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Session Atlas – Introduction

April 6, 2018

Justen Soule put together a video explaining everything you need to know about Session Atlas!

The other week Justen Soule launched Session Atlas that was two years in the making. Session Atlas is a super in-depth skatepark guide with high quality videos, photos and full details to really give you a good idea of what the park you’re looking at is all about. Above is a video where Justen explains why he created Session Atlas and just what it’s all about. Check out the video above, then head over to the Session Atlas website to learn more, check out all the parks listed and more! Justen plans on expanding this one to the United States, Australia and a handful of other places in the future.

Introducing “Session Atlas” by Justen Soule

March 5, 2018

Over the last decade or so, there has been this constant flow of amazing new public and private skateparks popping up all around the world, and progressively that number has grown faster and faster with each year. It’s definitely a great thing for BMX riders out there that want more options to ride. Unfortunately there’s been a little bit of a disconnect in finding places to ride and getting an accurate idea of just what the park offers. There’s nothing worse than driving hours to ride a place that ends up being terrible or, worse yet, doesn’t allow bikes for some ridiculous reason that doesn’t make any sense or that it has been closed down entirely. Then there’s that problem thinking there’s nothing near you worth checking out, all to find out there’s been an amazing park just waiting for you to stumble across it that wasn’t all that far of a drive away.

We’ve seen a handful of websites and apps pop up over the years that pinpoint skateparks and definitely helped finding new places to check out, but that’s about all it offered. That’s what inspired Justen Soule to take his amazing talents behind the lens and blend it with that need for accurate information and high quality footage showing you just what there is to ride out there. That combination is what lead to Session Atlas! A new combination of video, photos and modern technology to give you a very detailed, accurate look at the best parks to ride around Canada! With the Youtube channel, website and App dropping in about two weeks, we figured it was time to catch up with Justen to find out just what Session Atlas is all about! Here’s what he said!

Session Atlas

Alright, Justen! Let’s kick this off from the beginning. Around two years ago you started working on a new project called Session Atlas. What was it that got the idea running through your head?

This one has definitely been a few years in the making, I had been tinkering around with the concept for some time trying to figure out the best way to make it work. Logistically Canada is such a massive place to cover, so finding a way to make the pieces fall into place was crucial. The initial concept dawned on me a few back during a Red Bull project that involved Kriss Kyle travelling over to Canada and touring through some parks in the region. There’s a strange thing happening with park construction where small towns seem to be building better outdoor parks than the larger cities. So during that project I made it a point to take Kriss on a tour through some of the lesser known, yet incredible parks. When the video was released people were more blown away by some of the unknown parks, commenting and messaging, curious to know where they were located. I realized at that point that I should be capturing these parks and creating a way to help people find them. Since then the project went through a couple different variations. At first it was just going to be done through social media, then there was a YouTube channel, then a website and app, then it finally grew from covering just the province of Ontario into all of Canada.

Can you tell us what exactly Session Atlas is? I feel like there’s a lot more to this than what the trailers you released might expose.

The key element with Session Atlas is how a park is shown. Using drones, I’ve gone to every quality park in Canada, filming those setups to create a set of videos and photos that more accurately show a park’s layout and the park’s features. Sometimes a different park could have the perfect setup for a new trick, or maybe someone is just looking for something new to session, the goal is to help people find these places using visually accurate videos and photos. That media is captured via flying the drone through a park literally in the lines that people use. It gives a sense of spatial setup that a traditional photo never could. I’ve joked that it’s almost like virtually pro-walking a park without actually being there. Session Atlas lists the every single park with a feature drone video, photos, as well as list of other nearby parks. The site is purpose built to list and locate parks so that the user can plan a day trip around riding with friends.

I know there have been a handful of websites and apps dedicated to pinning skateparks and even some street spots over the years. What’s the biggest differences between Session Atlas and those other apps that have come along?

My issue with the existing skatepark lists and apps is purely the content. Most of the photo and video examples are poor quality, and are difficult to judge. Their intentions are noble to list the parks in a way that people can find and use, but there’s a definite gap in video and photo quality that can be improved upon. For example, it’s really difficult to tell how good a park is by looking at a Google satellite map, or couple cell phone photos shot from the side of the park. We all know those skatepark lists that use nothing but fisheye shots, which is a huge problem when you’re trying to judge the parks size and scale. As a professional videographer and drone operator I feel that it is an area that I can really lend my expertise towards and create something better.

