BMX Party Time!

Issue #2 of an online magazine coming out of Nor Cal

Issues 5-7 are available for download at JaredSouney.com

From 2005-2007 I helped publish seven issues of a magazine called Sophisticated Rider with Pro BMX rider John Parker and Pro Skateboarder/Writer/Commentator Paul Zitzer. The magazine focused on Skate, BMX and FMX (the winter issues had a bit of snow as well)… an Extreme round-up as Zitzer would call it. All seven issues were distributed for free at skateparks around the US (and beyond).

- More at Jared Souney

What’s Cardinal all about? SRC: Ride BMX

It’s an idea that I’ve had for a while. I always ran my wheel slammed into the dropout and had a difficult time taking my wheel off with the chain being so tight. I thought about this and the semi-vertical dropout just made sense to me. All you’d have to do was lift your wheel out of the bottom of the dropout while the chain was still on the wheel and you’d never have to shift the wheel back and forth to tighten or loosen the chain because your axle is always going to be slammed. You can even tighten the chain and center the wheel at the same time by sitting on your seat. You can run any gear ratio. I tried all of them. I run a 22-8, Boy and Eman run a 23-8 and Heaton runs a 28-10. 25-9 and 30-11 work too. A regular chain works with this frame, but a half link chain is going to give you more adjustment. This is what we’ve been using and strongly recommend it.

- More at Ride BMX

Pornstars and other misc. BMX shenanigans

This work week can kiss my ass goodbye. Here we've got adult entertainer Skye Lopez standing at some long gone trails in the 909, they had a name but it presently escapes me. The Action Sports Sex #11 shoot was the weirdest day at work ever, but this "work" day is up there somewhere. I didn't really have any spare time to do scans this week, but I did finish and submit my first article for the Boxed Wine Fiasco column in Dig which went to print this Tuesday. It involves corndogs. More Skye next week.

- More at Boxed Wine Fiasco

Low Profile from DigBMX.com

For days I’ve been struggling to write something about Chase Hawk and fighting my own natural tendencies to be a dramatic cheeseball. I keep starting over and trying to find some artsy way to tell his tale, but I don’t think that fits Chase, so I’ll attempt to stick to the facts. Chase is 14 years old, lives in Austin, Texas and is an unusually good bike rider.

- More at Dig BMX

Great write up by filmer Joe Cox.

It seems so long ago, nineteen ninety-seven. We had some trails, well, when I say trails I mean a tabletop in a field that we jumped on our mountain bikes. I didn’t even know bmx’s were still being made. An old racing legend from the northeast, Brian Graham came down on a Hoffman flash and made bike riding look ten times more fun than on our big bikes. That was the spark that brought the engulfing pastime that is known as bicycle motocross to our little group of friends. The inferno that made sure we still loved it ten years later was the so cal video Soil. I cant describe the feeling that I got watching that video for the first time, I seriously could not believe what was going on before my very eyes. Dirty Californian kids doing things I didn’t know were even possible on a bike, and made it look like the most fun and cool thing you could ever do, all to a so cal punk soundtrack. Every night after school we’d go round to my mates house, watch that video, get completely psyched and go and ride our trails until dark.

- More at Ride UK

Jack Watt-Smyrk gets it done. SRC: Ride UK

You know the feeling when you turn up to the spot you’ve been poring your sweat and blood into every wet weekend for years only to find everything’s flat? You know, that “What am I gunna ride this summer?” “Maybe I should quit this BMX shit, I’m too old any way” feeling? It’s a shitter aint it? Then a few days later you’re in the pub drinking away your sorrows and all your talking about is how awesome it would be to have your own bit of land. Well after this happened to me for maybe the 5th or 6th time, I woke up after my drunken night of slating the council and decided I had had enough, I was gunna make it happen, I was gunna buy me a piece of land no matter what!

- More at Ride UK

John Paul Roger’s raw doggin’ blog

I've been lugging bins full of "archived" slides and negatives around for the past 8 or 9 years. They almost went the way of all the other crap I had been dragging around with them relating to BMX Action/ Faction. I guess to someone who hadn't been burdened with the thankless task, there was probably a treasure trove of BMX bullshit piled up. The only thing I truly regret unloading was the entire body of digital files, you know, the ones we sent to the printers. Every page, every Ad…tossed carelessly, without regard into a South Philly dumpster. Oops. I was relieved at the time, though. I think the term is cathartic. I haven't looked lately, but I'm pretty sure I still have almost half the printed catalog of 22 issues.

- More at Boxed Wine Fiasco

Mt. Hood shot with the “Camera Bag” app

Since I’ve got my iPhone with me at all times, and since we are becoming a “If you don’t upload it to the internet right away it didn’t really happen” society, I’ve been experimenting more with photos from the little bugger. While it’s sort of quirky, slow, and awkward to hold as a camera, it’s always in my pocket so I might as well get the most of out of it.

- More at Jared Souney

This isn’t BMX related but the iPhone / photography crowd’s going to dig this!

Here’s another one for those wanting to work in the industry.

Since the digital age is upon us, it's seems its no surprise that everyone is a photographer these days. It seems like I keep hearing the same questions more and more. Like, how do get my photos published in a magazine? Who do I contact? What are they looking for? This gave me the idea to start this series of posts, about what it takes to be a contributing photographer. Hopefully to answer any questions all you up and coming photographers may have. I'll be talking to a series of different contributors and staff photographers from various BMX magazines and diving into each, with the plan of giving you an idea what their looking for and how to start. I'll also be giving you my personal insight and years of experience shooting as a freelancer and as a magazine staff photographer. I guess these tips could apply to any magazine but what I'll be referring to BMX Magazines.

- More at ESPN