What up Mike? What are you up to today?

Hey man! Today I am working from home which entails writing emails, digging through hard drives, sending photos, etc. And answering these questions of course.

Where are you from? What was skating like there when you first started?

Steubenville, Ohio. Then moved to Lansing, Michigan when I was 11. Michigan is where I first saw a skateboard. Skating was crazy there. Lansing is far from being a big city, and street skating was in its infancy in the late ’80s, so no one knew what the fuck I was doing. My teachers often talked shit. I remember once a teacher making fun of me for wearing some loud ass blue Jimmy’s pants, and yellow Converse. The exact outfit I saw Christian Hosoi wearing in Thrasher. I simply walked out of class not saying a word, thinking Hosoi is way cooler than his dumb ass.

How did you get into photography in the first place?

I’ve somehow been into photography my whole life. I was fascinated by cameras as far back as kindergarten. I had a darkroom in my parent’s basement even before I started skating, but when I first saw a skateboard magazine I was truly amazed. I remember marveling at the lighting, angles, use of fish eye lenses. It was unlike anything I had studied in photography magazines and books.

You live in SoCal now, right? Do you still go back to Michigan?

Yes, I live in Encinitas which is about 25 miles north of downtown San Diego. I don’t go back to Michigan too often. Now that Kalis lives there again, I hope to be in Philly and Chicago a lot more just like the old days! I’ve already been to both cities a few times since he moved six months ago. I flew out to Philly for the day to shoot his newest DC add recently. It was so amazing. It was Josh, KT, Winning, and all the locals at Muni. It made me really happy to be there with those guys all doing the same shit together two decades later. I love all those dudes.

What was it like living in SF in the ’90s? Got any good stories from around that time?

It was incredible. San Francisco was paradise if you were a skateboarder in the ’90s. I remember going into Eddies, a breakfast spot that all the locals ate at, and seeing Tommy, Natas, Thiebaud. I was tripping. I lived in a flat on Oak and Scott streets in that same neighborhood, and you could hear skaters going by all day every day. I loved hearing that sound throughout the day. Nothing made me happier.

 

You were close with the Mad Circle dudes when it was first starting, right?

Yes, I worked for Mad Circle from 1994 till late 1997. I was so lucky to work with them. I shot photos, and helped Justin Girard with anything he needed because it was a one man operation. If any company should come back, it should be Mad Circle. It was far ahead of its time.

Could you tell that some of the dudes you were shooting with were going to have such an impact? Or were you guys just out skating?

I was simply out with my friends skating. It just so happened that I had a camera with me…I met everyone in the city through skating with them. I didn’t try to become a skate photographer when I moved to SF. Once I befriended a lot of guys in the city, they learned that I shot photos, then asked me to shoot them. I actually wish that I had shot tons more back then. I had zero idea that people would be looking at/talking about what I was shooting more than 20 years later! I was very fortunate that my friends were guys like Carroll, Karl Watson, SJ, etc. who have all become timeless skaters.

What’s your camera bag holding? Do you still shoot film ever?

My camera bag now holds a Nikon D850, and 80-200 f2.8 that I’ve had for 18 years, and 24-70 f2.8 and fisheye of course, and a few flashes with some radio slaves. I usually have Clif Bars in there too. I don’t shoot film anymore. The idea of it is becoming a lot more appealing though. I spent so much time learning how to develop and print it. Growing up shooting film was the best thing ever, so I’m starting to miss it.

Did you go to school for photography at all?

I did not. I tried attending Lansing Community College, but realized they had a strict photo program where one was required to start from the beginning. I didn’t want to re-learn what I had been doing since before I was 10, so I got my money back then moved to SF to skate for the summer. I never came home. The streets of SF became my schooling I guess…

So Kalis was one of the first dudes you tarted to take photos of? What do you remember most about him when he was young?

Josh and I did shoot some skate photos in the late ’80s. I never really shot skate photos until I shot Kalis. He needed some photos for 90 (Kevin Staab’s clothing company) I believe. I mostly shot landscapes, portraits, etc. back then. When I was around skating I only wanted to skate, not photograph it.

When did you get hooked up with DC? And how’d that come about?

After Mad Circle ended, I Moved to L.A. Coincidentally Carroll, SJ, Chico, Meza, and Huf all moved there around the same time, so I started working for Girl in 1998. Rick and Mike skated for DC then of course, so it happened kind of naturally. Ken Block called me in 1999, and that was it. I was always intrigued by their two page ads, shoes, and just about everything else. I was hyped for the opportunity.

With Love Park gone, do you look back at that era any differently then you did before? Some of your shots there have become iconic with what Love represented during that time. Do you have a favorite photo from there?