The drone’s aerial perspective is an incredibly powerful tool. You can move the camera independent of the skatepark’s layout, completely untethered by gravity while flying over bowls, up stairs, and any direction to give a better sense of the park’s lines. I have actually found new lines and transfers at parks while watching back through the footage when editing, it’s incredibly helpful. So that’s Session Atlas in a nutshell: Each park has a featured aerial video flying through the park’s layout along with a photo gallery and description of the park, the park’s location, and a list of other nearby parks. The user can find a park that they like, then plan a day trip around that.

Do you plan on doing any bike parks or even indoor parks at any point?

All of the above. The vast majority of the list is concrete, but there are some wood, pre-fabricate setups and dirt parks. Basically if it’s fun enough to ride it’s on the list, so the construction of the park wasn’t necessarily the defining factor. Chilliwack, BC, or Richmond Green, Ontario are great examples of fun prefabricated parks. I have also been adding indoor parks as I work through the list, the idea being that you can use the list year round, as much of Canada is covered in snow and ice for a good portion of the year. Fortunately there are quite a few indoor parks popping up across Canada in the last 5 years so there’s plenty of options.

So Session Atlas is featuring skateparks only, or will you list street spots or dirt jumps?

Session Atlas only lists public outdoor and indoor parks. The last thing I want to do is blow up street spots and cause great locations to become a bust, so instead the focus is on skate and bike parks. Besides, that’s a huge part of the fun that is street, you have to hunt and work for the street spots. Session Atlas is a comprehensive list of skateparks, bike parks and indoor parks.

For the past two years you have been bouncing around Canada visiting all of these parks, right? Did you have any help with documenting these places or were you just crushing a lot of miles to get this done?

I have personally travelled to and shot every park in the list. Haha, it’s kind of insane to look back on, when I started this I never could have guessed that I’d cover all of Canada. That being said there are some absolutely incredible parks out there, and I’m hoping that this will help people find them.

Any idea how many miles you clocked throughout the past two years to get everything to the point where it was ready to launch?

That’s a tough one. I tried to tie in some of the parks with work projects as I travelled to shoot TV shows, but I did also make several trips to the West Coast and East Coast specifically to log parks for the list. It’s a very large area to cover, so it usually involved flying out to other provinces and staying for a week or two at a time to cover as many parks as possible.

So Session Atlas will be primarily focused on Canadian parks. Do you see there being a way for others outside of Canada to use it?

That’s the funny thing about Canada. Most of the major cities and population centres are located within a couple hours of the U.S. border, so this Canadian list could be used by Americans just as easily, especially for those living in the Northern States. Growing up we used to drive across the border to ride Indoor parks during the winter, the trip is an easy one to do. I also plan to start adding parks in the U.S. this year after the launch on a state by state basis.

There will be a Youtube channel with videos showing each of the parks launching soon. Is there a website and app to go along with Session Atlas? Can you tell us a little bit about what people will be able to find for info with each of the parks?

Yes, there is the YouTube channel, Website and mobile website versions. There is an app in the works as well that will mirror what the website does, however there has been a few logistical hurdles getting that into the Apple store. Which is funny because the Android play store was totally flexible and had no issues with the project, Apple always tends to be a little more difficult.

When is the official launch date of everything?

The Website, Mobile site, YouTube channel are all launching March 20th, 2018. The plan was to get everything live right as the snow melts, spring sets in and everyone is thinking about being outdoors. After the initial launch I hope to have the app ready shortly after that. In reality though the app and the website do exactly the same thing, so the experience will remain unchanged, the app simply makes it easier to access.

What kind of criteria did you have for each of the places you went to? I didn’t see much for pre-fab parks in the trailer video, so I would imagine some parks didn’t make the cut?

It was really just a question of the park being good, or fun enough to ride. If it’s worth making a special road trip, 2-3 hour drive to reach and ride, it’s on the list. The other varying factor was location and proximity to other parks. The are a few smaller plaza sized, skate-spot style parks that are on the list simply because they are within an hour or so of 15 other parks. Those smaller parks weren’t all that great on their own, but add the fact that you can ride a few of them and it can be a fun session. And the reverse is true, there are some incredibly large and fun parks located in small towns that are an hour drive from anything else. If the park is fun it’s on the list!

Are there still more parks in Canada you haven’t made it to that you want to get on the list?

Oh definitely, it’s kind of a never ending list. I’m at the stage that I’ve covered all of Canada’s major and well known parks, so now it’s just a case of adding some of the more remote options. For instance there’s one single park in Newfoundland. For those that aren’t as familiar with Canadian geography, Newfoundland is a remote island province located on the far eastern edge of Canada in the Atlantic. It’s a massively far trip for a single skatepark, but it will be done and it will be added to the list. As I add those more remote parks new ones are constantly being built, so there will always be more parks to shoot and add to the list.

