Art is everywhere

Took a surf trip to the tip of Baja and saw this on the way to dinner in someone's front yard. The light was just right. Open your eyes and you will see. San Jose del Cabo, Baja California, Mexico. Photo: Brittain

Don't fence The Gonz out

Gemco Bank was this one hit bank in a residential neighborhood in South Oceanside not too far from the office.
Shot The Gonz, GSD, Tod Swank and Miki Vuckovich there. The city tried all sorts of ways to make the spot unrideable, motor oil, rough cement and finally a double fence. That did the job, another beauty of a spot rendered unskateable, you know the story, you have a similar story. Hate "The Man", love The Gonz and his frontside boneless!
Photo: Brittain

Photographic Prints of my work are available.

Look around at jgrantbrittain.com
and if you see a photo that you dig, I can have high quality signed LightJet prints made on Fuji Crystal Archival paper.
Print prices run from $100 for an 11"x14" plus shipping all the way up to $500 for a 30"x40" plus shipping.
There are several sizes in-between the above size range and prices vary accordingly.
Contact me through my website via the "Contact" button or comment on this Blog.
Click on photo to see it larger.
Photo: Grant Brittain

Nothing like a good sunset skate photo

John Reeves grinds the rail at Swamis Beach in Encinitas just down the street from mi casa. Pretty. Click on the photo and go BIG!
Photo: Brittain

Happy Winter Solstice!

Bang a Gong! The days are getting longer after today. Andy Macdonald, Ocean Beach, San Diego where it's always warm and sunny. Sorry.

Photo: Brittain

Ray Underhill Wheels from Powell and Momentum

Our dear friend, Ray Underhill passed away after a 2 year battle with cancer a few months back. Ray was like a brother to his many friends in the skate world. Ray was the nicest person you could ever meet, no exaggeration. George Powell at Skate One and Momentum Wheels have joined together to produce the Ray Underhill wheel, the proceeds earned will go to Ray's beautiful family, wife, Kerry, son, Keaton and daughter Olivia to help with Ray's medical bills.

All Elements Coming Together

Sometimes when you're shooting, all of the elements just seem to fall into place. The spot, skater, camera exposure, timing come together and Mother Nature smiles down with a gorgeous sunset. Jaya Bonderov kick flipping the hip at the long gone Jump Ramp school in San Diego.
Photo: Brittain

20"x24" Polaroids

Tim Mantoani is a hot commercial photographer in San Diego who owns a 20"x24" Polaroid camera.
Tim is currently working on a photo project/book/show, Behind Photographs which focuses on renowned photographers(not that I am renowned) shot with their iconic images. I chose my Chris Miller Pole Cam photo as my iconic image, it's one of my favorite images. These cameras are amazing, they are the size of a dishwasher(the machine) on a trolley and the Polaroid film comes in 40 and 60 foot rolls and each image is 20"x24" straight out of the camera. I have had the privilege of shooting with one of these Mammoth cameras on a couple of occasions and they are simply mind-blowing. The bad news is that Polaroid is ceasing film production and these cameras will go the way of the Dodo, a victim of the Digital Age. RIP.

Travels

The best thing about shooting photos for a magazine is the travel. Some of my best friends I have today are the people I traveled with or met along the way.
This is a photo I shot of Pierre Andre in Fuji City, Japan in 1988. We were in Japan for a month and had a Blast!

Thanksgiving tomorrow

I thank the universe for my family, my friends and my health, that's enough.

Photo: Lake Yellowstone Dawn by Grant Brittain

Had my first solo show in 2003 in San Diego

My friend Josh Higgins, Art Director Extraordinaire invited me to do a solo photo show at the AIGA Gallery in downtown San Diego in September of 2003. I presented 20+ years of my favorite photography, skateboarding and my recent Polaroid 20x24 photos. Josh curated the show, he did a book, tee shirts, posters and the PR, I was blown away by the turn-out. We gave out 500 books, the line to get in went around the corner(700 people!), had some drinks, some yummy food, some great jazz and my family, friends and skate stars all showed up to support me.

A week later I quit Transword Skateboarding Magazine after 20 years of dedication.

The highs and lows of life, you never know what the future may hold.

Interview with me on a site Brian Brannon works on, Up the Antics

Click here to Check it!

Photo of Chris Miller at North Vancouver in 1986.

Bye Bye Red States- Click to Enlarge, any like minded friends can move in

The Rest of the Youssefpour story.

So, it turns out that Mike Youssefpour didn't go to the doctor on the coast that night. He drove his stick shift truck one armed back to LA and went to the doctor 2 days later(with no pain killers yet!). He walked in and said that he thought that he might have broken his wrist. When he held it up for them to see, they said, "You think?". They did an x-ray and it was for sure broken. They wanted to operate and Mike said the only way they could operate was with him on no pain killers and Mike wanted to be awake. The Doctor said he couldn't do that, it would be inhumane and probably have some liability issues. The Dr. agreed to try to set it without pain killers. He put Mike's arm in one of those elevated traction sling dealies and put it back into position with Mike screaming obscenities all the while. Yikes!

Mike Youssefpour is a Badass!

There are plenty of crazy stories about our friend Mike Youssefpour. He's an eccentric dude and has a lot of little idiosyncrasies, rituals and phobias. I love the guy, he's funny and really cares about things and friends.

Saw him two nights ago at the Romona Rumble contest as I was walking to my car after shooting photos.

He had his wrist wrapped in ice and when he showed his wrist to me, I was amazed he wasn't at the ER, his wrist was tweaked! Broken or dislocated, it was bent. He informed me that he had done it earlier in the day and gone to Tri City hospital in Oceanside some 40 miles away, got tired of the wait in the ER and drove straight back to the contest. Mike doesn't take pain killers, he's gnarly like that. He then followed me back the 40 miles back on country curvy roads to Encinitas where he was supposedly going to an Urgent Care. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.

The Best Skateboarder?

In the late 70s Chris Strople was considered to be one of the best skaters in the world, I always thought that.

He was at the Del Mar Skate Ranch from its opening day and even before it opened.

I spent a lot of time with Chris and Tom "Wally" Inouye and witnessed some heavy moments.

Chris is skating again and the skate world is that much happier.

I shot this photo in DMSR's halfpipe in early 80s and edgers don't get much edgier than this!

Close call!

This is about as close as you can come without breaking your lens and getting a shot to the face.

Rick McCrank wasn't trying to hit me, one just kind of got a way from him.

Thanks Rick!

It's October and the weather's changing

People say there are no seasons in So Cal, the changes are  just subtle. I was born here and I can feel a little bit of chill in the morning air. I put on a thin sweater last night, I am a wuss. Summer's fading.

This is a photo of Per Welinder at the beach many years ago. Enjoy the weather Friends. 

Ray Underhill R I P

So long Ray, we will all miss you and your wonderful spirit.

Digging through my old photos and found this jewel. Tony Hawk portrait at Del Mar Skate Ranch, 1980s.

The Pole Camera

1987- I had always wanted to shoot a skate photo with a pole cam. I think I got the idea from a photo a surf photog had shot. I mounted my Nikon FM2 with a 16mm fisheye on a tripod head and mounted that on a mono-pod and hooked up a squeeze bulb shutter release with the hose coiled around the pole. I shot a roll of black and white and a roll of color, one shot on each came out nicely. I really wanted to get our two shadows in the photo as a reference to show how far above coping Chris Miller’s frontside air was and to show that I was using a pole cam. I think our shadows in the upper right of the photo tells the whole story, I will stop now.