on skateboarding photography. A beginner like me what can you suggest? So you mean to say in general, the PP thing in photography doesn't work at all on any photography? just a simple newbie question like me

I would suggest a couple of things.

Take some time to look at some of the posts by the king of skateboarding then decide how much you care about his opinion of composition. Also keep in mind that the master of all things imaging is 18.

While it would be nice to see larger versions of the images, I don't think your composition is that bad at all. Good use of the rule of thirds, clean (as much as possible with skating) backgrounds and good use of clouds and the sky as a background. I would have liked 2-4 better if they were composed more like 1 and there are some small things with a couple of the others, but nothing remotely close to deserving a response that in any way includes the word retarded.

Most importantly, you can actually see peoples faces. Assuming the focus is good, I think several of these would look really good on a 30" monitor.

I also consider things deemed a "HUGE no no" to mean a "HUGE opportunity to be different". Your signature line sums it up pretty well.

As for the PP effect, that is all a matter of personal style. There is no right or wrong, it is what you want it to be. I like it for portrait work and a few action sports shots, but tend to like action sports to be more natural. If you like it, that is all that matters.

[jeff2231]

I agree with Big K. I just checked out JBurgdolls flickr site and I've gotta say I prefer your photos over his. They just suit my taste more, I love a cool looking sky in a photo and I think breaking the rules is how people progress.

To Jburgdoll,

I think if you keep following rules your always going to be aiming for a goal that someone else has already reached. Rules are made to be broken and after breaking them for long enough you may even find yourself rewriting them one day :)

[jbergdoll]

To Jburgdoll,

I think if you keep following rules your always going to be aiming for a goal that someone else has already reached. Rules are made to be broken and after breaking them for long enough you may even find yourself rewriting them one day :)
First off, I never said I was the king. But there's a reason there are some rules with skate photography, just look in magazines.

[jbergdoll]

Big K-I love you. Cute name.

To the OP--go buy a ton of mags and just stare at the photos, analyze their comps, lighting schemes, etc. It helps a lot.

[joelham]

off your high horse buddy

[jbergdoll]

off your high horse buddy
Not on a high horse

[urbandancer]

Love the post processing, can you share your workflow please????

[titaniumsportz]

what lens did you use set at what? I think they look cool

for these set i just used 10-17 fisheye

[titaniumsportz]

Love the post processing, can you share your workflow please????


Thanks

for these I used the lightroom then throw it to PS.... i just play around with the setting on the lightroom w/c I end up those PP.

Thanks

[titaniumsportz]

I would suggest a couple of things.

Take some time to look at some of the posts by the king of skateboarding then decide how much you care about his opinion of composition. Also keep in mind that the master of all things imaging is 18.

While it would be nice to see larger versions of the images, I don't think your composition is that bad at all. Good use of the rule of thirds, clean (as much as possible with skating) backgrounds and good use of clouds and the sky as a background. I would have liked 2-4 better if they were composed more like 1 and there are some small things with a couple of the others, but nothing remotely close to deserving a response that in any way includes the word retarded.

Most importantly, you can actually see peoples faces. Assuming the focus is good, I think several of these would look really good on a 30" monitor.

I also consider things deemed a "HUGE no no" to mean a "HUGE opportunity to be different". Your signature line sums it up pretty well.

As for the PP effect, that is all a matter of personal style. There is no right or wrong, it is what you want it to be. I like it for portrait work and a few action sports shots, but tend to like action sports to be more natural. If you like it, that is all that matters.

Thanks a lot...

I really think Photography is ART..... then No rules. if you follow the rules and same style then the end result is no different. So why not do something diff right. Anyway thank you very much for the comment

[nrellas]

I would suggest a couple of things.

Take some time to look at some of the posts by the king of skateboarding then decide how much you care about his opinion of composition. Also keep in mind that the master of all things imaging is 18.


x2

This is the internet people...get over yourselves

[jbrevard]

First off, I never said I was the king. But there's a reason there are some rules with skate photography, just look in magazines.


