The latest BMX Videos, Products and News!
As always Grant comes through with a sweet edit of the LNKF crew! If you didn’t see their new shirts you can see those down a few posts from this one!You know you love seeing videos of this crew of dudes who ride BMX better than you…
Oh and whoever it was that wanted that Nathan Williams interview, I think it might of been a few people, I got that going.. but it might be a few days since he’s in Austrailia and doesn’t really have any internet… I don’t think?
If I got paid a dollar for every Youtube video I have watched, I could afford to build a custom bike with the Eastern Ti Grim Reaper. Maybe.
I saw this old school video of DMC on BikeGuide.org
I really wanna see more riding like this now days.
Albes team rider Brandon Dosch has another video of him riding Hidden Valley Trails with Mike “Hucker” Clark. It is pretty awesome
Also remember to check out the deal of the day on the Albes site, today it is the Fly Sergio Bars for like $30..
Also more Dustin Griess stuff!
Dustin has this little mini camera, but basically he strapped it to his peg and belt buckle and filmed stuff. I think you can see me for .5 seconds at the very end sitting haha. But yeah its a crazy perspective.
Heres what it said in the description on Dustin’s Youtube
“At work we sell these little GoPro video cameras, so I decided to take our sample to the skatepark and have a good time with it… You can throw a 2GB SD card in it and record about an hour of audio/video. I was actually quite impressed with the quality, although some tricks get to be quite confusing. I mounted the camera on my belt buckle and on my rear peg. The footjam tailwhips look sweet!”
Dustin Griess and AJ Haines did a demo out in Tacoma, Washington. AJ usually does demos with Chaos On Wheels and they asked Dustin to come ride with them for this demo. This is what Dustin has to say about it.
“Jeremiah from Chaos on Wheels asked AJ and I to do a stunt show in November of 2007 at a Franklin Graham event just outside of Seattle, WA in Tacoma. I was super excited to do this, I have never been out that direction and I love doing shows and riding bikes with AJ. We flew out together and I was just amazed at the scenery out there. It was beautiful everywhere we went.
We did 2 twenty minute shows, inside of the Tacoma Dome with a crowd of about 9,000 people. This is the most people I’ve ever ridden in front of, and AJ and I put on some damn good shows. At one point I was asked to give out a BMX bike to anyone in the audience, so I rode the bike on top of the ramp and let AJ 360 over me. I then rode the bike around the stadium while the crowd cheered for me to give them the bike… I remembered a kid earlier in the day that asked for my autograph and was super excited about being there so I rode over in his direction and picked him out of the crowd. He was ecstatic, the kid went nuts. He ran down and hopped on the bike and seriously took off and rode around in front over everyone, wobbling all over and trying a surfer type move where he stands on the frame of the bike. This was not planned, and he looked like he was about to crash, lol so we called him back over and got him to settle down.
Anyways, the shows went well, but AJ and I also took a day trip out to downtown Seattle and took some photos. It was incredible out there… My good friend Alex Mehl who I used to work with at QBP (then moved to Portland to work for a vendor of ours), came out to visit and film all this video! Thanks Alex! It was a great quick weekend, and I hope to someday make it back out that way.”
I got this from InterBMX.com
New LNKF shirts will be here on Friday. All pre-orders will ship on Friday and Saturday. Heres a look at em then hit up our webstore at http://lnkf.bigcartel.com
Team roster for ’08 is as follows:
Grant Castelluzzo
Jeff Dowhen
Jeremiah Hughes
Mike Hinkens
Erik Ream
Jordy Kilpela
Bro team has become too long to list.
And we still hook up the band “Spare the Rod” (myspace.com/sparetherodnoise)
Lots of roadtrips and media stuff planned for this year including a Props appearance and a few jams. Bars and sprockets should be back in full effect within a few months. For everyone wanting one you will have to wait til then. If you are wanting a shirt and cant order one through the store for some reason, just email me and we can figure something out. ayjay.anderson@gmail.com
Thanks to everyone who supports us, we really appreciate it!!!
AJ
Sam is one of my favorite photographers and has a bunch of photo’s in the new Ride Photo Edition. His stuff is sick and I knew instantly I wanted to send him an interview. Hear what he has to see and check out a few of his pictures:
Name, age and location?
Sam Adams, 21, Albuquerque, NM 
Photo setup/s?
