When I first got to know Dakota he was staying on a couch in the living room of a tiny apartment above the shop. I could tell he was a hard worker, but he hadn’t figured out what it is he wanted to do. I’m not sure what sparked him to start shooting photos, but once he did it was obvious he was hooked.Over the next year or so you could see his skill grow quickly. He would jump at every opportunity, taking jobs shooting weddings, assisting on corporate product shots, even taking a job at the camera shop down the street. All the while applying everything he was learning to his skate photography. It’s always nice to see hard work and talent pay off.—Eric Barkow, Owner, Embassy Boardshop

How old are you and where do you live currently and where are you from?
I am 25, from Columbus, Ohio and I have been living in LA as of six months ago.

How long have you been shooting skating and what got you into it?
I’ve been shooting skateboarding for about four to five years. I was shooting a lot of street photos just on a little 35mm Pentax camera as I would skate around through the day and never really wanted to put them together, but one day I was at some spot and a friend of mine let me use his 5d mark ii and flashes to shoot this photo while he filmed just to try things out. Then I was hooked.

Is there one photograph or photographer that inspired you to take up photography?
It was probably a few people over time. Mainly friends of mine that were shooting. I would see some of their photos and be hyped on it. Also, in high school we had photo classes and everything was black and white film, so the hands-on processing and rolling your own film really pulled me into it, but I was in and out of shooting up until six years ago when I started carrying that Pentax camera on me everyday.

What’s the best and worst advice you’ve been given on photography?
Best advice I have been given is to reach out and contact people about questions on photos. I’m constantly emailing photos to get critiqued and it’s really helped me out. I don’t really know the worst advice I have ever been given. Probably being told something along the lines of needing the best gear to take the best photo. I try not to retain those things.

Do you have a favorite photo of your own?

I’m always shooting so it changes a lot but at the moment this is my favorite.

What’s the most interesting story behind one of your photos?

A group of us were in Chicago for adidas Skate Copa a few years ago and met up with a bunch of other guys from shops around Ohio. We were skating around downtown, I think near the Trump building, when Rodger Krebs showed us this bump to bar. It was a pretty quick bust, but he was able to squeak one over in a few tries. As I was going to shoot the photo, I saw the guy on the right walk right into the frame. I shot it anyways thinking it was going to be ruined, but he ended up covering the filmer. I was really into how it turned out when I took a closer look later.

What advice would you give to up and coming skate photos?
Always reach out and stay in contact with people and just go out everyday with friends to shoot and skate.

Best thing about shooting in your hometown:
Knowing my way around the city. I’m constantly using GPS on my phone in LA and I hate it. My data is always done for.

Do you prefer digital or film?
I prefer film for sure, but I can’t afford it all of the time so I shoot a lot of digital.

What’s in your camera bag?
Hasselblad 500cm
Carl Zeiss 50mm f/4 T*
Carl Zeiss 80mm f/2.8 T*
Canon 6D
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Canon 17-40mm f/4
Zenitar Fisheye f/2.8 with EOS Mount Adapter
Phottix Odin Wireless Trigger
Lumopro lp180r Flash-2
Wireless Shutter Release
A lot of batteries and SD Cards
Random rolls of 120 film

Your photography website:
Instagram: @duhcota
dakota-mullins.squarespace.com

We had some issues with Ricky in the beginning of his internship. He didn’t like the office seltzer water and complained that we didn’t have a Yoohoo sponsorship instead. He persevered though and we kept him onboard because he’s got one hell of an eye and takes an awesome photo. He’s super dedicated and an extremely hard worker. I might have exaggerated a lot with my intro. He’s actually a really good guy, super talented and there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll go on to do amazing things with his camera – as long as he’s got his Yoohoo.—Andrew Bablo

How old are you and where are you from?
21 and I’m from South Windsor, Connecticut.

How long have you been shooting skating and what got you into it?
I’ve been shooting skating for about four to five years now. Honestly, what got me into it was shooting my friends on a really really old smartphone, well trying to at least. I soon realized that I wanted to go further with photography so I got my first DSLR which was a D3100.

Is there one photograph or photographer that inspired you to take up photography?
Theory skateshop in Massachusetts had this indoor park and in the park they had a photo of Nate Greenwood blown up on one of the walls, it was shot by Bill Colburn. The photo was was a 360 flip down the UMass 10 set. The photo alone literally made me only want to shoot skateboarding. I don’t know what it was about it, but I remember clearly being like, “Whoa that’s what I want to do,” and ever since, I have been doing just that.

What’s the best and worst advice you’ve been given on photography?
Best advice that I’ve been is to make sure I try every possible angle I can and to never get caught up on one angle. When beginning photography I found myself stagnant in one spot shooting the same photo over and over. As time went on and I got that advice, I learned to use the world to my advantage with foreground and learned to move up, lay down or go hide in a bush. Anything to get that perfect shot that I was happy with.
Worst advice that I’ve been given was to stop shooting skateboarding because it wouldn’t “get me anywhere.” It’s not about trying to get somewhere when it comes to shooting skating. It’s about doing what you want to with you’re life and having fun while doing so.

Do you have a favorite photo of your own?

