I’ve posted on this numerous times but I realized after my last blog post on it I didn’t really do anything to follow up with my ambitions of shooting the X Games. Last year I had the opportunity of photographing the Ham City Jam skate competition in Effingham, IL. It was seriously one of the best experiences I’ve had as a photographer. There’s something about being out on the concrete in the middle of summer with a bunch of people pushing their limits. Although I’m not in the action sports scene too much, photographing it feels like home to me. Last year I said I was going to get my butt in gear and do everything to photograph the X Games, because as I said in that post and prior to that, photographing the X Games has been a dream of mine since I was in high school. Most kids dream of participating, however I knew I wasn’t great on a bike, but I could take pictures and I could capture the fully extended trick in one shot… because I was using film then.
So this year I’ve been able to partner up with Deano Tull, and work with him to produce some work for the upcoming event and getting the word out to other skaters in a creative way. This week we got together to film what the competition was all about. The amount of local businesses and even big businesses outside of the Effingham area is insane! It’s awesome seeing businesses come together to support this. We will be providing the photography and video for the day of, which has been a treat in itself. I haven’t been on a skateboard since high school. So on shoot day I had to pretty much learn to ride a skateboard again on top of filming as I do it. Thankfully I’m not busting out any tricks, I’m simply riding it, so I was able to pick it up quickly. I’m so happy with the way the video turned out. If you are a skater and want a chance to win $300 or even a business that would want to step up and donate to the event – contact Deano Tull @ 217-343-0406 or find him on facebook.