I have a general bag for BMX and most basic assignments that includes; a Canon MKIIn camera body; a 15mm, 16-35mm, 85mm, and 70-200mm lenses; a Canon 580ex flash, a Quantum Q-Flash w/ battery pack and three pocket wizards.
I have other lights and gear for portraits and some long glass for sports.
How long have you been riding?
I started riding back in middle school when my dad took me to the BMX track here in ABQ and I just fell in love right away. So I raced for about 3 years until the local skate park, Los Altos, opened up and that’s when I started riding park and dirt almost exclusively.
How did you get into photography and how long have you been shooting BMX?
I got into photography my sophomore year in high school, so about 5 years ago. I need to take an elective that year and photography sounded like it would be fun. So I signed up and from the moment I shot and developed my first roll of film I was hooked.
BMX at the time was my life, it was all I did; so when I started taking photos I did it to show anyone who didn’t ride all the cool places that my bike took me and the unique lifestyle that we as riders lived. I believe that idea or wanting to show the lifestyle and locations we end up at shows up in my photos more now then ever though.
I noticed you have a full-blown website with a very impressive online portfolio. Is photography something you live off of or do you have another job?
At this point I don’t have another job, all the income I make comes from photography. However, since I am student and I live at home (yes, I live at home), so I don’t have a lot of bills to pay so I don’t have to worry about making enough to live on right now. I did have a job as a bike mechanic at the university’s bike shop last semester.
Do you see yourself making a living shooting photos?
Making a living from photography is my goal. Right now I am a full time student at the University of New Mexico (UNM). So school takes up a big amount of my time. So I shoot and do as much freelance work as I can outside of school.
Who do you most enjoy shooting photos of and why?
Well my friends are my absolute favorite people to photograph. I have unlimited access and can shoot anything at any time with them. They allow me to try new ideas and techniques, and I can screw up or take a long time and not have to worry about a client getting mad.
In the digital age, where post processing on programs such as Photoshop and Aperture is becoming the norm, are you quick to utilize the technology or do you believe that a shot shouldn’t be touched and it is what it is? Just tell us your general feelings on the debate.
Hum, that is a hard one. I’ll answer this in two parts. First off, this is the digital age and you have to be quick to utilize new technology to help keep you on par and up to speed with everyone else. So I would say yes, I am pretty quick to utilize new technology.
So my second answer is when it comes to working on photos in Photoshop or Aperture it really depends on a few things. I work every one of my favorite images from a shoot through Photoshop. However, the amount of work done depends on the final location of the image.
By location I mean where is this picture going to end up. If I am on an editorial assignment, such as for a newspaper, then very little work is done to the image such as simple tonality adjustments and cropping; absolutely no altering of the image content is done (ie. adding or removing things, selective color, added blur, etc.). However, on the other side if this image is for commercial or personal use anything goes. Generally I keep most of my adjustments as minimal as can be and try and do everything in camera.
Give us a few stories where something crazy has gone down while you were trying to shoot photos. BMX and Non-BMX.
Oh boy where to start? I’ve been chased by cops, arrested, yelled at, trespassed countless times, chased by people who want to shoot me, followed police pursuits, watched houses burn down, run from wildfires, photographed fatal accidents, etc. The list just goes on and on.
One of the best things about being a photographer is that every image has a story. Anyone could point out an image of mine from any point in time and when I look at that image it takes me back to the time when I shot it. I can remember the whole story behind the shot. So I am going to kind of dodge this question because if I tried to tell you a story it would end up taking 3-4 pages. But instead I invite anyone who ever has a question about a photo to ask me and I’ll be glad to tell you.
Most amazing place you have ever shot photo’s:
Once again, so many places it’s so hard to choose. However, probably the most beautiful places I’ve photographed are Vancouver, British Columbia and Big Sur, CA.
As opposed to a lot of other photographers out there, you have an educational background with photography. Do you feel that it gives you that edge or are some people just amazing without photography courses and school?
The only thing going to a photography school gave me was lots of time to shoot. Photography isn’t something that can be taught in school, I believe. It is something that has to be practiced and studied all the time. All photo school gave me was lots of time to practice and study. If you’ve got the drive and motivation to go out and shoot without having to be told to, then you’re a lot better off then a lot of the kids that I went to school with.
My best learning experiences came from real life learning experiences such as internships and assistantships. Those are your best choices if you really want to learn how to be a better shooter.
Describe your ideal shot…. anything goes.
The best thing about photography is the ideal (perfect) shot never exists. You should always be striving to make everything better. You have to be your toughest critic.
The best thing about it is I’ll never get bored. There is always something I can do better.
Do you find yourself shooting more 35mm, digital or medium-format?
Primarily 99% of my work is digital. It is just so much more cost effective for me and it is just how the world works for the most part. I do shoot film every now and again when I want to change things up a little bit.
What are some recent projects you worked on or some you are currently working on?
Right now I am working on a project for the Daily Lobo, the school paper at UNM. We are doing a feature on various athletes here at school and I am shooting a portrait of them. It is an idea that I proposed to the paper to help switch things up there a bit and to allow me to give me a chance to work on making some unique portraits.
Shoutouts and Thanks:
With out my parents support (and rent free living at home haha) I wouldn’t be where I am now. They have been great. Also, all my friends from ABQ who have been there for me when I need them. Especially, those who have given me the time and freedom to practice shooting. As well as anyone else who has supported me and helped me get to the point where I am today.
Oh and of course AJ for giving me this interview to do when I should be doing homework (this is so much better then college algebra, trust me).
Check out Sam’s website at: SamAdamsPhotography.com
It is 14 degrees out, snowy out, and I don’t have class or work today…
You can get a lot of stuff on Ebay and forums like Bikeguide.org and The Come Up Board in the For Sale sections where people are always selling good stuff and willing to trade for parts and other random things… Always a way to get something you want for cheap, and used is not neccesarily bad.
I have been filming and editing stuff for like 4 years… I have never had some awesome camera to use, I never felt like I had a need unless I was doing a DVD. Web edits and everything can turn out the same as the high quality if you save the settings right and the filming is smooth it will turn out just fine.
If you don’t want to find a way to get Adobe Premiere, or Final Cut Pro, or one of those expencive editing programs, you can use Microsoft Movie Maker, or iVideo or whatever Apple calls their video editing, just don’t use the cheap titles that spin and move and stuff, that will make it look bad.
With how much technology has progressed in the recent years, camera prices have dropped substantially. The camera I have now, if it was two years ago probably would have been in the upwards of $600. So you can get a 3CCD camera which is good quality without going broke. You can find great information on cameras on those forums I listed up above. For example this thread on bikeguide Video Camera Information Thread has a lot of really good information! Or how to make a Steady Cam handle
There is also this thread with more Filming Advice than you could ask for on how to film and edit really great videos.
This is more than enough information to help you get set up on putting together some good edits, gets some friends together and show the internet what you are up to. Many riders go unknown then a video of them pops up on youtube and then they are well known riders who end up sponsored.. I know I heard of Mike Spinner probably a year before he was pro from videos of him on youtube.
Also check out Skateperception.com it has a lot of real good stuff to get you going. Plus for some reason Skate videos are a lot better than most BMX videos?
Also, when looking for camera gear, make sure you check out BH Photo & Video. I tell you this because a lot of those really good prices on cameras on websites are frauds and they will end up screwing you over. If you don’t go with them, check this website before you buy Resellerratings.com. This site allows you to check what previous customers went through getting their order.
The EIGHTH ANNUAL BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL is now accepting entries.
Deadline For Entries Is February 19th(-ish)
We are looking for films with a strong theme or character of bicycles. This includes all mediums and styles such as animation, experimental, narrative, dοcumentary and music videos.
The BFF is held in over 15 cities around the world including Tokyo, New York City, Los Angeles, Milan, and London. In 2007 the total BFF attendance was nearly 100,000 people.
BFF is a celebration through film, art and music. Past BFFs has been have included works from legendary artists such as Jonas Mekas, Michel Gondry, Mike Mills and Jorgen Leth. The emerging artist is showcased as well.
The Bike Film Fest is expected to be a huge success in 2008. All cities have been selected and dates for NEW YORK are May 28th – June1st. All other dates will be set within the month.
For more information and entry forms, visit the BFF website: http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com
hit it up. doesn’t have to be banger after banger… make it a day in a life. here’s your chance to show off them film making skills.
do a roadfools style road trip and dοcument it.
