Scott Moffat Photography - Hawaii, Action Sports, wedding, portrait, nature, scenic panorama

Panoramic Series #12: Kualoa Ranch

2012-01-09T09:02:00.006-10:00

Stepping back in time and pulling up photos from my Hawaii archive, I found this shot of the ko'olau mountains on Kualoa Ranch, which is where films like Jurassic Park, Windtalkers and Pearl Harbor were filmed as well as parts of TV series like LOST and Hawaii 5O. In a beautiful horse pasture nestled between these shear cliffs of the ko'olaus and the white sands of the Pacific Ocean, a heard of horses wait for the sun to break through the clouds as the early spring rains begin to subside. The lush greenery reminds me of how much rain is constantly falling out on those little islands in the middle of the Pacific.

2011 AIL Championships

2011-11-15T15:48:00.006-10:00

I was recently fortunate enough to enjoy a weekend at Californias Woodward West, for the Amateur Inline League 2011 World Championships. Friday night brought a mellow evening session with the likes of Brian Aragon, Dave Lang, Chris Haffey, and Matt Farnsworth and the We Are ONE Skate park crew from Utah. We had a great session on the launch box, shot some photos and then headed up to the lodge to celebrate in the name of another gathering of rollerbladers for the Armature Inline League World Championships 2011.

Saturday morning was filled with energized skating and positive encouragement all around as everyone warmed up for their divisions. Rollerblading icons Arlo Eisenberg and Matt Mickey were in attendance to keep things real in the name of rolling; Matt was also keeping things hyped on the mic and distributing the world famous, home made, Intuition Cookies. Mad support for the up and coming rollers was shown during the beginner session, during which everyone stopped skating to watch the likes of Danielle Montgomery, and the Velasquez twins, among others, throw down.

Beginner:

1st – Danielle MontgomerY

2nd – James Whelan

3rd – Mason Sieber

10-15 Intermediate:

1st Julian Budge

2nd Ethan Quinn

3rd Austin Montgomery

10-15 Advanced:

1st Johanny Velasquez

2nd Parker Richardson

3rd Troy Porretta

16 & Up Intermediate:

1st Nathan Genda

2nd Robert Rohlf

3rd Phil England

The Vert contest was short but sweet, with contestants from as far as Japan. 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd went to Hiroshi Minami, David Jones and Brandon Davis. The woman’s division was full of sick skating from the likes of Becci Walace, Coco Sanchez, Rosie O’Donaghue, Fallon and Aarin Gates; with 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd going to Aarin Gates, Fallon Heffernan and Rosie O’Donaghue of Ireland. I missed a good portion of this skating so no pictures, sorry girls.

Once the Advanced division began, the level of skating went through the roof in the Hanger’s street course. More than forty rollers skated two 45sec. runs each to place in the top ten and advance to the Elite division heats to battle it out for $1200 in prize money put up by Intuition Skate Shop and the AIL. The top 10 advancing skaters became AIL Elite.

16 & Up Advanced (Turn AIL Elite) 

1st – Brett Urbas – Detroit, Michigan 

2nd – Kazuho Kumazawa – Japan 

3rd – Daniel Gorman – Dublin, Ireland 

4th – Rick Rodriguez – Northridge, California 

5th – Tony Rivituso – Las Vegas, Nevada 

6th – Damon Franklin – Tehachapi, California 

7th – Chris Calkins – Venice Beach, California 

8th – Carson Starnes – Atlanta, Georgia 

9th – Chad Tannehill – Taft, California 

10th – Chris Napoleon – Las Vegas, Nevada

All of which skated hard against the AIL Elite such as Haffey, Shima, Richard Johnson, Dave Lang, Brian Aragon, John Vossughi, Julian Bah and Jeremy Townsen. Top riders of the Elite division were 1^st Chris Haffey, 2^nd Dave Lang and 3^rd John Vossughi.

Arlo announced the 2011 industry awards, awarding the 2011 AIL industry Recognition Award to Kato Mateu for the for his work with the WRS. For his positive contributions to rollerblading in addition to his talent on blades, Brian Aragon received the AIL Skater Recognition Award and Brian Shima was entered into the AIL Hall of Fame along with the likes of Randy Spizer, Chris Edwards, Arlo Eisenberg, Jon Julio, and Dustin Latimer. But the unsung heroes of the AIL are Pam and Richie Velasquez, whose passion for rollerblading and motivation to spread the love of rolling has brought numerous years of epic skate park series contests to the amateur level of the inline community.

Panoramic Series #11: Low Tide Sunrise

2011-08-11T11:09:00.007-10:00

Across the street from where we are currently staying in Kaneohe, Kahaluu side, off the old Kam. Hwy., there is a very shallow beach that stretches out to the boats on a really low tide. By the time i got up, the tide was already coming in. Coming from the West Coast to Oahu, it has been a really neat experience to see the sun rise out of the sea to the east ever morning.

ONE LIFE - International Photography Competition

2011-06-20T22:41:00.014-10:00

Scott Moffat | See.Me

I submitted this photo into the ONE LIFE International Photography Competition.

At 36 floor up, there is quite a breath taking view of Honolulu and the Leeward side of the Ko'olau mountains. With Punchbowl crater just to the right of Nuuanu Valey and Diamondhead Crater in the distance, the Hawaiian Islands' volcanic history is still very present amongst modern day development.

Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor 35-70mm @ 35mm, ISO 100 f/5.6 @ 1/320

Panoramic Series #10: Nuuanu Pali

2011-04-09T08:40:00.003-10:00

When driving over the Pali Hwy, between the Windward and Leeward sides of the island, I will often cut off onto Nuuanu Pali. This alternate rout takes only a few minutes longer and is many times over fore scenic that the fast moving and busy 5 lane Pali Hwy. Its a calming and refreshing to drive through such beautifully dense jungle as that of the Nuuanu valley, with treetop canopies that create a full tunnel above the empty road.

ONE Magazine - PHOTO JOURNAL: Scott Moffat #9

2011-03-22T20:28:00.006-10:00

I have been out on Oahu, Hawaii, for half a year now and have discovered that rolling definitely lives out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It draws other rollers in from far away places, just as it brought me. Dan Lee, from Seattle, WA, recently came out for a few weeks to visit family, enjoy the chill, laid back atmosphere, the weather, the people, the beach, and the skating. Dan reps his local park, Skatebarn, which is a must for anyone cruising through Seattle. I met up with Dan, Akari, and Thumper at this ditch-turned-skatepark under the H1 freeway. To get to the spot you have to take a drainage tunnel under 12 lanes of freeway. Before we wrapped things up, Dan threw down a perfect Sweaty from near the top of this ledge from the vertical embankment and came out fakie like it was nothing. This barricade also got destroyed, and Dan laced this AO Fish.

Hawaii has a strong rolling scene, and it seems like everyone is always down for a session. There are lots of guys are killin’ it out on Oahu like Akari Ihara, Atis, Adam Rego, Ed, Evan and many more, all of which have been shredding the ledges, rails, ditches, and skateparks that the island has to offer. Keep an eye out for coverage of the annual Hawaii Real Street Comp, which will be going off some time later this year.

For this shot I used a Nikon D300, Nikon SB-800 Speedlight, Nikkor 18-70mm @ 27mm, f/4.0 @ 1/40, ISO 160. — Scott Moffat

Portraits: Natural Light vs. Artificial Light

2011-03-06T23:55:00.005-10:00

I just came across a handful of portraits that I had shot over the past few years and wanted to share them. First off are the natural light portraits.

The rest are all artificial lighting. Can you tell? Sometimes I try to hide this fact.

Baja Adventure #01: La Pestora Beach

2011-03-06T22:31:00.007-10:00

This is the first in a series of post that I will make from the adventure my wife Molly, best friend Theron and I went on last in early 2010 down to the bottom of Baja California. It was a life changing journey that I wish to someday revisit.

This Osprey was sunning itself atop a gigantic saguaro cactus that must have been at least 20' tall. It had rained the night before but the rays of the rising sun as seen in the images bellow were more than enough to dry out the osprey's feathers as well as our camping gear.

Panoramic Series #9: Kapolei Graffiti

2011-02-02T12:39:00.011-10:00

In Kapolei, Oahu, there are a lot of run down, abandoned military facilities. This shipment station, or at least that is what it appears to have been, is on the side of a subterranean bunker. The grounds are now used for the Kapolei archery range. There was so much trash and empty spray cans littering the ground that the dirt floor was barely visible. variations in artistic style shown throughout the countless tags within the building which created very interesting composition as the walls were nearly entirely covered from floor to ceiling with graffiti. Although this place was vandalized beyond recognition, it also had a strong sense of history beginning all the way back in pre-WWII through the many years of adventurous and rebellious youth doing what they could to leave their mark in history.

Alta Sierra '09/'10 Season: Zach

2011-01-28T20:54:00.007-10:00

Last season Zach Heidrich was tearing up Alta Sierra like no other. This torqued out Method Air was off the back of Lake Chair. Landed clean then went to lunch. More photos of Alta Sierra season past coming soon.

Dig that Zach?

Waves Shark's Cove, North Shore

2011-01-23T23:23:00.009-10:00

The most enormous swells that I have seen since we've been out here, at Shark's Cove on the North Shore last Thursday. I was able to take a few shots on my break at work. The waves were so powerful.

Panoramic Series #8: Lighthouse at Diamond Head

2011-01-13T15:05:00.004-10:00

I shot this sunset a while back, just after Scarlet was born. A beautiful late October sunset, with the clouds opening up before the sinking sun as it disappears.

Panoramic Series #7: Sunrise over Manoa Valley

2011-01-13T13:27:00.005-10:00

Early one morning, after dropping Molly and Scarlet off for their 5:00 am flight, I took a drive up Round Top Rd. to watch the sun rise. I actually left before the sun fully rose, but it was the rays of light that came with dawn that lit up the clouds in the most beautiful way above Diamond Head and Waikiki.

