Ryan Sheckler

I had Tuesday and Wednesday off this week. I had a pretty good time. On Wednesday, I rode my trusty bicycle out to Ed Benedict Skate Plaza in SE Portland to check out the Etnies (skate shoe company) skate team. I have really enjoyed skating Ed Benedict in the recent past, and figured the layout would provide good fodder for some entertaining pro level skating. I was not wrong. Armed with my backpack with a couple of my cameras and my new, super cozy Pendleton shirt, I arrived on the scene to discover the plaza totally packed with skateboarders of all sorts. There was one little kid who kept doing the same trick over and over in a n equally bad fashion, solidifying himself as a teensy one-trick pony for the afternoon.

side note
There were defintiely more than a few kids wearing headphones while skating. I love listening to music, but this is one arena where one must absolutely be acutely (especially acoustically) aware of the surroundings and whether or not someone is approaching them from any angle. It seems like some depressing holdover from all the office drones with their glaring white iPod cords perfectly peeking out of their jackets as they walk to work. Ugh.
end side note

Anyhow, one of the pro skateboarders, Ryan Sheckler, was attempting all sorts of difficult tricks off a rather large stair set, so I eventually sauntered over to find a good angle to capture him on film. And then what you see above happened. And when I saw the exposure, I got a little warm and fuzzy. I wouldn't mind shooting skateboarding and snowboarding for part of my living...