Worth a Second Look 3

I posted the photo above back in February of this year but the original (below) is from June 2015. I liked the original enough to post it. It's got a nice lines that run across the photo and up and down that make a dynamic opposition to the diagonal line of the skater's body. But after I had thought about it for awhile I realized that the color in the photo was distracting from those dynamic lines. I tried a few monochrome versions before I arrived at the above. As well as the composition I like how it exemplifies the kind of natural grace many kids have. This boy's stance, his one legged balance, couldn't be more perfect if he'd been trained in classical ballet.

Vic West Skateboard Competition

Today was the annual Vic West Skateboard Competition and as usual I was impressed by the kids who competed. They work so hard to learn the skills and it takes so much determination and dedication to crash and get up again and again until you've mastered it. (And lots of scrapes and bruises)

Effects 2

Here's a different kind of processing. Yesterday posts were made with in-camera processing. All I did was shrink them down a bit for the web. The photo above was a normal digital color photo that I processed in GIMP to produce this black and white line drawing version of the photo. I put favorite photos on my walls and this one has been up for quite a while.

June Choices!

As I wrote yesterday, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish two or three photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite June 2016 photos. There are four to choose from today. From now on there is a steady stream of events every weekend through til autumn. June starts off with the Oak Bay Tea Party and the Vic West Skateboard Competition - two of my favorite events. Anyway, here's four photos of Victoria in June. Which one do you prefer?

Oak Bay Tea Party Midway (I like this photo because carnival midways usually look sort of trashy but this one looks so green and rural.)

Pierre St. Pierre - Street Performer (In Summer the Inner Harbour Causeway is a never-ending program of excellent street performers. Pierre is one of the best.)

National Aboriginal Cultural Festival (another great event in June)

Vic West Skateboard Competition (These four photos are a set, no need to choose between them.)

Air

Before we leave this year's Vic West Skateboard Competition I have to pay tribute to this skateboarder who soared so high in his quest for "air". From where he is it's a long way down to the cement and if you don't get it right, it's an awfully hard landing. My hat's off to these young skateboarders, both boys and girls of all ages, who take their knocks and bruises with a grin, pick themselves up and try again for that elusive perfect run.

It's Starting!

The Vic West Skateboard Competition is a great way to bounce into summer.

Sometimes...

...you just have to try something new.

DON'T Try This at Home...

...unless you're under ten years old.

Meanwhile...

...at the Vic West Skateboard Park, we are waiting for the Annual Skateboard Competition to start.

Determination

Here's another one from Saturday's Vic West Skateboard Competition that illustrates something else I always notice at these events: determination. In this trick you shoot off the top step while kicking the board so it flips around and will land at the bottom of the stairs right side up so you can land on it and roll away. It doesn't take much imagination to see that a lot of things can go wrong and when they do you are likely to end up smashing down on the cement. That's what happened to the little guy pictured above. But he just picked himself up, ran up the stairs and gave it another shot. And another. And another. So what you see in this shot is not perfect form or grace and skill but admirable determination and perseverance.

Vic West Skateboard Competition

Last weekend the annual Vic West Skateboard Competition was held at the Vic West Skateboard Park. As usual it was, in current parlance, "awesome". I am always impressed by the wonderful skills of the participants and the dedication and focus they bring to their sport. Despite this intensity it's not a cutthroat competition like many sports these days. Here the overall ambience is mutual support. Everyone is trying his best and when someone performs really well everyone is happy. What's more remarkable is that the kids seem to have created this ethos themselves in what is essentially a fringe, neglected sport. Here's a few photos that may suggest a little of the grace and skill displayed by even the youngest participants.

Vic West Annual Skateboard Competition

The annual Vic West Skateboard competition was held on Saturday and as usual, it was an inspiring event. These kids really work hard at perfecting their skills and they can do some amazing things on those little bits of plywood on wheels. It's a sport that requires a lot of concentration, coordination and practice, practice, practice. They make it look easy but it's not. Check the sequence below and imagine yourself coaxing that board up onto that rail and then riding it down - at high speed.As well as the skill and style of the competitors I was also impressed by how they support and encourage each other. Clearly everyone wanted to win but there was no atmosphere of cut-throat competition. Here's a few more of the younger competitors.

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If any of the skateboarders pictured here would like copies of their photos or would like to be identified in the text, please let me know. I will be happy to give you credit and/or a free print of your photo. I regret that I did not note the names of the skaters during the competition. My e-mail address is in the sidebar to the right.

Vic West Annual Skateboard Competition

The Annual Vic West Skateboard Competition took place last Saturday, June 8. There were lots of enthusiastic competitors of all ages and genders. It's fascinating to watch the incredible tricks these kids can do with those little bits of plywood on wheels. See also this post from a few days ago.

Vic West Skate Park

A wonderful place to take pictures.