Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Contest

[dmourati]

Tim Brauch Memorial Contest 2011

Skull Bowl

Lake Cunningham

San Jose, CA



Warmups









Reigning Grandmaster: Steve Caballero









Starting it off with a longhair front side grind

Christian Hosoi on a back 50-50

Josh Borden Back 5-0

Salba Invert

Bord-en-slide

Gurney rides for Bloodwizard.  Love those guys!  Still looking for Mongo Monster.

Steve Alba makes it look so easy.

This was one of my favorites from the session.  Gurney, nailing a front smith in the deep.

Hammerhead!

Hosoi Charging

Huge Backside Air in the deep

FSA

Sky Siljeg Rippin!

Bennet Harada 5-0

Big Smith

Mr Upside-Down Man himself, Jeff Hedges



You can also see last year's contest coverage right here.

  

[Photo-John]

That is a sweet batch of skate photos, Demetri! Psyched to see Salba, Stevie and Hosoi! I owned a Hosoi board back in the mid-eighties. How long has he been out of prison?

I think some of the daytime photos could be cropped a bit tighter but they're still good. I like the longhair shot a lot - reminds me of the classic Glen E. Friedman photo. You know the one I'm talking about

The night shots are stronger. I think your flash exposure is really good and gives them more drama. And the fisheye pool photos - well, that's just a classic composition and I can't knock it.

Thanks for sharing these. Love having this kind of action on the forum!

[dmourati]

Wow, thanks. You think tighter on the first 6 or so? I was loving the 70-200 that day except for chopping so many limbs. I think only the horizontal Hosoi one was cropped at all.

Something really fun about cramming the frame with that action.

Gets boring shooting fisheye all the time and having my photos look like the other 10 or so photographers on deck shooting flash/fisheye.

[Photo-John]

Wow, thanks. You think tighter on the first 6 or so? I was loving the 70-200 that day except for chopping so many limbs. I think only the horizontal Hosoi one was cropped at all.

Something really fun about cramming the frame with that action.

Gets boring shooting fisheye all the time and having my photos look like the other 10 or so photographers on deck shooting flash/fisheye.

Oh, I dig the 70-200, too. I love the way it turns the background into an empty concrete abstract. Plus, you're totally right about fisheye skate photos - they're totally overdone.

[groovehouse]

Plus, you're totally right about fisheye skate photos - they're totally overdone.

I'm a huge skate/fisheye/flash proponent - I don't think it's overdone. I mean if you want an in your face shot, you've got to go with that combo...

[dmourati]

I shoot both. I just have a system where don't like shooting exclusively Fish.

I normally carry two bodies:

D70/10.5mm
D90/50mm

This weekend I also setup:

D7000/70-200mm,

hence my excitement to show the long lens photos as they looked totally new to me.

For the contest itself, I wound up shooting 1 hour of long lens then I moved to the deck to shoot the d70/10.5/Sunpak 555 combo.

[photo-mom]

even old ladies find these irresistible!

b

[mattb]

Wow, great shots and all those old legends still ripping! I had a Caballero deck in the 80! Loved that thing!
The fisheyes are especially cool. Great work!