My personal favorite photo is this photo of Trevor Bradbury truck-bashing this window sill at this DIY spot in Boston. We went to this spot as a warm up spot because we were waiting to meet up with Kevin Phelps in Lowell, so we stopped here. I literally met Trevor at this spot and saw him trying this insane trick and I had to ask him to shoot it. He was totally cool with me shooting it, I set up my flashes and found a good angle and caught the make.

What’s the most interesting story behind one of your photos?

There’re certain things about shooting in the Northeast that can be the biggest pains in the ass. One of them being snow, Dakota Hunt came up to Connecticut to stay with me for a week from Florida and he literally choose one of the coldest weeks here of that month. He was super hyped to skate the Springfield courthouse in Massachusetts, so I brought him there and the landing was covered in snow. He was so determined to get a trick that we scraped up as much snow and ice—mostly ice as we could and he ended up with the sketchiest and most narrow landing. He pulled this feeble pop in really quick and it was super impressive.

What advice would you give to up and coming skate photogs?
Hmm, some advice I would give is to set goals for yourself. Weekly, monthly and yearly goals so that way you’re always busy and always improving. They don’t even have to be crazy goals, maybe just like “shoot at least three good skate photos this weekend.” Little things like that go a long way.

Do you prefer digital or film?
I primarily shoot digital but I wouldn’t say I prefer it over film. Film is for sure a big factor in making me into the photographer I am today. Shooting film taught me to take my time when composing my digital photos.

What’s in your camera bag?
D610
10.5mm fisheye lens
24mm lens
35mm lens
85mm lens
Sigma EF 610 Speedlight
Sunpak 622 Super Pro system flash
Alien Bees B1600
Bunch of battery packs
Pocket wizards
Crazy amount of cords
Skate Tool

Your photography website if you have one:
RickyAponte.squarespace.com
Instagram: @Rickyapontephoto

This is probably the more narcissistic approach, but whatever. I see a lot of myself in Dom and I respect what he’s doing. Living in Michigan, you have to deal with the seasons and he’s doing exactly what I did. Snowboard in the winter and skate in the summer, all while shooting photos and documenting every aspect along the way. Only difference now is I feel like he’s progressing way faster than I ever did with photography and that’s the best part. His compositions are getting better every time I see his photos and I love that he shoots film as well. It’s tight to see people shoot film in the “now” age we live in and I’m glad he’s one of them, especially being so young. Oh and he works at the shop (shout out People!) I used to work at as well, so kudos there. His inner MidWest weirdo will take him far and I’m looking forward to the strange shit he gets into. Godspeed, Milkbaby.—Cameron Strand

Where do you live and how old are you?
I’m 20 years old and living in Detroit, Michigan.

How long have you been shooting skating and what got you into it?
I’ve been shooting skating for about three years. I always thought pictures were cool, but didn’t think of photography as something to participate in until I got a disposable camera during high school. Getting my prints back from the disposable sparked my interest. Before that I always wanted to make videos.

Is there one photograph or photographer that inspired you to take up photography?
I never had a big defining moment that inspired me. I think for me shooting photos was a natural extension of skateboarding. Once I got going there were certain photographers and photographs that I tried to emulate.

What’s the best and worst advice you’ve been given on photography?
I like the saying “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” It’s a nice little reminder that you don’t always need something fancy to capture a moment. I usually get bad advice from people who see photography solely as a business. They don’t view photography as an art and give advice based on profit.

Do you have a favorite photo of your own?
This photo of Mitch Metzger pushing is a favorite of mine. It feels so timeless to me because anybody who’s ever been out skating down the street can relate to this feeling. It really shows him pushing fast while still being clear enough to read what’s going on. I also like how his face isn’t showing so it kind of breaks the conventions of skate photography.

What’s the most interesting story behind one of your photos?
I was out skating at a neighborhood spot in Hamtramck, which is a very ethnic area within Detroit that has a large Muslim population. A bunch of intrigued kids were watching us. A few boys were trying to use my board while I was shooting photos of my friends skate. One of the girls asked to try it out, but the boys weren’t sharing. I got a board to let her try. When she stepped on it I snapped a photo. The girls were upset and asked me not to take their picture. I was a little confused at first, and then the girl on the board in this photo said, “If my dad finds out he’ll hurt me.” That was a big culture shock to me. I didn’t realize that in their culture women are not photographed without permission. It was upsetting to hear that children living in a first world country are being raised this way.

What advice would you give to up and coming skate photogs?
Ask people for honest critique. Hearing, “That’s so cool, good job,” doesn’t help you learn anything. I find it helpful to get a second opinion on how to improve.

Do you prefer digital or film?
I’ll always prefer film, but I’m not giving up on shooting digital. I love the hands on aspect of the process. Loading and developing rolls and sheets by hand gives me the feeling that I’m actually creating each individual picture.

Most interesting thing about shooting in your city:
Detroit is a car dependent city so way less people are out walking around. Often you can shoot at a spot in the middle of downtown and not have a single person around.

What’s in your camera bag?
Fuji X100T
Canon 7D
Sigma 17-50mm
Canon 8-15mm
Pocket Wizard tt5, two Plus IIs, and two Plus Xs
Nikon Sb800 and sb80
Einstein E640 and Vagabond Mini
Bronica Sq-a
Bronica 80mm and 35mm fisheye
Sekonic light meter

Your photography website if you have one:
dominicpalarchio.com