ONE rollerblading magazine · PHOTO JOURNAL: Scott Moffat #8

2010-12-13T07:33:00.008-10:00

This was a late night session with just Chris Lorimer and myself. A strictly shooting session, no warming up or anything, for which I give much respect to Chris. These stairs came out of a parking structure in Santa Barbara and had little to no run-up, a feat that Chris overcame by hurling himself up the steps opposite this stair set and rolling the few feet across the top before jumping onto the ledge. Many variations of tricks were done before we got this shot, including makio and soul the rail, soul and back royale on the ledge, and even soul with soul foot on the rail and front foot on the ledge. Madness! A number of bystanders from the nearby Pub were cheering on the entertainment, including a number of loose-lipped ladies on mom’s night out… I lit the shot with Nikon Speedlights, one to the right, coming from behind, and the other at camera left illuminating Chris from the front and creating a slight trapped shadow. Shot on a tripod at 1/5 @ f/3.5 ISO 250 so I could pull the ambient light. Lens, Nikkor 18-70mm on a Nikon D300 body. — Scott Moffat

Ben Schwab's XSJADO Pro Model Boot

2010-12-01T21:33:00.005-10:00

This shoot was just me, my camera, a fresh pair of Ben Schwad's XSJADO boots and two Nikon Speedlights on a pool table in the back of Intuition Skate Shop. Thank you Matt for so generously supporting my cause with make-shift studio space and product. I originally wanted to do a profile on not only the boots but also Ben himself skating, but the busy man never got back to me about that. None the less, here we have three shots profiling the athletes skates.

Maybe next time Ben?

Panoramic Series #6: Chinese Cemetery

2010-12-01T08:18:00.002-10:00

This is the Lin Yee Chung Society Chinese Cemetery in Manoa Valley on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. This is the first time I have ever photographed a cemetery and I found it surprisingly beautiful.

Kayaking Brush Creek with Javie and Austin

2010-12-01T07:25:00.009-10:00

Kayaking Brush Creek off of the Upper Kern River with Javie and Austin. These guys were jumping in their kayaks when when it was snowing on us at put-in, SAVAGES!!! By the time I showed up they were finishing their first run down the creek. We got two more in before they were on the verge of hypothermia and had to call it a day.

I shot this as an assignment for school where I coupled action sports with the equipment used by the athletes. This McNett Knife is on Javie's life vest.

Thanks for making the happen for me Javie and Austin. You guys were pushing it hard in the cold!

Panoramic Series #5: The Beauty of Forests

2010-11-22T22:05:00.005-10:00

I wanted to parallel the beauty of two very different forests with this series of panoramas. On the left is what I believe to be a banyon tree. I came upon this tree while hiking the Jack Ass Ginger trail.

On the right is a panoramic that I shot in Big Sur while adventuring a flooded creek off Nacimiento Ferguson road with my brother. The beauty of the red wood forests is something that is had to parallel but I think the jungles of Hawaii come close.

Panoramic Series #4: Kaipuu and Mahiai St.

2010-11-22T21:38:00.004-10:00

Balancing the city lights and the evening sky was a challenge for this shot. I watched the sky for a number of nights to get the right moment. Finally I decided that the moment was going to be non-other than when I just went out and started shooting.

We live down the street to the right. Just above the Nissan truck on the 2nd floor with the light on. Life in the city of Honolulu has been treating us well.

Panoramic Series #3: Sunset over Diamond Head

2010-11-22T21:31:00.003-10:00

I shot this on my way home from work one evening. We are looking towards Diamond Head from Hawaii Kai. It is really cool that I caught the sun setting this particular evening because the sun is no longer setting over Diamond Head today since Winter is bringing the Sun's course across the sky further South.

Musical Beginnings

2010-11-19T00:17:00.002-10:00

I started playing the acoustic guitar in high school thanks to an old friend Tim Zuni who showed me the ways. I have since fallen for my sweat six-string and bring her with me almost everywhere.

Another passion of mine that began to take root in high school was digital photography. I had shot with film previously for a few years, thanks to my dad, who would let me use his old equipment. For graduation my grandma told me that I could either get a class ring, or put the money towards my first digital camera. There was no decision to be made, just a DSLR to be found. This was one of the first digital images that I took with my Nikon D70. I really thought it was neat looking back at the beginning of two passions that have come along way with me through life, or at least what seems like a long way 21 years of life.

Panoramic Series #2: Sun Sets Over Honolulu

2010-11-18T08:31:00.003-10:00

Both of these panoramic images were taken from near the top of Tantalus Road above Honolulu.

I shot this wider panoramic initially, but I wanted to also get a shot that really emphasized the honolulu city lights. I had to wait for a while get the perfect balance between the sky at dusk and the city lights.

North Shore Waves at Rock Pile

2010-11-16T06:34:00.004-10:00

After leaving the skate park on the North Shore of Oahu, there were some good sized waves breaking at Rock Pile beach. These may no look that big from so far away, but I am looking down on them. I could feel the rumble of the ground through the car tires when some of the wave would break on the beach.

I will get some shots of real huge barrels later in the Winter as the real waves start rolling in.

Panoramic Series #1: Kailua Sunrise

2010-11-09T22:47:00.005-10:00

Recently I have become fascinated with creating panoramic images. Often times I am stitching anywhere from 4 to 9 images together to generate on final panoramic. What I have grow to love about this technique is the profound impact am image can have when such a vast perspective can be taken in all at once. This is the beginning of an on going series of posts of the panoramic photographs that I have created of the beautiful world we live in.