Session Atlas is focused on Canada at the moment. Do you have any plans on expanding to other countries like the U.S, U.K, Australia or anything like that? Are you looking for contributors in the future to help you tackle more parks?

Growing this to cover as much as possible is the goal. I’m currently speaking with a couple contributors to begin capturing and listing Australian and U.S. based parks. The catch has been that we need to provide a lot of paperwork, including government licensing to use drones in order to get the filming/insurance permits and Apple requires for the apple store’s listing. So unfortunately we can’t use footage shot by just anyone with a drone, they have to be insured and licensed under their government’s regulations. If we just through the right hoops it can and will happen.

Justen Soule Session Atlas

Based off the footage, it looks like you were putting your full arsenal of filming gear to use. What cameras and drones did you use while out collecting the footage?

Haha, I am a slave to the gear, and I take as much as possible while traveling… Probably too much. I used a mixture of DJI Inspire 1 and Inspire 2 drones, along with a DSLR to shoot the photo content. There were a few parks located immediately next to airports that I couldn’t legally use the drone, so for those I used an Osmo gimbal, or a Ronin Gimbal with an A7RII. There were times that I duct taped the Osmo to a stick and skated around to get a higher perspective. I got some funny looks from people driving by, but it worked, haha.

Out of all the parks you visited, which one would you say is your favorite? Any reason why?

That’s also a really tough one, there are so many incredibly good parks out there now that at least 10 popup as the possible best. I’d say in Ontario, as a more local park, my favourite would be Port Colborne which is located on a shipping canal and is shaped like a large cargo freighter. Hips for days in that thing, it’s too fun. But overall some of the legendary West Cost British Columbia parks are strong contenders as well.

I know you have been battling with your wrist for the past few years and it’s basically a robot at this point. Did you get the chance to ride many of these places you visited? Any that you didn’t get to ride that you really want to get back to?

Yeah, I’m thinking at this point that cutting that hand off and getting a sweet pirate hook could be a good option soon, that or just having the doctors install a zipper so I can do the tune up surgeries myself… The fun of a fused wrist. Whenever possible I took my bike with me and rode the parks. It’s really the best way to get a sense of how good a park is, with bumpy transitions and weird sticky ledges/rails being a possibility. There were times that it was pouring rain all day, or I was shooting a TV show somewhere that I couldn’t take the bike, but I rode as many of the parks as possible. At my last count I rode 178 of them.

Beyond Session Atlas, have you been working on any new projects that are BMX related? I feel like it has been a little while since we’ve seen a video produced by you?

The work in Television takes up a lot of the time in the warmer summer months, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s a nice change of pace to work on large scale projects with harsh deadlines. It keeps you focused and your skill set razor sharp. Whenever I’ve had spare time over the last two years the rest has been focused entirely on Session Atlas. Travelling and shooting the parks was time consuming, and then the editing of the videos and photos, with hundreds to sort through took almost a year.

Alright, so let’s wrap this up! How can people keep up with Session Atlas and all the updates that will be coming as soon as it launches on the 20th?

The best way to stay up to date would be to follow the Instagram or YouTube channels which I’ve been keeping up to date with regular posts. The social channels are a great way to see new parks daily. Those would be @SessionAtlas or Session Atlas on YouTube.

You can also find Session Atlas on Facebook!

So there it is! Session Atlas is due to launch on March 20th and from there on you should be getting plenty of updates from around the world giving you a look at some of the most amazing parks there are to ride from Skateparks to Bike Parks!

Monster – Mike Varga Welcome Edit

February 5, 2015

Here’s one we have been secretly waiting to see for the past few weeks now! Mike Varga has been on fire for a while now and it looks like Monster Energy has taken notice because they have added him to the team for 2015! Check out this banger of a welcome edit that’s packed full of amazing riding and some damn clean film work by Justen Soule! Enjoy!

“18-year-old Mike Varga burst onto the BMX contest scene early in 2014 as an unknown kid with a Canadian accent. Still fresh on the scene, Mike’s incredible riding spoke volumes and it made perfect sense to add him to the Monster team. Now rocking Monster Green, Mike’s welcome edit shows how diverse his riding is. From small cement parks around Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, to firing out ridiculous combos and lines over at the infamous Joy Ride 150, Mike can do it all.”

[Read more…]

Justen Soule 2015 Reel

January 2, 2015

Justen Soule has been one of our favorite film makers in BMX for quite some time and it’s pretty clear as to why! This past year, Justen was a busy guy in and outside of BMX working on projects. He decided to put together a fresh reel to start the year off with a look back on some of the videos and motion graphics work he produced!

