Bla Bac Photo ─ The Art of Skateboarding Photography

“It’s rad what I do.” —Mike Blabac

Blabac Photo: The Art of Skateboarding Photography is a?stunning chronicle of a youth movement as seen through?the lens of Mike Blabac, a man who is as dedicated to his?craft as he is to the skateboarding lifestyle that inspired it.?For millions of people around the world, skateboarding is?more than a mere hobby or a sport—it’s a way of life that?has shaped everything from fashion and music, to video?games and art. Blabac Photo proves that point with 300?awe-inspiring images that communicate the stories and?exploits of some of the most creative athletes to ever step?on a skateboard including Eric Koston, Stevie Williams,?Colin McKay, Rob Dyrdek, and Danny Way. As skateboarding?evolved over time, from a hobby for kids on the Venice?boardwalk into a global culture, skate legends were born,?records were broken, titans of industry materialized—and?Mike Blabac was there to document the history of the?movement as it developed before his eyes. More

Mike Blabac is one of the preeminent skateboard?photographers of his generation. His career has been built?on a strong work ethic, a small dose of good fortune, and an?undying love for riding on a small board with four wheels. His?parents gave him his first camera at age 13, but he didn’t?grasp the full power of photography until he started looking?at skateboard magazines. In the early 90s, Blabac caught his?first break. He began taking pictures of a rising skater named?Josh Kalis, and an image off the first roll he shot ran as a?full page in TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine. Soon after,?Blabac moved to California, where his career took off. He?began shooting spreads and covers for the top skateboard?magazines, including Thrasher and Skateboarder, and?eventually became staff photographer for Mad Circle and Girl?Skateboards. In 1999, Blabac joined friends Ken Block and?Damon Way and helped to shape the image of their rapidly?expanding skate shoe company, DC Shoes.

J. Grant Brittain is a legendary skate photographer and?founding photo editor of The Skateboard Mag, a groundbreaking?publication he helped launch in 2004, and?TransWorld SKATEboarding, the largest circulation skateboarding?magazine in the world. Over his career, Brittain has?captured nearly all of the best skateboarders of the last?three decades in hundreds of classic photographs.

Jake Phelps is the longtime editor of Thrasher magazine?and one of the most colorful characters in the skateboarding?industry. Never one to shy away from controversy, Phelps?embodies his magazine’s f*** you attitude, maintaining?that skateboarding is an art and a lifestyle without rules or?authority figures to decide what is right or wrong. More