Authors: Weston Colton
Setting the Record Straight: Brodie Penrod
Brodie Penrod is a skateboarder, plain and simple. He is pretty well known south of the point of the mountain as that kid that kills the American Fork skate park, effortlessly doing your whole bag of tricks—all in one line, and switch. … read more
Photo Essay: The Moral Minority
With the intent of shedding a new light on the public’s perception of skaters, I have photographed individuals that don’t fit the perceived mold. These people are upstanding members of the community and contribute to society in a positive way. … read more
Getting Dirty with Matty Coles
Coles doesn’t say a lot—he lets his skating do the talking. He is incredibly humble, yet completely confident in his abilities on a board. I’ve never heard a single complaint or even a curse word come out of his mouth when a spot was hard to skate, or the trick just wasn’t coming, or when I asked him to do a trick that he had never even done before. … read more
Photo Feature: Matt Winskowski
The boneless one is a trick I have always liked doing. It’s a classic trick that’s all about style. It was also the second trick I ever learned (it was much more common in 1990). I told Matt that I wanted to shoot a boneless at a street spot. Matt’s response: “What would Peter Hewitt do?” Apparently, he would do something like this. … read more
Photo Feature: Jovi Bathemess
When I think about what draws me to certain skaters, the two biggest factors are style and trick selection. That is what makes Jovi so fun to shoot. He has an East Coast style and a knack for interesting spots. This is a perfect example. … read more
Photo Feature: Matt Fisher
I have very little time to shoot skateboarding these days. I no longer have day-long skate sessions that cover half the valley, shooting photos here and there as we happen upon spots. These days, photos are planned out as much as possible to minimize the time taken away from my family. This photograph was imagined and planned out, down to every detail. I called up Matt because, in my experience, he can usually produce whatever trick I throw at him. He’s that good. … read more
Photo Feature: Dyllan Call
I first met Dyllan Call when I was working at Blindside in 2006. He was a skinny, 15-year-old kid who was quickly becoming one of Utah County’s top all-terrain shredders. He skated everything with style and speed, and always had a smile on his face. Fast-forward to 2012: Call is 21 now, he’s 6’3” and grows a better beard than I ever will. … read more
Photo Feature: Devin York
How many times have you driven past this brick bank-to-rail and thought, “It would be rad if you could skate that”? Then all the reasons not to skate it come to mind: the curb, the bricks, the road it sits on, the height of the rail. Spots aren’t perfect. This is street skating. … read more
Photo Feature: Mike Murdock
What I said before about going out with a real tight plan to get a photo––that doesn’t always work. Sometimes, after an exhausting hour of trying the planned trick, you decide to move on and try something else. Sometimes you strike gold and end up with something better than the plan. Mike Murdock struck gold at this barely skateable bump. … read more
Photo Feature: Jon Hart
In rural Utah, where I grew up, winter meant a nearly three month skating hiatus. There were no parking garages or indoor ramps to skate. We would just hope the church parking lot dried up enough to pull out our flat bars and boxes, and we’d skate the snow gaps. Shoveling a spot to skate in sub-freezing weather shows dedication, and Bolts of Thunder founder Jon Hart is one of the most dedicated people I know. … read more
Photo Feature: Brodie Penrod
By the time you read this, spring will be in full swing, the days will be longer and sunnier, and Utah’s coldest winter in recent history will be just a memory. However, this photo was taken Feb. 16. It was the first time temperatures had climbed to nearly 50 degrees in months. It was the first time Brodie had skated in two weeks, the first time this rail had ever been skated, and it was the first time he had done this trick on a round rail. … read more
Forrest Does Downtown
For this article, Forrest Huber, Jovi Bathemess, Sam Milianta, Gabe Dusserre and I met up near the library Downtown. The friendly dynamic and atmosphere that was created helped some of these tricks come to life. These photos were all shot on two Saturdays in downtown Salt Lake City. We didn’t get all the photos we wanted to––sometimes a spot gets the best of you, sometimes you get kicked out before you even get a chance to skate––but we had fun, and that is all that really matters.
… read more