Kailua Sunrise - This was the first time I watched the sun rise out of the Pacific Ocean, 9/9/10 three days after we arrived on Oahu. It was amazing the way all of the clouds lit up the sky before the sun was even visible on the horizon with beautiful blues, pinks and yellows. There was no way I could take in all of that amazing sunrise in one shot, I tried, so I settled on these 8 to do the moment justice.

Finalist in 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest

2010-09-27T00:41:00.003-10:00

I was shocked when I got the email that this image had made it into the Finalists category of the Photographer's Forum 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest because I had honestly forgot that I had entered. Great surprise! I was able to shoot this on the Kern River with the help of one of my best friends, Brenton Henderson (seen in photo). This was shot as a multiple exposure assignment while studying at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. Using a Calumet 4x5 view camera, I set up on a rock in the midst of the raging Kern. I shot my initial 3 sec. exposure with Brenton in the frame, then had him climb out and I exposed the film for an additional 3 sec., creating a ghost-like effect on Brenton and causing the water to take on a form which could never be observed by the human eye.

Later than evening as we were leaving the canyon, we stopped by the sign at the entrance that warned of how dangerous the Kern can be when it is not given due cation and respect. I parked such that the headlights were illuminating the signs and then composed my camera so that the signs would be exposed on the same part of the film that most of the rushing water occupied. The end result of all this was the triple exposure photograph that you now see. Often times in this digital era such an image would be captured digitally and layered together in post production, but I was proud to have captured all of this on a single piece of film. It is one of the most conceptual images I have ever captured on film and I'm stoked that it has been acknowledged by the judges of Photographer's Forum's 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest.

Santa Clarita A Chosen-Few Contest Photos

2010-09-27T00:14:00.001-10:00

On the 4th of Sep. right before we left for Oahu Hawaii, I had the chance to shoot a skate contest in Santa Clarita, CA. A CHOSEN-FEW is organized by skater Quinn Feldman, who has been putting a lot of energy into rollerblading and supporting those who are coming up in the game. ONE magazine used some of my photos and Quinn's words for event coverage. Just doing what we can to make what we love look good.

Anthony Luna / Soul to Fakie

Anthony Willams / AO Porn 540 out

Anthony Williams / Rocket Fishbrain to Fakie

Connor O’Brien / AO Top Soul 450 out

Jeremy Soderburg / Abstract 540

Connor O’Brien / Zeropsin Rocket Fishrain

Jeremy Soderburg / Frontside Air to Fakie

Matt Mickey on the mic.

Mike Dempsey / Backside Unity to Fakie

Rick Rodriguez / Truespin Soul to Top Soul 180 out

Tyler Hester / AO Porn to Switch Miszou to Fakie

Brent Hicks / Fishbrain to Fakie

The second spot was most defiantly a step up from the first. We debated on even having this as a second spot because of how big and difficult it was. But these days everyone wants to skate a bank ledge, so I decided to give it to them. This secret gem is located behind a fence covered with ivy, and honestly there really is no way to find this spot unless you look at just the right moment when you’re driving on the freeway. People were really pushing themselves on this spot. I didn’t get to see all the action because I was running around so much, but what I did see was great. Fabio Enes killed that spot. He laced 270 Back Royale 450 out on the ledge among other tricks, and 450 Back Royaled the steep rail as well. Tyler Hester also enjoyed the steep rail, lacing up a nice Cab True Miszou. Garret Whitney tried Royale transfer Royale to the far rail, which I didn’t even think was possible, and although he got close, he did not land it. He says he will be returning to do it again and landing it. Daniel Rosato was lacing some steezy tricks on it as well. But one of my favorite tricks was Rick Rodriguez’s AO porn because he was one of the only skaters who started at the high point on the ledge (which is about neck high on him).

Anthony Luna / Royale 360 Royale

Connor keeps up the hype.

Garret Whitney / Royale to Disaster Royale Transfer Attempt

Jeremy Soderburg / Backside Fastslide

Matt Mickey keeps everyone in line.

Max Dubin / AO Top Acid

Max Dubin / Soul Gap to Transfer Soul Attempt

Mike Dempsey / Front Torque

Rick Rodriguez / AO Porn from the high section

Rick Rodriguez / Royale to TTS

Taking a breather.

Tyler Hester / AO Top Soul

Winston Wardwell / Sweatstance

Fabio Enes / 450 Back Royale

The final spot was back where we started. It was a big kink rail that no one was too confident about, except maybe Garret Whitney. The reason I picked this as the final spot, besides that it’s a big kink rail, is because it was directly across from the crowded skate park. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the amazing final spot. Even the skateboarders, bmxers and scooter riders came over and joined the crowd. The stuff that went down on this kink rail was epic to say the least. Garret did Top Acid hop Backside Royale, Top Porn hop Backside Royale, Top Acid hop True Miszou, and Top Acid hop Backside Fastslide. Fabio was skating as good as ever on the spot as well, lacing Backside Royale 540 out on the smaller kink and Hurricane Soul on the big kink. Unfortunately, he was injured trying to Hurricane Top Soul the big kink. He slammed his knee into the ground and was unable to continue skating. Anthony Luna probably hit the most tricks of the round with a Sweaty on both the small and big kink, a Top Acid on the big kink, Top Acid hop Back Farv, and a Top Acid hop Backside Torque. Towards the end of the comp this crazy dude started trying to Negative Makio through the kink. Tyler Hester, of course, had the highlight trick of this round which earned him Best Trick at the comp with a perfect Hurricane Top Acid to fakie. He also laced Hurricane Soul to fakie perfectly, and to Top Soul. The final spot overall was epic. The skaters and the crowd were going wild, and and everyone else was in AWE of what was going down.