That's not really a good way to think. If you want to be like everyone else and have the same shots then by all means do what everyone else is doing. Magazines like ESPN and SI and countless other magazines will print something unique or something no one else is doing. If you've ever heard of Mark Rebilas check out his blog, he shot baseball with a remote cam set up covering home plate from the catwalk. He got a dbl truck because it was a unique shot no one else was getting. Don't be like everyone else :)

Just my .02

[jeff2231]

Big K-I love you. Cute name.

To the OP--go buy a ton of mags and just stare at the photos, analyze their comps, lighting schemes, etc. It helps a lot.

If you buy a ton of mags, analyze their comps etc all you end up with is the same shot with a different rider. Wouldn't you prefer to see a photo with something different?

You don't buy mags just to see the same thing over and over do you?

To the OP, I say keep at it. Your photos are better than any I have seen from Jburgdoll so I wouldn't pay any attention to somebody who is jealous.

[jbergdoll]

If you buy a ton of mags, analyze their comps etc all you end up with is the same shot with a different rider. Wouldn't you prefer to see a photo with something different?

You don't buy mags just to see the same thing over and over do you?

To the OP, I say keep at it. Your photos are better than any I have seen from Jburgdoll so I wouldn't pay any attention to somebody who is jealous.
OK I am fine with you guys trolling, that's fine, but at least spell my name right. And, yeah, you're right. I'm jealous of overprocessed skatepark photos. Hahahaha.

OP--I know I'm kinda sounding like a douchebag, but you DO have a lot of room for improvement--if you posted these on any legit skate photography site they'd get ripped to shreds too. Hard crit is how you learn (nobody here seems to realize that, everyone on POTN is all about "nice photos thanks for sharing"). I agree keep at it but get out of the park and go shoot real skateboarding (street skating) and tell the kids to take their helmets off. Also, if you're serious about getting into the skate photography game, I'd suggest getting some PW's and some flashes for use off-camera. These allow you to control the lighting situation much better than on-camera flash (especially at night) and provide you with numerous options to get some awesome lighting going. It's a lot of money but it's worth it.

[AdamLewis]

Titanium: I think the pictures are pretty good. You should always evaluate the source of whos giving you advice before taking the advice. Just some words of wisdom there ;)

[urbandancer]

Thanks

for these I used the lightroom then throw it to PS.... i just play around with the setting on the lightroom w/c I end up those PP.

Thanks


Something more especific please?

I use this workflow aswell.

Thank you so much in advance

[titaniumsportz]

Something more especific please?

I use this workflow aswell.

Thank you so much in advance


PM you

[urbandancer]

PM you

I PM you.

Thanks

[mikekelley]

The best skateboard photogs are good skaters themselves. Same with any sport like snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX, motocross, etc. They know what it takes and where to emphasize aspects of a trick that appeals to the intended audience.

OP: I'm sure you skate a little bit. Think about this - if you were doing a trick, and wanted to show the difficulty of that trick, think about how you'd want the shot taken. Know things like when he'll poke the grab, what direction he'll spin, and so on.

Tough when shooting a contest and people are coming at you quickly, but these are good things to keep in mind when shooting one or two people at a time.

[laurap33]

Titanium: I think the pictures are pretty good. You should always evaluate the source of whos giving you advice before taking the advice. Just some words of wisdom there ;)

+1

It is an art you make your own out of what you see.

By all means, we all have room for improvement no matter who we are and we all have different taste.

I like the look of them, get input of other skaters and see what they like to have taken of them too. The subjects input can be a huge difference.

[titaniumsportz]

+1

It is an art you make your own out of what you see.

By all means, we all have room for improvement no matter who we are and we all have different taste.

I like the look of them, get input of other skaters and see what they like to have taken of them too. The subjects input can be a huge difference.



Thanks

[24alpha]

I agree keep at it but get out of the park and go shoot real skateboarding (street skating) and tell the kids to take their helmets off.
Up until you posted this.........I didn't have anything negative to say.
Why on earth would you encourage a kid to take off his/her helmet and risk serious head injuries. You sir, can only be discribed as a twat!

