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Through The Lens: Shooting Etiquette – Some Do’s and Don’ts

April 11, 2012

One of the biggest things to pay attention to when crossing the line from photographer to professional photographer is the way that you carry yourself. It is very important to realize that you as a person are greatly responsible for the way that a shoot goes from the moment it begins until “the one” is in the bag. If you have ever had a successful shoot with a mellow vibe from start to finish then you know how good of a feeling it can be when that goes down. The following feature is based on making that happen as often as possible. Keep in mind that this all comes from personal experience and it’s a chance to learn some inside info that I wish I had known years ago when I first started getting serious about shooting. Now if you have any interest in pursuing BMX photography on any level I suggest that you pay attention, and don’t be afraid to learn something.
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Through The Lens: Networking – Why and How + Natural Light Winners

April 4, 2012

Networking is essential in this day and age and I can say with confidence that without it, you won’t survive as a photographer. I am not saying that to scare anyone off or make you feel as though you aren’t going to make it because you don’t have a million connections but it is all part of the process and it takes time to get to the point where you have a solid contact list. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that you are in complete control of your own personal network and need to constantly be taking advantage of branching out and putting yourself and your work out there. How does this apply to BMX specifically? Well, if you are interested in pursuing BMX photography at any level then obviously you need riders to photograph and the more people you meet, the more opportunities you will have to shoot. Let’s get started.
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Photogallery: Devin Feil’s Street Mix

April 2, 2012

Over the years, Devin Feil has impressed me over and over again with his riding and creativity through the different outlets like his brand Peg Leg. Looking at the big picture, it’s actually not even fair how much talent he has. The other day he sent through a handful of photos he shot featuring the likes of Mike Brennan, Stevie Churchill, Alex Raban, Craig Passero and more that turned out damn good. Yeah, Devin is also a freelance photographer on top of all of his other talents. I figured there was no way I could let these photos slip through, so check out this fresh new photogallery to start your Monday off right!

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOGALLERY RIGHT HERE!

Through The Lens: The Process: Pool Riding

March 28, 2012

When it came time to figure out what I wanted to do for this weeks column I really wanted to switch things up a bit and run a photo gallery as the main feature and make this edition of TTL a little less-wordy. I recently got a text from Dean Dickinson saying that he was going to be flying down from Portland to So-Cal for a little riding trip and asked if I wanted to meet up at some point while he was out here. I have been friends with Dean for a few years now and whenever I have the chance to shred with him, I make it a point to do so. Dean has a very specific taste in riding spots and empty pools are where his passion for BMX exists. We lucked out and got to come and go on our own terms which when it comes to pool riding is considered a huge success. We didn’t get caught and actually got to spend some time just enjoying the session and that is always something to be stoked on. BMX is full of adventure, sometimes you just have to put in a little work and create your own fun. This is what I saw through my lens during our session.

Click here to go straight to the gallery.

Be sure to check back next Wednesday for the seventh edition of Through the Lens and as always feel free to leave any questions in the comments section or email me at [email protected] and I will hit you back as soon as I can. Also just like last week feel free to leave future feature ideas in the comments as well and make sure to enter your best natural light photo in our first monthly “Reader Contest” sponsored by Fit Bike Co. Hit this link for another look at the details, rules and guidelines. Hurry though; the deadline is on the 30th of this month. I have been checking out all of the entries so far and they look good, it’s going to be tough to pick out the top three for sure.

Photogallery: Midwest X West

March 26, 2012

The other day photographer Devon Denham sent through a couple photos that he was sitting on between his time in Kentucky, Ohio and California. We figured instead of just letting them sit and collect dust on his hard drive that we could put together a fresh photogallery to start your Monday off just right. So hit up the MWXW (Midwest By West) gallery to check out photos of Marcas Grubbs, Joey Cordova, Matt Cordova, Kris Fox and more RIGHT HERE!

Don’t forget that every time you check out a fresh gallery, you are supporting these photographers! So get clickin’!

The Union Twitter Follow Giveaway

March 24, 2012

We’re not sure why it took us so long to create a Twitter account just for The Union, but Jeremy, Dave and I decided it was time to get it done. If you are on Twitter, hit us up at @BMX_UNION and Follow us. After you do that, either take this photo, or RETWEET this photo that we already uploaded to get entered to win one of THREE Deluxe X The Union collaboration t-shirts and some stickers! Easy as that!

If you aren’t feeling lucky, don’t have Twitter or you really want to support The Union hit the STORE to buy one!

Through The Lens – What Kind of DSLR Should I Get?

March 21, 2012

This week’s feature is going to be based on a specific question that I happen to get asked more than the average person simply based on what I do for a living. Everyone out there that is looking to buy a camera typically looks to anyone they know with a little experience behind the lens for some real world advice. That is cool with me but it’s always one of those hard-to-answer questions simply because it really depends on a lot of factors. Anything from your budget, to pixel count, to quality, to brand names to customer reviews to whether or not it features HD video, to company reputation and everything in between makes a difference. If you happen to be one of those people out there that want to make the jump from a point and shoot digi cam to a full-on digital SLR set up then this column is for you. Check it out…
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Access Darnied 2012 Trip

March 16, 2012

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to go on a number of road trips that have brought me thousands of miles from home. It’s one of those things in life I suggest every BMX rider does at least once in their life. Go outside of the comfort zone and experience places you never thought you would be. Things might not go to plan, but that’s why you gotta do it. There’s no way for you to know where things will go.

The past few years, I’ve had the chance to do a handful of trips with the crew from Milwaukee. The last three years I’ve made my way to meet up with them to load up in the van and head towards Toronto for the annual BMX jam. Each year, there were some unexpected moments, but I don’t think anything can top what happened this year…

Above you can find an edit from some of the riding time we were able to get in during the trip. Jeff Dowhen handled most of the filming and all of the editing with the help of myself and Jon Wells for some of the filming. We figured, a tribute to Detroit was necessary so you can find the 7 Mile Anthem for the song. After you check out that, make the jump and check out some photos and the full story…
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