I first met Elliot Sloan a couple years ago at the Maloof Money Cup which is now the Kimberley Diamond Cup here in South Africa.  On my recent trip to San Diego, California, I got to go to his house and shoot some photos of him on his ramp in his backyard, also known as the “Rockstar Energy” ramp…  Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the afternoon.

One of the highlights of my recent trip to California was meeting up with PLG(Pierre Luc Gagnon) to shoot some photos at the DC/Monster Energy ramp in San Diego.   A picture of him helping me get the lighting set and a picture of the frontside air to wrap up the session.

I first met Lee back in 2000 when we worked together at a Surf/Skate/Snowboard store in Ocean Beach California.  Our friendship kicked off immediately as we were into all kinds of similar things.  Music, skating and Mexican food.  Lee is an amzing dude, an amazing musician and surfer but most of all, one of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet.  I’ve missed this guy.  I shot this picture of him surfing the other day and it’s pretty much the first ever surf photo I’ve ever shot.  I’d be fine if it was my last, not that I hate shooting surfing, I’m just satisfied with the image.

These are some shots that I took over the weekend at the skatepark in Alexander Township in Johannesburg.  I always knew it existed but never knew where it was and I have to say, I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was.  It’s a huge park with loads to skate and ride on and the kids there are cool which, for me, is key.  I really don’t care to hang out with a bunch of people that think they’re cooler than everyone else because they skate or ride better.  Who cares, we’re all there to have fun anyways.  It was fun watching these guys rip on their bikes and even more fun shooting some photos.  Thanks to the people that built the skatepark and gave those kids a place to go to and do something positive, it beats most of the parks I’ve seen in upper to middle class neighborhoods.

TK is a young ripper from the south of Johannesburg.  This photo does not serve him justice though, the gap which he is clearing is way bigger than it looks here.  Gap to sketchy bank and a gravel covered roll away and it only took him a couple tries.  His style definitely speaks for itself.

I just got back to Johannesburg after spending a fun long weekend in the town of Kimberley, South Africa.  It’s a strange little town with a very diverse population, including 1 lone American…  “Mike”, or as most people would call him, “Chinner”.  Mike has been living out there since early last year and runs the Maloof Money Cup skate park while seeking shade from that African sun.  If you ever get the time to head out there, you’ll find Mike at the Maloof Skate Plaza, towering over all the kids, and their parents for that matter!  If he’s not busy with some contest or hanging out with the kids, he’s probably on his board, his uber wide board, perfect for the 7 foot tall man.  Here are some photos I shot with Chinner enjoying his board.

I shot some photos of these 2 having fun on the Mini Mega Ramp while at the Maloof Money Cup in Kimberley South Africa this year.  Fun watching the guys step away from the seriousness of the contest to have some fun and laughs and mess around on the stuff they actually wouldn’t be skating on during the contest.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the downtown area of Johannesburg with all the local skaters.  After a long shoot the other day, we all headed to a random street where everyone started playing ‘skate’.  It was amazing to just watch these guys throw tricks down like they were nothing!  I love Bergen’s style, he does swith stance tricks just as easy as regular ones!