Nick Dompierre kickflip crook

What was your first exposure to skating?

When I was like ten or eleven my parents moved to France for like three years. I didn’t know anyone there except for the neighbor, who spoke English. He was like four or five years older than me and he skated, so I got a skateboard so I could hang with him. That’s pretty much how I started. I didn’t know anything about it though, I just kinda rolled around.

How long have you been taking skate photos?

Since 2005, the year I blew out my knee. I couldn’t skate anymore, so I’d just tag along. I was always into photography, but for some reason I never thought to take skate photos. I would always rather skate than take photos you know.

So you were taking photos of other stuff before skate photos?

Yeah anything. My old man gave me a Nikon F3, I still have it. I would just take photos, and maybe sometimes develop the film. I fucked around with some point and shoot, like those old rectangular ones. But I never thought to shoot skate photos. I’d go skating, and just skate, you know.

Andrew Rebello ollie

What are some of your favorite things to shoot besides skating?

I like using photography as an excuse to travel whether it’s a skate trip or not. So I guess just travel photos, and landscapes if you’re at the right spot at the right time. Last Fall I went out to Washington state to go hiking with my buddy who lives out there. It was pretty much we’d wake up at 4am, set up the tripod, and shoot photos. That shit was pretty fun. Got some good photos. And then I got two daughters and I shot tons of photos of them, but my problem is I only have like big cameras, I don’t have any small point and shoots. i feel like if I had a point and shoot, I’d shoot so many more photos.

What’s the longest you’ve ever spent traveling?

The longest was probably four months in Europe with a EuroRail pass, but I didn’t really shoot skate photos back then. That was just full skate mission, just backpacks, one pair of sneakers and a skateboard.

Who’d you go on that trip with?

My buddy Sam Willis, you remember that photo I sent you of that dude doing the rock and roll on the flat wall in that like weird bowl out in the woods? That’s my buddy Sam, he lives on a farm in Virginia, that’s his backyard. Actually we went to Japan too, his brother lives in Japan,we went there for like 5 weeks, also just a skate mission, no photos unfortunately.

Were you guys filming or anything or just straight skating?

We definitely filmed stuff. I think we filmed more stuff than we had photos. We had photos of everything but the skating. The skating was just all about being on the board. Yeah we definitely have video somewhere, but I don’t know where it is.

Kevin Phelps frontside boardslide

Favorite skateparks?

I didn’t even grow up with skateparks, but if I had to pick a couple right now…there are a bunch in Connecticut, local parks like Plainsfield, Willamantic for sure, Westerly park is pretty fun. These are all parks that nobody’s ever heard of. Washington street, can’t skate that park, it’s sick, can’t skate it though. I don’t know for me honestly I prefer street skating to parks, so much more fun.

Ever do a photo show?

Yeah a few, I’ve done a couple photo shows ate skate shops, which seems to be kinda popular these days. And then my buddy does an art gallery in Narragansett, Rhode Island and I had some photos in there.

Matt Lane kickflip 50-50

What was the first photo that you ever had in a magazine?

My buddy same, the dude that I went to Europe and Japan with, he did a frontside ollie off this little do-it-yourself quarterpipe under a bridge into a wall. It was in Lowcard in like 2007. The minute I saw that I was just hyped.

Any advice to someone just starting out trying to shoot photos?

I would say honestly just shoot photos. Whether people like them or not, just shoot photos if that’s what you like to do. If you’re good at it, and you really like it, hopefully something becomes of it. That’s what I’m hoping. Keep shooting whether people use em or not. Just keep shooting photos, and have fun, and use it as an excuse to travel.

Do you spend a lot of time looking for spots?

Yeah I mean I feel like I could spend more time, but I try. Rhode Island isn’t that big. There’s so many dudes up in Boston doing it, that anytime I go up there they kinda show me. But yeah I go around, and look for spots outside of Providence in the sketchy areas. I actually just about two months ago, moved into the woods, just outside Providence. It’s near where I grew up, and I know a dude out here who’s good with concrete. He used to work for sloppy pouring parks, but then he went off and did his own thing. I’ve just been trying to find spots to make some cool do-it-yourself type shit, and shoot some photos. We have been trying to find spots to work on, like if there’s no landing, make a landing, if there’s no bump to bump off, make a bump.

Nate Robinson feeble transfer