Hindsight is 20/20 for sure. I now look back on it very differently. I only kind of knew it was an important time and place in skating, but we were all so young, and took things for granted. You think that you’ll always be doing this or that. Kalis and Stevie’s DC shoes were coming out so I spent most of my summers in 1999 and 2000 there. My favorite Love Park photo from back the had to be Josh’s tre flip over the can. I would have shot it differently had I known its significance 20 years later, but so hyped I shot it the way I did. I shot a sequence of it to show the distance, and was so fucking stoked when I held the negative up looking at that catch frame. It’s certainly one of the most gangster Tre flips of all time. Kids now should study up on his Tre flip. The no effort bullshit one has no place in skateboarding.

Favorite trick ever witnessed?

Getting to witness Danny Way film his Mega Ramp part for the DC video is my favorite thing I’ve witnessed. I know that’s not a single trick, but it was absolutely insane. Often it was just Danny, Greg Hunt, and myself out there filming. No one else knew what he was up to until the video came out. Seeing someone push skating like no one else had ever done was sick to see, especially being the only person there to photograph it.

What’s it like shooting with Danny Way? Are you ever scared he’ll die? 

It’s intense. I’ve been worn out physically and mentally shooting his 6-7 hour sessions while filming for the DC video. I probably should have been a lot more scared for his life! The Mega stuff was filmed in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, and at least a few hours away from any hospital. When the board stuck in the rail, the thought of what that would do to a human certainly crossed my mind. I kept that to myself though. I was certain that thought crossed all of our minds, but he’s always been confident so you know he’ll come through.

Is it true he smoked weed on top of the roll in at the Great Wall of China?

Don’t believe that ever happened. Things were pretty buttoned up with officials from the Chinese government. I can assure you they weren’t too big on pot.

Are there any similarities between shooting a motorcross rally and a skate session?

I love shooting other stuff. Don’t get me wrong, nothing will ever replace skating for me, but it’s fun to shoot moto, car, etc. I look at it exactly like shooting skating. You need to show the take off and landing, then compose it to tell a story. A lot of car and moto shooters do some guy in the sky, tightly cropped shit, but I get hella far away. If I can make a knee high ledge look dope, a car jumping an entire block in the middle of SF shouldn’t be a problem!

How’d you guys pull off shutting the Bay Bridge down for that crazy Ken Block photo shoot?

The production company working on that actually pulled permits for another shoot, I believe it was Ironman 3, then they moved locations to Miami. They already had permits for the Bay Bridge, Russian Hill, etc. Ken knew Josh and I had plans to shoot the pushing photo, but no one else did. The whole “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission” thing is what I live by for shooting.

Would you rather shoot a session on the Mega Ramp or in a schoolyard?

It all depends on who’s skating!

Top three skaters of all time?

Shit, I officially can’t answer this one! Just on DC there’s Wes, Danny, Kalis, Tiago, Evan, etc. Those guys are way up there for me, but then you have Carroll, Guy, Keenan, etc.

What’s your take on Instagram? Is it destroying our culture or enriching it?

I love Instagram, but I choose not to look at it TOO much. I didn’t watch every shitty video on VHS back in the day, and I don’t want to see every crappy clip at skate parks now.

Who were your biggest influences in photography when you were coming up? How about photogs that currently get you hyped?

Richard Avedon, Walter Iooss, and Grant Brittain, not necessarily in that order. I still look at older stuff from all three of those guys to get me hyped. A lot of my inspiration for photography comes from outside of skating, it always has.

How many stairs have you ollied?

Pretty sure it was in the double digits. I don’t count stairs now, and I didn’t back then either. Not too high, but in the double digits at least…

What’s the longest trip you’ve been on?

About a month. I’m going to be in South America with DC for 20 days next month, that’ll be fun. When you’re gone for that long you just have to be in the same mindset as everyone on the trip, within reason…

Have you ever given up on someone? Or told a skater to stop trying the trick?

No, I have tried to steer someone in one direction or another I guess. The closest to that is I have run out of film. Danny once told me that I should always have at least 1,000 rolls of film. Tried explaining that was about 6 grand or so, but he didn’t really care.

Biggest regret?

Not shooting absolutely everything around me all the time. I look back on the random snaps, out takes, etc. They all take on such a different meaning now, it’s so dope. All of the stuff at Love is great example. The photos of Kalis and Stevie together, and everyone chilling in front of the Love sign captures that era as much if not more than just a skate photo.

What’s the future hold? Any projects in the pipeline?

That’s always a great question. Hopefully more of the same. Things are different now, but I still wanna create images that will be looked back on 20 years from now the same way the Love Park stuff is now.

What do you think the future of magazines is? Is there a future in printed content?

I think a few magazines will continue to get better, and those who don’t will not be around. The future of magazines is questioned more than books because books are a more tangible thing. I believe that magazines will have to move in the direction of being something can’t be discarded. Granted, it’s easier said than done, but I believe that’s the future of all printed content.

Have any advice for kids trying to be skate photographers?

I always tell people to just shoot a lot. It sounds simple, but your style evolves the same way that a skater’s does. I never stop learning and changing, and that’s what makes it so fun.