“2015 Demo Reel consisting of footage, motion graphics and media from some recent projects. All featured footage, motion graphics, and editing by Justen Soule.
Featured Media / Clients:
Red Bull Media House – Drew Bezanson Vs. Joyride
redbull.com/us/en/bike/stories/1331596248226/drew-bezanson-joyride-2013-edit
Red Bull Media House – Riding Shotgun With Kriss Kyle
redbull.com/ca/en/bike/stories/1331618491600/kriss-kyle-riding-shotgun-episode-one
Pepsi Canada – Mountain Dew Tour
TSN – NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (TSN Broadcast)
Fox Head – BMX Content
DK Bicycles – Mike Varga Welcome To The Team – vimeo.com/80100046
Airborne – 2015 Product Line
Airborne – Team / Brand Video
Volume – Product Line Motion Graphics
Demolition Parts – Product Line Motion Graphics
The Hunt – Mike Gray
Pfaff Auto – Emily Batty Volkswagen
”

[Read more…]

2014 Toronto BMX Jam Highlights

March 3, 2014

Here’s the video I was waiting to see pop up! Check out what went down at this years Toronto BMX Jam! Between all of the wild riding and having Justen Soule as the man behind the camera filming for Ride BMX, you already know the video turned out great. Just hit play!

“Here’s highlights from this year’s Toronto Jam that took place on Sunday, March 2nd. Yet again, Drew Bezanson continues his contest win streak doing the atypical at a park contest. Check everything that went down in finals and the full results below.

Film/edit: Justen Soule

1- Drew Bezanson
2- Mike Varga
3- Nick Bruce
4- Nick DiGeroloma
5- Steven Moxley
6- Rob Armour
7- Ben Eylander
8- Mike Fede
9- Gabe Truax
10- Brian Fox
11- Glenn Salyers
12- Derek Kenny
13- Zeb Dennis
14- Keith Schmidt
15- Zak Jarvis
16- Joel Bondu
17- Jake Leiva
18- Nathan Lord
19- Eric Favot
20- Brandon Webster
”

DK – Ben Kavanagh At Woodward

February 26, 2014

Ben Kavanagh At Woodward from DK Bicycle Company on Vimeo.

DK’s pint sized shredder Ben Kavanagh was able to enjoy some time at Woodward East and Justen Soule was on hand to catch it all. out of the whole edit it might sound odd that this is my highlight, but check out the way he comes out of the double peg at 0:58. Style!

The Nocturnal Vol. 2

January 21, 2014

Hell… Yeah! Justen Soule dropped this new video and you better believe it’s an absolute MUST SEE filled with bangers! Hit play NOW!

“Several years ago we shot the first Nocturnal video at Joyride 150 bike park with Drew Bezanson, Will Fisher and Mike Gray. The idea was simple, turn all the overhead park lights off and use only video lights to get a video that looked a little different from the typical indoor park edit. Fast forward a couple years and we’re following up the original video with a second volume, this time in Joyride’s street plaza. Lots of shredding from Drew Bezanson, Mike Gray, Brandon Webster, Ben Kavanagh and Dillon Lloyd in this one, don’t miss it!
You can check out the original Nocturnal video here: LINK
Huge thank you goes out to Joyride 150, without the after hours sessions we couldn’t have made this one happen. joyride150.com
Filmed & Edited by Justen Soule
“

Justen Soule 2013 Reel

January 2, 2014

Justen Soule is hands down one of my favorite filmers in BMX and it seems like every year that passes by his work just gets even more mind blowing. Here’s a little demo reel from this past year that I guarantee you have seen some of the footage at some point already.

“A selection of footage and motion graphics from recent projects, featuring everything from BMX, to car racing and woodworking.
Client List: Red Bull Media House, Red Bull Canada, Red Bull UK, GoPro, Pfaff Auto – Emily Batty, Gramafilm UK, DK Bicycles, Volume Bikes, Demolition Parts, 180 Distribution, Allisports – NBC Sports, The Hunt, Become Co., American Woodturner Magazine, Fuel Medialab / TSN
Shot with:
Sony FS700, Canon C300, Canon 5D MkII, Canon 60D, Panasonic AF100, Panasonic HMC150, GoPro Hero 2 & 3
Lenses:
Canon L Series EF 70-200, Canon L series EF 24-105, Canon L series EF 24-70, Canon EF 50mm 1.4, Canon EF 100mm 1.2, Lens Baby (EF mount), 16×9 EX II fisheye, Canon L Series 17mm 4.0 Tilt Shift
Filmed, Motion Graphics & Editing: Justen Soule
“

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