Anthony Luna / Negative Makio through the kinks

Fabio Enes / Top Soul

Fabio Enes / Hurricane Soul

Garret Whitney / Top Acid Gap to Fastslide

Garret Whitney / Top Acid Gap to AO Miszou

Tyler Hester / Hurricane Top Acid

Thanks to all the sponsors who really came through for this comp with product. I know I say that a lot, but I really appreciate their support. We had an awesome product toss with frames, wheels, liners, hats, stickers, magazines, clothes and everything else you would want to chase and tackle friends for.

The Comp ended at a nice afterparty with a full bar and TVs. We premiered the highly-anticipated Chosen Few profiles of Tyler Hester and Anthony Gallegos. Then the Top 10 were announced by our great MC, Matt Mickey. Prizes and cash were handed out, and the judges decided the top 10 as follows:

1st: Tyler Hester
2nd: Anthony Luna
3rd: Garret Whitney
4th: Rick Rodriguez
5th: Fabio Enes
6th: Anthony Williams
7th: Daniel Rosato
8th: Connor O’Brien
9th: Max Jubin
10th: Jeremy Soderburg
Best Trick: Tyler Hester

Words: Quinn Feldman

Rachard Johnson - Street Artist Signature Wheel Spread

2010-04-29T09:39:00.000-10:00

I recently caught up with Rachard Johnson and we shot some photos down in the Long Beach area. I also shot his Street Artist Signature Wheels, courtesy of Matt Mickey at Intuition Skate Shop. Thanks Matt. Dig the Photos, stoked to have added these to the portfolio.

Look for more photos from sessions with Rachard in the near future.

AIL Season Openner Follow-Up Gallery

2010-03-29T09:30:00.000-10:00

They are a few weeks late, but should be seen none the less. I'm only posting some on the blog so click the images to view the entire gallery on my Flickr photostream.
Words by Matt Mickey - Intuition Skate Shop

Dozens of car loads of rollerbladers headed up to Woodward West for the first contest of the 2010Amateur Inline League season. The stage was set, and kids antsy and anxious after a long winter were poised to get their blade on. And blade they did. Rollerbladers came from as far away as Utah, Brazil, and Venezuala, and of course all over California, for the chance to compete in the AIL and skate the highly-regarded Hangar 18 park at Woodward West. Snow fell outside as the action inside began to heat up.

With the impromptu addition of the ‘PeeWee’ division to accommodate several of the youngest bladers, and the strongest ever showing in the 10 and Under Beginner’s division, the contest was underway. Organized by Pam and Richie Velasquez, announced by yours truly, and hosted byWoodward West, the day saw Vert, 10-15 Advancaed, 16 and Up Beginner/Intermediate, and 16 and Up Advanced disciplines. The ‘Everyday is Get Someone to Blade Day’ movement is in full swing, with blading classes at Woodward West put on by Richie Velasquez producing a surge of new young faces crossing over from hockey to compete in their first ever rollerblading contest at this AIL.

Over 100 rollerbladers turned out, and 75 of them took part in competitive skating. The main event is traditionally the 16 and Up Advanced division, and the March 13th event was no different. With a large field of over 20 bladers, after two 55 second runs on the main street course, which was modified slightly for this AIL, a winner was declared. Third place went to the talented Tyler Hest, second place went to the ramp local and rising star Damon Franklin, and first place to the hard hustling Rick Rodriguez.

In a totally unexpected turn of events, Pam Velasquez offered up $100 cash to the 16 and Up Advanced winner, and pro skater Rachard Johnson then upped the ante by throwing in $100 out of his own pocket, immediately boosting the significance of Rick Rodriguez’s victory by $200. So the 2010 AIL contest season got off to an exciting start. Scores of new young bladers, droves of the devoted, and a surprise cash infusion for the highest ranks. Check www.inlineleague.com for complete results and to get info on upcoming AIL contests that you and your friends can attend. —Matt Mickey

Small Product/Lifestyle Shoot

2010-03-19T02:07:00.000-10:00

I got an assignment in class to shoot a small product along with a lifestyle shot. Conveying a lifestyle that works with the chosen product can be difficult. I was shooting for s more urban street feel for these images.

I shot my roommate Quincy Dean and his Aerial7 headphones. The product shot was of the Aerial7 headphones hanging upside-down by their cords. I also bent a paperclip such that it would hold the headphones apart and look more natural.

The lifestyle shot is of Quincy charging around a wall-ride at Santa Barbara City College. We took the shot late in the evening to avoid running into foot traffic. Shooting from the top of the cylinder wall and looking down through my 10.5mm fish-eye gives a alternative perspective that does not make the action as impressive, because you cannot tell how high Quincy is on the wall, but is provides good composition for the Aerial7 loge.

