Through The Lens Archives – Page 7 of 15

Through The Lens: Unseen

February 27, 2013

Typically when I shoot photos these days it’s for a specific purpose. Either for a print project, an ESPN feature, something for my column, something for an ad, catalog or anything else a company might need photos for etc. In some cases though I have shot photos over the years that never end up going anywhere but my hard drive. Typically it’s just that they become leftovers and aren’t needed at the moment. Other reasons include riders changing sponsors. For example, if you shoot a rider that is wearing a pair of Etnies and then they get sponsored by Vans you can’t really do anything with the photo of them wearing the Etnies anymore. It sucks but that’s just how it works. Either way though, that is why I love doing this column because I have complete creative control meaning that I get to finally give some of these photos a home and give them a bit of shine-time.

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Through The Lens: Story Time with Matt Beringer

February 20, 2013

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Whenever it comes time to put together an article for print you typically end up with more photos and copy than you can use. Sometimes certain parts of articles just have to get fully cut out due to space limitations. So, for example, the following story that you are going to read written by none other than Matt Beringer was originally set to go into an upcoming interview in Soul Magazine about Matt’s yard. There was a small problem though and that was the fact that he wrote nearly 1,000 words in response to a single question in regards to the water slides in the yard and how he got them. Now, if you know anything about print, you would know that 1,000 words are way too many words for one answer. I immediately took the answer and saved it as “Beringer Bonus” and had a plan to use it at one point for a future project simply because it’s an awesome story that I felt was definitely worth sharing. When I was out in Utah staying with Matt for a week working on a few different things we ended up spending a lot of time just shooting the shit and talking over some beers. He has so many awesome stories and they are always entertaining so I decided that instead of having this never see the light of day I would share it with the world. Welcome to the first edition of “Story Time” with S&M lifer and legend Matt Beringer.

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Through The Lens – Company Check: Odyssey

February 13, 2013

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Odyssey was started in 1985 so to say that they have a history in BMX is quite the understatement. They have created multiple innovative products, they have won design awards, they have continued to make products that have helped BMX progress to the level it is at today. Not only that but they have also put together an amazing team both pro and flow and they continue to set trends while the average company tries to keep up. Odyssey as a whole seems to be doing something right these days and it’s a company that has the respect of its fellow peers. They give back to BMX in the form of quality, trust-worthy parts and help support riding by putting on one of the best contests to date otherwise known as the Texas Toast Jam. I recently got the chance to head down to the main offices/warehouse in Norwalk, California and spend the afternoon hanging with Jim Bauer. Grab a drink, get comfortable and find out why Odyssey is one of the leading companies in all of BMX.

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Through The Lens: How To Shoot a Bike Check Featuring Andrew Jackson

February 6, 2013

Andrew Jackson BMX

For this week I had a few things in mind that I wanted to work on but when I was out shooting the other day Andrew Jackson showed up with a freshly built set up and he wanted to try and get it shot before he really started riding it. Since we were going to be doing a bike check anyways I figured it would be cool to break down the process of shooting a bike check and how I typically go about it. Bike checks are a perfect way to show everyone out there what you are riding and it’s a great way for pros to shout out their signature parts and help promote the companies that support them. Plus, it’s a great marketing tool for companies to have their products promoted by their team riders so it’s a win-win for everyone really. Although a bike check seems really simple there are actually a few important things to know when putting one together. Read on to get a little insight into what it takes to get one done properly and practice on your own bike or your friend’s bike today.

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Through The Lens: Travel Life

January 30, 2013

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In BMX there is nothing better than getting out there, rounding up a crew and hitting the road. For this week’s column the goal was to inspire you to want to get up, get out and make that happen. I recently got a call from my good friend Josh Betley letting me know that he is on a trip right now with a bunch of German riders including Daniel Tuente, Moritz Nussbaumer, Reto Rominger, and Julian Madrzak. They happened to be cruising around in an RV just traveling and living it up. He wanted to see if I was down to meet up and shoot some stuff with the crew and I couldn’t help but see this as a perfect opportunity to do a little bit of a travel themed column. Some of the best experiences of my life have happened on the road and nothing inspires me to shoot more than when I am on a trip no matter how short or long it may be. There is just something about getting packed up and setting out on an adventure that is so inspiring to me. That’s honestly my favorite part of being a photographer is seeing new places and photographing them along the way. Also you just never know what might happen out there and sometimes having no plan is the best plan you can have. Sit back and get ready to check out what their trip is all about.

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Through The Lens: A Different Perspective #3

January 23, 2013

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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 Connor Lodes, Christian Rigal and Ronnie Napolitan all had to say for the third edition of “A different perspective.”

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Through The Lens: Catching Up with Jason Enns

January 16, 2013

Jason Enns BMX

I have known Jason for a long time now but it wasn’t until I moved to California in 2007 that I got to meet up with him and begin shooting with him. We have become friends over the years and any time I suggest meeting up to working on a project like this or just shoot photos in general he is always down for the cause, which is amazing. He is one of the most well respected riders in the game right now and seems to have a way about him that people are stoked on. His riding has progressed so much over the years and he has really found himself as a rider. He doesn’t follow trends, he doesn’t worry about who’s doing what, he just simply does what he does best and that is kill it on a bike. He puts in some serious effort into searching out new spots to stay fresh and original, he always reps the companies that support him and he always seems to be genuinely stoked to be riding. He’s the type of person that doesn’t take what he has for granted and understands that it could all end tomorrow. I had the chance recently to hang with Jason and as always, it was nothing but good times. You know what to do by now… grab a drink, sit back and read on.

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Through The Lens: 2012 Year End Gallery

January 2, 2013

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I wanted to take this opportunity to throw together a Year-End gallery that had some of my most memorable photos of 2012 in there. It was really rewarding to look back on all of the projects that I was a lucky enough to be a part of and pick some images that stood out to me for whatever reason. This is also a way to kind of take a peak into my body of work for the year with the exception of some photos that are coming out in print as we speak and some that are still yet to be released. The following images have all come out of my camera at some point in the past twelve months. Some you may recognize, some you may not but either way I hope you enjoy them and feel free to leave some comments about which ones stand out to you. In fact, if you tell me which one you like most and why, I will read through the comments and personally pick one lucky winner to get a print of their favorite image. Here’s to the New Year, and here’s to pursuing your dreams. Check the photogallery now.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS!