It’s the first weekend of spring and everyone is ready to skate. We tried to keep sessions tight, in order to avoid the possibility of getting thrown out of spots, but that was quick to change. Skaters from all over the East Coast came out to skate the Tri-State area which consists of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. These skaters include world-renowned Thumper Nagasako, REMZ flow and Tri-State Skate rider Tim Franken, Razors flow Joey Zitelli, Con.Artist Brand and Scribe Ind. owner Daniel Fabiano, and many more. The weekend was nothing short of amazing, and I was lucky enough to capture everything on my Nikon D60. — Sam DeAngelis

Friday: March 20, 2010

Matt DeFrance has only been skating for a little over two years, but has progressed faster than any other skater I have ever known. The ledge shown here is located near Hoboken Skate Park and has a 8-foot drop to the Hudson River on the opposite side. This photo was shot with a Nikon SLR and one strobe wedged in the railing. ISO100. F11. Nikkor 35mm.

For once, I got a chance to be on the other side of the camera! I set this picture up for my friend Matt DeFrance and he shot away. I am very happy with the composition and the beautiful skyline. This photo was shot using one strobe nearby as Matt lay in the road. ISO200. F11. Nikkor 10.5 Fisheye.

Saturday: March 21, 2010

Matt and I have been working on getting this picture right for a long time. We tried a couple of night shots but I was never satisfied with the result. On Saturday morning, Matt laced and produced this sequence. I shot this photo with one strobe laying at the bottom of the stairs and my 10.5 Fisheye lens. ISO100. F11. Nikkor 10.5 Fisheye.

Man, we’re we lucky this weekend! Thumper Nagasako, now residing at Woodward East in Pennsylvania, came out to the Tri-State to show support for the industry. As one of the most renowned Vert skaters in the world, he rarely gets the opportunity to show his skills out on the streets. He flawlessly laced this Truespin Acid, and I was able to get super close for this shot using one strobe at my feet and my fisheye lens. ISO100. F8. Nikkor 10.5 Fisheye.

We have attempted to capture this trick a couple times and failed. On this weekend, Tim came out and laced this transfer in the middle of the road. It was tough to get the right angle without sitting in the road, and I pretty much risked my life for the second shot. In the end it’s always worth it… Photo was shot with one strobe on a stand in the road. ISO200. F9. Nikkor 35mm.

Sunday: March 22, 2010

The infamous White Plains High School. This spot has been showcased in several NYC skate videos such as “Nature” and “B Unique.” New York native, Greg Sturino, warmed up with this perfect Top Mistrial for his first trick. I shot this photo with one strobe at my feet. ISO100. F7.1. Nikkor 35mm.

If you don’t know the kind of skater Thumper is… just know that he laced this trick five times in a row for me. I wanted to get the perfect angle to capture the height of the drop and the intensity of the trick. If there is one sure thing about Thumper it’s that he always comes to perform. This photo was shot using two strobes. ISO100. F7.1. Nikkor 10.5 Fisheye.

Becoming good friends with New York’s finest skaters sure has its benefits. I requested for Greg to get a picture for me on the drop side of this rail and he came through. Everyone who knows Greg’s skating knows that he goes hard and never seems to let up. I shot this photo with two strobes; one in the drop and another facing the rail. ISO100. F7.1. Nikkor 35mm.

Like I have said before, Matt gets things done. Without any fear, Matt agreed to my wishes of getting a nice shot of him skating the drop side of this obstacle. First try he landed this Top Acid, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results. This photo was shot with two strobes; one in the drop and another facing the rail. ISO100. F7.1. Nikkor 10.5 Fisheye.

Joey Zitelli is a New Jersey native, Woodward All-Star, and owner of Twenty-Six Letters Clothing. He is sponsored by Tri-State Skate Shop and rides flow for Razors. His contribution to the industry is not only trendy clothing, but also very stylish skating. This photo was shot with one strobe at my feet as Zitelli launched over my head. ISO100. F4. Nikkor 10.5 Fisheye.

When photographing rolling there is always a chance of some danger. For this shot, I had Greg jumping over my head while I laid on the stairs. Some call me crazy, but I think that part of being a good photographer is really getting into the picture. After a couple of tries, Greg caught this trick perfectly and I left without a scratch. I shot this photo with one strobe at top the stairs, off to the right. ISO100. F5.6. Nikkor 10.5 Fisheye.

Joey Zitelli consistantly shows control and style in his tricks. Joey has a large trick vocabulary and most certainly kills it in the park scene. He skated this 16-foot over-vert like its been sitting in his back yard. I shot this photo with two strobes. One flash is located above the lip and another deep within the bowl. ISO200. F4.8. Nikkor 35mm.

It wouldn’t be a weekend with Thumper without a couple of huge air tricks. As it was getting late on Sunday, we decided to finish the weekend at a park in Connecticut. This picture was taken first try, and really shows how much control Thumper has in the air. Thumper Nagasako is a dedicated professional. ISO100. F4.5. Nikkor 10.5 Fisheye.

— Sam DeAngelis