Pics from AIL 2010 Season Opener - ONE Coverage

2010-03-18T07:25:00.000-10:00

I went up to Woodward for the 1st Amateur Inline League contest of the season, Mar. 13th. Competing and shooting this event at the same time is an awesome experience. Being so involved in all the other bladers and their skating while I'm shooting them gets me way juiced and stoked over going out and skating myself. Nothing but good times year after year when I look back on all the AIL contests I've been to. Check out the images I shot for ONE mag. There are more to come

Dozens of car loads of rollerbladers headed up to Woodward West for the first contest of the 2010 Amateur Inline League season. The stage was set, and kids antsy and anxious after a long winter were poised to get their blade on. And blade they did. Rollerbladers came from as far away as Utah, Brazil, and Venezuala, and of course all over California, for the chance to compete in the AIL and skate the highly-regarded Hangar 18 park at Woodward West. Snow fell outside as the action inside began to heat up.

With the impromptu addition of the ‘PeeWee’ division to accommodate several of the youngest bladers, and the strongest ever showing in the 10 and Under Beginner’s division, the contest was underway. Organized by Pam and Richie Velasquez, announced by yours truly, and hosted by Woodward West, the day saw Vert, 10-15 Advancaed, 16 and Up Beginner/Intermediate, and 16 and Up Advanced disciplines. The ‘Everyday is Get Someone to Blade Day’ movement is in full swing, with blading classes at Woodward West put on by Richie Velasquez producing a surge of new young faces crossing over from hockey to compete in their first ever rollerblading contest at this AIL.

n a totally unexpected turn of events, Pam Velasquez offered up $100 cash to the 16 and Up Advanced winner, and pro skater Rachard Johnson then upped the ante by throwing in $100 out of his own pocket, immediately boosting the significance of Rick Rodriguez’s victory by $200. So the 2010 AIL contest season got off to an exciting start. Scores of new young bladers, droves of the devoted, and a surprise cash infusion for the highest ranks. Check www.inlineleague.com for complete results and to get info on upcoming AIL contests that you and your friends can attend. — Matt Mickey

ONE magazine Photo Journal Posts

2010-03-14T15:42:00.000-10:00

ONE rollerblading magazine has a Photo Journal project going on their website that is highlighting the amateur crews of the rolling world by posting the photo submissions of skate photographers. This is an awesome way to keep us all stoked on blading and also to get the up and coming talent out there for everyone to see. Props to ONE mag for supporting rolling. These are the seven submissions I have made so far. Thanks to all you guys who threw down so I could get these shots

I can remember watching Sean Cowen thrown down in at the AIL competitions when he was just a little grom, competing against all the 18 & ups. These days, Sean has definitely grown into his skates and is skating solid in local comps like the LA All Day, and is coming just as strong on the street. We sessioned SoCal’’s Pepperdine University recently, and after a bit of exploring and skating fast rails, David Jones got us kicked out for scratching the new paint on the University’’s handrails. This shot was a quick setup on our way out — literally last shot of the day — and Sean only had to go twice before I had my flashes exposed right. I set one flash at the top right of the stairs, aiming down towards Sean, and the other was on-camera and angled up, as to not blowout the ground in front of me. Equipment used: Nikon Speedlight SB-900 off-camera, Nikon Speedlight SB-800 on-camera, Nikon D300 DSLR and a Nikkor 10.5mm Fisheye lens.

Chris Lorimer is normally hitting rails when we skate street, so as I watched him scope out this gap and lace it, I was still walking down the hill to set up my lights. We were skating Malibu High School and had already been kicked out, but the security was chill and let us skate in the parking lot. This parking lot’’s driveway had a long, continuous bank to fence, which was interrupted by two additional features, one being a very mellow handicapped rail, and the other being this gap that Chris holds a solid Mute Air over. It was partially overcast, so I lit the scene with three Speedlights; two you can see in the frame, and the third is on camera. The first two created the highlights I wanted on his front and back, and the third is on camera to fill the shadows. The equipment used was 2x Nikon Speedlight SB-900 off-camera, Nikon Speedlight SB-800 on-camera, Nikon D300 DSLR, and a Nikkor 10.5mm Fisheye lens.

Skating and shooting photos with David Jones is always a good time that leaves me juiced about skating. Our afternoon of skating in the L.A. area ended here, in between a parking structure and a business building. We took full advantage of the rail-happy landscaping. Numerous grinds were held through the entire length of this rail with its nine sections. Likewise, David had no problem with this Savannah. My exposure for this shot was 1/13 @ f/5 ISO 320. To expose for the lights on the trees, I dragged the shutter. I had no tripod, so that’s what’s up with the blurry trees. I used two Quantum Flash units to light David, and was shooting on a Nikon D3 with a Sigma 50-500mm lens (thanks Richie!)

Shooting in LA recently, I got some great photos of one of Santa Monica’s locals, Byron Snatchywaters. This 19-stair had a run-up with one push worth of space before you had to jump for the rail. This was no problem for Byron though, and after he had landed a clean Soul and a Makio with Rocket grab, I shot this Acid grind. This shot was for Jon Julio for hooking Byron up with his new Valos. Camera settings were 1/320 @ f/5.6 ISO 320. I set up two Quantum Flashes at 45º left and right of the rail, pointing them up so that they would fall off towards the foreground. Camera: Nikon D3. Lens: Sigma 50-500mm.

