Diego Valdez and Graham Ohmer are freshmen skateboarders who merge their passions of photography and skateboarding into a combination of artistic expression. The duo spent its teenage years in Northern Virginia, documenting fellow skateboarders.
“I bought my first camera because I wanted to take pictures of my friends skateboarding,” Ohmer said. “I notice a change in vibe when I take out my camera. (The skateboarders) will try to go much bigger and skate harder, because now the pictures are going to define what went down during that skate session.”
Making the transfer from athlete to artist was natural for the two, they said. According to Valdez, who embraced photography following a skateboarding accident, the two forms parallel each other because “there are no rules in photography and skateboarding. Both allow you to be creative.”
Influenced by the raw culture of skateboarding, Valdez said he describes his photography as “very urban; a real, more contemporary (style) of action.” He said he attempts to bring his figures to life. He said the most important aspects in his photography are lighting, composition and motion.
Like Valdez, Ohmer said he aims to make his photography a realistic experience by shooting images that “make the viewer want to step into the picture and wonder, ‘What is going on here, how is that there, what is this person doing?’
Skateboarding photography differs from most photography forms because the subject is always in motion. To combat the rapid speed of movement, the photographers set up tripods equipped with wireless flashes, which allow them to capture motion.
Ohmer said he also considers the post-production stage to be essential.
“When I combine my pictures into composites or edit them so that they look a little different than real life, I can express more, I feel more that I am creating something,” Ohmer said.
Valdez rarely goes skateboarding without his camera, though tries to take as few pictures as possible. He cites his skateboarding knowledge as a driving force in his art.
Valdez said Richmond offers a diverse, artistic community of both photographers and skateboarders, and the city has inspired his art.
“I’m really siked on what I’ve seen so far . everyone seems to have a lot of hype,” Ohmer said.