And bowl/ramp/park skating IS real skating!

P.S. I have been skating since the 80's WITH helmets.

[Joetaco]

cool series, and great quote in your sig.:)

[JelleVerherstraeten]

I like the wheater on those shots. Very dramatic!

[jbergdoll]

Up until you posted this.........I didn't have anything negative to say.
Why on earth would you encourage a kid to take off his/her helmet and risk serious head injuries. You sir, can only be discribed as a twat!

And bowl/ramp/park skating IS real skating!

P.S. I have been skating since the 80's WITH helmets.
I have been skating since 2000, always with a helmet, too. I've gotten a concussion and have been knocked out for quite a bit. However, helmets really take away from photos, especially if it's something really basic like an ollie down a 4 stair. Park skating is fun (I love skating bowl and I skate at the local park all the time), but park photos are more of a no-no, because the place was built with skateboarding in mind. Most people get a lot more stoked when they see a nice flip trick down some odd gap as opposed to a grab launched out of a bank, because that odd gap is something that isn't designed for skateboarding, and an ordinary person would disregard and not even consider the potential it has, whereas a bank ramp is intended for skaters to utilize it in the way it was created.

[tadrscin]

Well there are certainly a lot of opinions here so I guess there's room for one more. The first thing you have to know is who you're shooting for. That's who you have to please. If it's just you or you and you're friends, then do whatever you want. If you're shooting for a client, or want to be, then that's who you have to please and you'll have to learn to get the shots they need/want. At the same time, you should be encouraged to experiment and be able to provide a client something different as long as you already have enough of what the client needs/wants. Just because everone else is shooting a particular way, doesn't mean there isn't a better or more creative way to shoot. Sure there are some cardinal rules you don't want to break like having a pole coming out of a subjects head or very distracting backgrounds. Other than things like that, I can't comment on what really makes a good skate shot as I've only shot a few skaters. As for your shots, the only one I don't really care for is the last one as the background is too busy for my tastes and the photographer in the shot really kills it for me. Maybe the biggest stickler for me is having tack sharp images which it's too hard to tell since yours are so small. They look a tad soft, but that could just be the size. I understand the idea of getting both the takeoff and landing in a shot because it tells a story, but what you seem to lose by only doing that are the facial expressions. I would suggest also getting some close-ups of the skaters so you can tell a different story with the emotion on their faces. I shoot mainly mtn biking and what I can tell you is that I've been both praised and criticized for some of my photos, and sometimes I get opposite opinions on the same one. Not everyone sees the same thing or likes the same thing. What it comes down to is that you have to please whoever you're shooting for and no one else. Personally I don't believe there is a single way of shooting anything. You can't just follow some tried and true formula and expect to get by on that. Photography is supposed to be a creative art. Not to mention that the more you experiment, the more you understand how and why things work. I often learn more from my failures than my successes. I'm lucky in that I shoot for myself so I'm the only one that has to be happy with my work. I mainly shoot my friends and they're easy to please, usually too easy unfortunately. On the other hand, I value the opinions of a lot of people here which is why I post here in hopes if learning more and improving my photography. Whatever you do, don't confine your shooting to inside a box.

jbergdoll - You're initial post was nothing but rude and completely uncalled for. You may not like someone's work, but calling it retarded just shows how juvenile you are. If that was the first time I'd seen you post something like that, that would be one thing, unfortunately this is too common from you. Then you had the sheer audacidity of suggesting to ask the skaters to take their helmets off. Now that's retarded!

[jbergdoll]

I realize my error in posting on POTN, none of my posts ever say "Cool pics, thanks for sharing." Sorry, from now on I will stick to bland compliments even when the subject matter is lacking in quality.

And Titanium, if you are so keen on doing your own thing and being different from everyone, how come you use the extremely overused "Dave Hill"/HDR post method?

[cheaterpumpkineater]

I liked how you used that can u email them to me? trenton@computermail.net

[tadrscin]

No one is saying you can't be critical with your comments, but you do need to be respectful. If you don't like it that's fine. But don't call it retarded just because it doesn't fall within you're narrow constraints of what a skateboarding shot should look like.

[JeffCanon]

IMO the composition is fine with most of them, Although personly I'm not a big fan of the super wide framing style, PP is also not my fav style

My favs are #s 6 and 7

[titaniumsportz]

I realize my error in posting on POTN, none of my posts ever say "Cool pics, thanks for sharing." Sorry, from now on I will stick to bland compliments even when the subject matter is lacking in quality.

And Titanium, if you are so keen on doing your own thing and being different from everyone, how come you use the extremely overused "Dave Hill"/HDR post method?


Pardon me Sir I dont event know who is Dave Hill... and take note I'm only shooting skateboard late last year - Nov 2008 - and I dont read or look up any magazine on skateboard/nor paintball or any extreme sports. the reason why coz I wanna be diff... Second buddy.... not bad for less than a year which some of my photos are already posted on Activerideshop.com and ActionSportworld tour (ASA) for less than a year. I have a media credential on every major event. I GUESS I'M DOING SOMETHING RIGHT. Your entitle with your own opinion and believe me I know who I need to listen too...

God bless

[titaniumsportz]

No one is saying you can't be critical with your comments, but you do need to be respectful. If you don't like it that's fine. But don't call it retarded just because it doesn't fall within you're narrow constraints of what a skateboarding shot should look like.


Thank you Sir

but believe me not even affected at all with his comment... I hang out with a lot of awesome and very respectful skate and sports photography and ONE THING STUCK IN MIND IS

PHOTOGRAPHY IS ART!!!! NO RULES!!

[xander2188]

just because photography doesnt have rules doesnt mean something cant suck. The photos in the OP were super oversharpened and had that fake overdone HDR look that I hate so much. Get tighter in your photos.

[samsen]

Amazing Titan.

[urbandancer]

PM you

[OBIUNO]

they are decent, and i skate..pick up a transworld mag

[titaniumsportz]

they are decent, and i skate..pick up a transworld mag


thanks

[jeff2231]

I love reading JBergdoll's posts. It's so entertaining to see cocky kids shot down when they
get their usual "I know everything because my friends say my photos are good" attitude on.

Until you post something better I don't think your going to get much respect here mate, your all talk and no action. Being rude will get you nowhere in life, you'll just end up angry and without any friends.

[titaniumsportz]

I love reading JBergdoll's posts. It's so entertaining to see cocky kids shot down when they
get their usual "I know everything because my friends say my photos are good" attitude on.

Until you post something better I don't think your going to get much respect here mate, your all talk and no action. Being rude will get you nowhere in life, you'll just end up angry and without any friends.

very truth.....


I guess know it all kinda attitude... hahaha

[titaniumsportz]

here's some more


#1
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll261/titaniumsportz/AMseriesSKATELAB02.jpg



#2
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll261/titaniumsportz/AMseriesSKATELAB.jpg


#3
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll261/titaniumsportz/AMseriesSKATELAB-24.jpg


#4
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll261/titaniumsportz/AMseriesSKATELAB-23.jpg


#5
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll261/titaniumsportz/AMseriesSKATELAB-14.jpg

[Martin.D]

Why on earth would you encourage a kid to take off his/her helmet and risk serious head injuries. Indeed, my son is 7 I never want to see him with his helmet off.. I have seen a guy (17) being put in the back of an ambulance becuase of no head protection.. Encouraging people not to wear a helmet is not a cool thing.. @titaniumsportz Love the last set - Would you PM how you achived the PP results (Even if it's a preset) Thx

[samsen]

WOW

[jeff2231]

Man I love that first one from the last set. Only wish that guy running down the bottom wasn't there.

[chrono300]

That first shot in the second series of shots is great, it has a vintage look to it that really pushes it to stand out among this set. The second shot is my favorite of the set looking like it could be an ad shot for a poster.

I have shot with him a few times in a completly different setting (with paintballs flying all over the place) and he is a very humble person. Keep up the good work, I like seeing your art progress.