Skating on the central coast of California has been a solo event for me until recently. I finally found another rollerblader to not only skate with, but also go to school and live with. Chris Lorimer moved out here from Ohio to study photography, I intercepted him at school orientation, and we’ve been skating and shooting quite a bit. We were skating some street in Ventura and came upon Camarillo Middle school which, among many other obstacles, had an amazing five kink rail. There
was no run up, and Chris was throwing himself off the fence just to get speed. After a few attempts Chris smoothly layed down a solid Pornstar all the way through the last six inch length of the rail. Chris is representing Ohio strong out here in Cali.

This was shot during Intuition week up at Woodward West this past summer. A few of us were having a session in the Hanger after all the campers went to lunch, this being the only time we could get it to ourselves. Intuition Team Rider Derek Henderson started throwing bank-to-bank hammers on the box right off the bat. After a couple takes I shot this AO Soul 360. This was day one of the week and the following days were full of more sick skating. For this shoot I set up two flashes, one to the left and one to the right. This created the trapped shadow that I filled in with my on-camera flash. Camera settings were f/5.6 @ 1/250, ISO 400.

When rolling on his home turf, Richie’s skating is filled with an intense energy that comes out in the form of random Flatspin 360s over boxes that most are down to just grind. This was an awesome session, with all of the inline campers getting pumped off Richie’s skating, and throwing down hammers themselves. Setting up this shot, I positioned two of my flashes at 90 degrees to the left and right of the ramp. This lighting is great for separating the skater from the background, especially in an indoor park like the Hanger at Woodward West. My third flash was on-camera, and used to set off the other two, in addition to adding some fill light to the shadow areas. Camera settings were f/5 @ 1/200, ISO 400.

Snowboarding Photos from Seasons Past

2010-03-14T14:16:00.000-10:00

Snowboarding over the past 8 years has brought some amazing adventures and more good times than I could take photos of. Working up at Alta Sierra over the past 4 seasons gave me the opportunity to shoot a lot of snowboarding. So this is a gallery from the seasons of the past.

2010-03-13T05:17:00.000-10:00

James Nachtwey - XDRTR awarness clip

2010-03-11T07:35:00.000-10:00

James Nachtwey is arguably one of the most accomplished and celebrated photojournalist working today. He has traveled the world , experiencing the hardships and suffering of others fist hand and portrays it all to the world in denial through his photography. This short video is a project that he has been working on thanks to a TED grant, conveying the urgency to reverse the spread of tuberculosis as it begins to evolve and develop itself into a new XDR(extreme drug resistant)Tuberculosis. Watch the clip, spread the awareness. I don't mean to be a drag by showing this on my blog, it's just the reality of the world around up, even though we may not see it first hand.
"I have been a witness, and these photographs are my testimony."
-James Nachtwey, Photographer

Full Gallery AIL World Championships 2009

2009-11-19T06:32:00.000-10:00

I shot over 400 more photos at Woodward for the AIL World Championships. Click this image to see the full gallery and even order prints of the images you like.

AIL World Championships 2009

2009-10-29T12:41:00.000-10:00

Event coverage on ONE magazine's web page. This years AIL World Championships was an event filled with tons of positive energy, friends skating with friends, and countless rollers coming together from all over the world to do what they dig the most, skate! There were rollers tearing up The Hanger at Woodward West from all over the States, East Asia and Europe. There were countless Pro riders like Demetrius George, Chris Haffy, Erik Baily, Alex Broskow, Dustin Latimer and many more, along with industry Legends such as Arlo Eisenberg, Chris Edwards and John Julio. Some of the most progressive Am skating went down this past weekend as skaters in the Elite division battled it out for a position in the top 10. The Advancing rollers from 1st place to 10th were:

1. Yuto Goto

2. Sean Cowen

3. Tad Tregeagle

4. Wake Shepman

5. Taylor Latouche

6. Louis Soares

7. Craig Brockelhurst

8. Harbor Bickmore

9. Zach Nelson

10. Will Jamieson

These boys went on to skate in Sundays Pro &amp; Elite division of the competition for a $3000 prize purse. After an afternoon of all around amazing skating, the top three riders were; 1st- Julian Cudot- $1500, 2nd- Yuto Goto- $1000, and 3rd- Stephane Alfono- $500. Although there was amazing skating on all levels of this event, the most impressive skating was during the Best Trick battle. This event winded down to Eric Baily with his Sweaty 360 Top Soul over the Golden Arches vs. Stephane Alfano and his 540 disaster TTS from quarter to quarter. The judges were so blown away by the this Frenchman with his huge disaster tricks and the smooth American that they settled on a even draw between the two.

Anyone who was not able to make it out to this event should make a point to come next year. There is a thriving community of rollerbladers throughout this world, and it is event like this that make our world as rollers seem a little smaller. Mad props and respect to Pam and Richie Velasquez for making events like this come to life. And also to Matt Mickey and Arlo Eisenberg for keeping the crowed alive on the mic! -- Scott Moffat

Studio Product Photography

2009-10-23T07:22:00.000-10:00

It has been nice coming back to school after taking a session off. I just finished my Lighting Studio class this week. Learned a lot of really useful technique in this class. The studio is no longer at intimidating a it used to be, I feel as though I can now take full advantage of what it has to offer my photography. I also learned a lot about reflections, highlights, and incident angles, all of which contribute to a great image. Here are some shots that I did for class.
These were all shot on Black Glass, which is a really creative surface to shoot on. When shooting on black glass, everything under my product is a reflection of what is behind the tabletop that I am shooting on.

