Light, motion & the streets of Los Angeles.
Stories on skate, footwear, editorial and sport photography: how the pictures are planned, lit and shot, from Venice ledges to the velodrome in Carson.
A field journal for people who make pictures in Los Angeles. How skate, footwear, fashion and sport photography actually gets made: the light, the lenses, the spots and the decisions behind every frame.
From the contact sheet
Start with the stories readers come back to most: skate footwear, shoe still life and pool-deck sport.
Nike SB Photography: How Skate Shoes Get Shot in Los Angeles
Nike SB photography set a template for skate footwear imagery: real skating, real wear, real spots. Here is how that kind of shoot is planned and lit in LA.
On Set With a Vans Photographer: Pro Skater, Shoe Story, One Day
A vans photographer has to serve two clients at once: the skater trying to land a trick and the footwear team that needs the shoe in focus. Here is how that day is built.
Skateboard Photography in Los Angeles: A Working Guide
Skateboard photography rewards preparation and nerve in equal measure. This guide covers lens choice, flash, LA spots and the etiquette of shooting skaters.
Photographing Stacy Adams Shoes and Classic Men's Footwear
Stacy Adams shoes are a familiar name in classic men's dress footwear. Here is how dress shoes like them are lit, styled and shot, both as product and on foot.
UCLA Water Polo Photography: Shooting the Sport From the Deck
UCLA water polo is a contact sport played mostly underwater, which makes it one of the hardest to photograph. How to get the shot from the deck and below the surface.
Photographing Florsheim Shoes and Heritage Wingtips Up Close
Florsheim shoes and other classic American dress shoes reward patience: raking light across brogue punching, clean macro detail and still life sets that feel built rather than bought.
The December Cover Story: Shooting for a Magazine Like Bello Magazine
A December cover for a fashion and culture title like Bello magazine has to carry a masthead, cover lines and the holiday mood without looking like a greeting card.
Six ways in
The exposure lab
Every story here comes back to three dials. Move them and watch the frame: brightness, motion, depth and grain.
Keep reading
Thrasher Photography and the Craft of Skate Magazine Work
Thrasher photography is shorthand for raw, real skate imagery made for print. Here is how magazine-style skate photos are approached, shot and edited.
Kilian Martin and the Craft of Photographing Freestyle Skating
Freestyle skating, the style Kilian Martin is known for, is fluid and technical. Photographing it for a news magazine calls for different choices than street skating.
Shaun White Oakley Imagery and the Craft of Athlete Eyewear Portraits
The long Shaun White Oakley association is a reminder of how central athletes are to eyewear imagery. Here is how action-sports eyewear portraits are made.
Quiksilver Photography and Southern California Surf Lifestyle
Quiksilver photography stands for a whole category: surf and skate lifestyle imagery made on SoCal beaches and streets. Here is how that work is approached.
Neff Headwear Style: Shooting a Summer Headwear Campaign
Youth brands like Neff headwear built their look on color, humor and action-sports culture. Here is how a summer headwear campaign in that spirit comes together.
Stacy Adams Photography and the Spring Dress-Shoe Campaign
Stacy Adams photography is a useful lens on how men's dress-shoe brands plan spring campaigns: lookbooks, color stories and two-tone styling.