Through The Lens Archives – Page 5 of 15

Through The Lens: Eating Raw with Sam Schulte

July 10, 2013

TTL_73_Opener_600x

Sam Schulte owns Tree Bikes which most of you have certainly heard of before and has quite the history in the BMX industry as an innovator and incredible product designer. Sam started Tree with the intent of creating parts that have solid thought behind them and builds products that are meant to last. He always has the consumer in mind and doesn’t feel right if he has to “sell” his products. Anyone that knows Tree knows that the stuff they make is 100% quality based and completely BMX to the core. On that note, anyone that knows Sam, knows that he has always had a unique outlook on life and truly lives according to his own rules and what he feels is right for his own life. There are a few people out there these days blazing their own path and making their own personal life choices and Sam Schulte is certainly one of them. He maintains a positive state of mind, carefully chooses what goes into his body and has a specific reason and purpose for doing so. Check out what motivates Sam to eat a fully raw diet and maybe learn a thing or two in the process.

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Through The Lens: A Different Perspective #4

July 3, 2013

BMX

As a photographer I am always searching out ways to set myself apart and create content that people will be into. It’s one of the biggest challenges and one of the hardest parts about it to be honest, especially these days when everyone has a camera of some sort with them on a regular basis whether it is a digi-cam or an iphone and life is being documented by the minute. It’s a mix of doing what makes you happy and trying to figure out what will make viewers happy as well. That’s where this new “A different perspective” idea came from. Over the years I have interviewed tons of pro riders about anything and everything except one important topic. What is it like from their perspective to go out and shoot with a photographer? What it is that makes one person better to shoot with than others? I have always wondered about what goes on inside a riders mind before they prepare to shoot a crazy banger and put all of their trust into the photographer. See what Ryan Nyquist, Greg Illingworth, and Daniel Dhers all had to say for the fourth edition of “A different perspective.”

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Through The Lens: Custom Made – Native BMX

June 26, 2013

Native BMX custom seats

One of the things that I love most about doing this column is the fact that I have full creative control week after week. There is no one telling me what to do or how to do it. As someone who has worked in the creative industry for over a decade now there is nothing better than creating an idea from scratch and watching it come to life. That is exactly what this week’s column is all about. I recently spent some time hanging out with James Covington, the owner of Native BMX, and got the chance to pick his brain about the custom leather seats that he makes. Not very many people are out there working with their bare hands, using timeless techniques and creating truly custom pieces. It’s one of those things that you have to appreciate. In today’s BMX industry parts are and can be about as cookie cutter as they come. Companies literally just take the same parts as other companies and just stamp their name on them and call them their own. To me, there is nothing good about that. The fact that there are people out there like James giving you the option to truly add a personal touch to your bike is what makes me think there is hope for BMX after all. The reason why most of us ever got involved with riding in the first place was to stand out from the crowd and not follow the normal path that was laid out in front of us. Find out more about the whole process and give some respect to someone out there making quality, unique, American-made products that could potentially last a lifetime.

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Through The Lens: Unseen Exposures

June 19, 2013

Kelly Bolton BMX
Click here to see it BIG!

The one thing that it takes to be a successful photographer is to constantly be shooting. It’s the best advice that I could give anyone looking to pursue photography as more than a hobby. In fact, even if it is just a hobby I say keep shooting. The more you shoot, the more you learn and the more you grow as a photographer. I shoot for a lot of different outlets these days ranging from print to online and although I try my best to get most of my work used, there are times when some photos never find a home. I keep a folder on my laptop labeled “photos to be sold” and I try to constantly make sure that every one finds somewhere to go. For the most part, they get used for print, ads, or online features. Once in a while a few will slip through the cracks and as I said, I always try to find a place for every photo to go so that’s exactly what this feature is for.

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Through The Lens: Freedom of Speech with Jamie Bestwick

June 5, 2013

Jamie Bestwick BMX
I have to be honest with you here, there are times when I sit around and think for hours, days and sometimes a full week until an idea for a new column pops into my head. Week after week I have been searching for ways to keep things fresh and ways to keep people interested. I simply try to give a reason to check back every Wednesday to see what the new TTL will be about. For those that don’t know, I have officially started my East Coast summer at Woodward and for this week’s column I am very stoked to present an interview with vert legend Jamie Bestwick. Jamie is arguably the best vert rider on the planet and although he doesn’t like to admit that, I doubt there are any riders out there that would argue that fact. He is the type of rider that has an incredible drive to be the best at what he does. He has had a wild journey in BMX so far and has set the bar to an almost unreachable height. Jamie has won eight X Games gold medals in a row and shows zero signs of slowing down anytime soon. He is at the peak of his career and somehow remains level headed, modest and as down to earth as it gets. We recently spent some time hanging out on a quiet afternoon in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania and while we were hanging out I fired some questions his way, and this was the result. Enjoy.

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Originals: May 2013

May 31, 2013

The Union BMX Originals

It’s pretty crazy how fast time can go when you’re staying busy. One of the biggest things that we’ve been trying to do with The Union lately is producing an original feature everyday of the month. Now… I’m sure a lot of you are thinking “that wouldn’t be that hard”… But when you work a real job that kicks your ass along with trying to keep up with the constant flow of BMX videos, products and parts, it can get a little hectic. Luckily, we were able to pull off another full month which has lead to opportunities to take a closer look at bikes, get to know some of your favorite riders, take a look at some of the latest BMX products, keep up with all the latest and greatest videos. There’s a good chance you missed a few of these things, so I’ve compiled all of the features into one post so you can easily get to each and every one. Take a peek!

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Through The Lens: Shoot With What You Have

May 29, 2013

Through The Lens BMX photography
Click to see photo big!

In today’s world having a cell phone is the norm and a huge majority of smart phones actually have a pretty decent camera on them. I can say personally that the “camera” that I carry most happens to be my iPhone. I always have it on me everywhere I go and I happen to shoot quite a bit with it. I never really do anything with any of the photos from my phone and the other day I was reminded of the saying “The best camera is the one you have on you.” To me, as a photographer that makes perfect sense. It’s one of those things where you don’t think; you just shoot. For example, if I’m out and don’t happen to have an actual camera on me, my first instinct is to grab my phone and capture the moment without focusing too much on the end result. That is what photography is all about. It’s about living in the moment, it’s about capturing what’s in front of you and it’s about taking advantage of your surroundings.

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Through The Lens – Catching Up with Miles Rogoish

May 22, 2013

Miles Rogoish BMX

For this week’s TTL I wanted to take some time out to catch up with someone who knows what it means to put in work. Miles is the type of person to always have a ton of projects going on at one time. He not only is a professional rider but he is also a very well respected filmer in the BMX industry. He offers a unique perspective on riding, does his own goddamn thing and lives a lifestyle most people only talk about doing. Miles takes each day as it comes, and has that unique passion that it takes to succeed as a creative person. All of that together will be what helps bring Miles to the point he wants to be at in life one way or another. I’ve known him since 2007 and since that time I’ve seen him risk it all to move out west and pursue his dreams, I’ve seen him progress as a rider, and I’ve seen him put out some quality, original edits that make him stand out among the sea of filmers these days within the industry. It’s nice to know that there are other people out there working towards a goal and just simply trying to leave their mark. Check out what Miles had to say about the current state of the industry, what BMX needs and more right here.

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