I had a 1 product 4 backgrounds assignment as well, and I shot these S4 Snowboard Goggles.

These last two images are exactly the same, I just put gels over the lights.
The images below are some extra credit work that I did last minute.

Night Lights

2009-09-19T11:59:00.000-10:00

Shooting at night is one of my favorite things to do. There is no longer a vast bast of ambient light falling over everything around you, just little splashes and streaks here and there that catch my attention. Mos of the time I am shooting time exposures for multiple seconds to get the lighting that I have envisioned. Freeways are one of my favorite locations because every single car has it's own set of lights that sip around with it wherever it goes, creating streaks of light. I think that makes a road look much more interesting, but that's just me. Something I have only touched on a little is slowing my shutter just to the point where the moving object become blurred, like in the LAX Traffic photo. Other times my exposures are so long that the moving objects in the frame disappear entirely. These are a compilation of the Night Lights that I have captured over the past year.

ONE magazine coverage of Sept. 5th LA All Day

2009-09-19T05:28:00.000-10:00

More photos from the LA All Day appearing exclusively on the ONE magazine website, and now here on my blog. Props to all you guys who came out and threw down. I'm so stoked to have the opportunity to not only skate with you guys but shoot some photos of your sick skating. Lets keep it up and the little ones will see where they are heading. Give them all something to get pumped over.

LA All Day September 5th 2009

2009-09-12T07:36:00.000-10:00

Awesome time and good vibes down in Santa Monica for the 4th LA All Day competition of the year. All divisions of athletes were throwing down in the most progressive ways. Props to everyone who came out and made this event happen!!! Rollerblading is alive! Here's some photos so that you can imagine you were there, or to just look at and reminisce.

Jesusita Fire 2009

2009-09-11T20:17:00.001-10:00

I know this fire came through the Santa Barbara area a while ago, but I thought these photos should be seen. My good friend Arnaldo and I chased the flames and the helicopters to get these photos. We were even chased by the cops ourselves at one point because the fire was a mile away and we were "TOO CLOSE!! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!!" But we made it out unscathed.

!LA All Day Photos! Buy Prints

2009-09-04T18:28:00.000-10:00

AIL May 4th 2009!

2009-06-19T08:22:00.000-10:00

It has been a few weeks since the competition up at Woodward West in Tehachapi, CA. The energy at this event was great, with a few dozen rollerbladers all coming together to skate, hang out, and do some competitive runs. These are the highlight photos, but if you want to see the entire gallery click on any of them.
Full Gallery

Thanks many times over to Pam and Richie who have worked so hard to make these events happen. I'm glad to have had the oppertunity to be a part of the AIL.

LA All Day April 25th 2009

2009-06-03T13:16:00.000-10:00

The April LA All Day was an awesome turn out. this was my first time making it south for the evnt and the vibe was perfect. Huge bunch of rollerbladers all out to throw down with each other. The elite division skating was something else, I was pretty blow away, Sean, Byron, and the Rodriguez boys all gained some respect. I got some photos, and was able to compete as well. Heres some of the highlight pic or you can click the link fofr the full gallery.

Full LA All Day Gallery

Beginner Division Winners

Intermediate Division Winners

Advanced Division Winners

Elite Division Winners

I will see you all on the 20th, same spot.

June Mtn.

2009-05-29T04:36:00.000-10:00

We made it up to June Mtn. this last season for some real boarding after tearing Shirley apart all season. It was nice to finally be able to go fast for more than 29 sec. and not be at the bottom of the slope. Zach and Molly were both tearing it up like savages, and I was boarding with camera in hand!

I want more snow, I miss the white pow pow...

School Shots from Brooks

2009-05-27T22:32:00.000-10:00

For almost a year now I've been grinding through a college education at an amazing photography school The Brooks Institute. I've taken a lot of photographs, and learned even more. Here are some of the better images from the first half of my time here at Brooks. The second half is to come all in due time.

Richard Johnson

2009-05-27T22:23:00.000-10:00

I got a lot of great shots at the May 4th AIL @ Woodward West. Here's sneak peek of that batch with a portfolio of Richard Johnson skating.

There are more to come so keep your heads up.

Edits for Matt & KC skating

2009-04-28T20:40:00.000-10:00

Made a trip over to Bakes a a few weekends ago. It was a nice drive, rained on us in Taft, but that did not stop the skating. Anthony Luna is down to skate regardless of the conditions.

A day later we were in Bakersfield at the Harris rails for some more skating and shooting. Luna was throwing down once again, as well as Derik King and Brett Well.

March 14th AIL @ Woodward West

2009-04-28T20:14:00.000-10:00

This is my first post all you peoples, hope it's memorable. I've got some photos that I took at the first AIL of the season up at Woodward West. There was a great turn out, rollers from all over the country. Here's what I got with my camera.

Richard Johnson - 540

E. Rodriguez - 360 >< John Easy - Full cab Savana

Anthony Luna - Mute 360 >< AO Makio w/ cross grab

John Easy - AO Top-Acid