Whether you like the shot or not, JP Lagos’s photo has gone the distance and is the newest inductee to the Champions Gallery. It was four weeks wrought with all the commenting fun and shit talking we’ve gome to expect, as well as a new friend named Larry. As always, we tracked down JP to get his honest opinion on the battle, and the story behind his winning shot.

Tell us about this photo: who is the skater, where was it taken and when?

The skater in this photo is Tom Knox, pretty much the biggest badass in skateboarding. He’s like a 2 or 3-time national jui jitsu champion on top of being a legendary skateboarder. We did a shoot down at the Orange Cove Skatepark which is in the middle of nowhere by Visalia (which is by Fresno for you non-Californians). Its a skatepark sponsored by Dianne Feinstein and the State of California for all the kids of farmworkers. I guess not a lot of them skate because we were the only people there for several hours.

What was the set up you used to take it?

I used a Nikon D300 and single flash to get that silhouette against the sunset. Yes, the shot was intentionally dark. Because Tom is such a phenomenal skater, I stacked all of the shots I needed within the first 30-45 minutes of the shoot, so we got creative.  This is one of my favorite shots from the shoot.

If you took it again, would you do anything differently?

I wouldn’t really do anything different to be honest. I wanted a shot of a skater doing a legit rock n’ roll and have it be a silhouette for my office/studio. Mission accomplished.

What was your favorite insight from our brilliant commenters during your time in the battle?

That Z really hated my shot, and that my friends are really funny. I posted a link to the photo battle on my Facebook page and my friends went nuts. They can be kinda cruel, and Z & his friends kept taking the bait. Sorry for that Z. Your shot was great, but the comments were gold….Digital Photo GOLD

Who are you, where do you live, and what do you normally shoot?

My name is JP Lagos and I live in beautiful Lake Tahoe. I mainly shoot snowboarding and portraiture/lifestyles of model types, but I’ve shot with skaters, mountain bikers, and surfers as well. That shot of Nick Visconti and the infamous parking cone a few weeks ago was one of my shots as well. I try to make photography as fun as possible. You can check out more of my shots at JPLagos.com

Do you have any advice for people who want to get into photographing these ridiculous sports?

I’m not really sure how to give advice on that. I got into shooting photos because I was the only one in my crew who could take a decent shot and then companies started paying me to do it. I guess if that happens to you too, then you learned it here first.

Anything else you’d like to say to the YoBeat public?

Buy a new snowboard this season from PortersTahoe.com… Most legit shop on the planet!

We had a little spider infestation recently. Don’t worry, we called a guy and he installed some high tech Internet cobweb eliminator in the form of Captcha. It won’t happen again. But not only did Kevin Heitczman have to wait two extra weeks for his final week in the Firing Squad thanks to the Ultimate Champions Battle, but then the spiders went and rigged the vote. So we decided the only fair way to go about it was to declare both Kevin and his challenger winners! For the challenger, that means his photo will appear again tomorrow against another opponent, and for Kevin and his worthy shot, a DAKINE photo pack and a one way ticket to the Champion’s Gallery. Kevin will also be eligible for the year end Ultimate Champion’s battle in early 2011. Congratulations Kevin, but you’re not done yet, the people want to know more about your shot.

YoBeat: Tell me about this shot, who is it, when was it, and where?

Kevin: This was taken up at Mt. Hood two summers ago and the rider is one of HCSC finest Brendan Hayes.

What was the set up you used to make the magic happen?

I shot this with my Canon 30D, Canon Fisheye, and then borrowed a pair of pocket wizards and an Acute 600B that was brought up on the mountain. I had never used that much expensive equipment on a mountain before, so I was stoked.

Why did you decide to shoot it like this?

I had been shooting with the fisheye on and off that day and had wanted to hang off the edge of the quarter pipe with it and shoot. Once I had the lighting equipment set up, I had Brendan hit it as close to me as possible.

If you took it again, is there anything you would do differently?

If I would change anything it, it would be the framing. Hanging off the edge made it difficult to look through the viewfinder so I was shooting blind. Also I wouldn’t have been a dummy and I would have cleaned my lens so that the sun wouldn’t have flared as bad as it did.

What was the High Cascade photo camp experience like?

The photo workshop was great. I had been to HCSC before as a rider way back in the day and I had a blast so when I saw that they did photo/video workshops, I knew it would be great. Being able to meet Tim Zimmerman, Andy Wright, Christy Chaloux, Cole Barash, Bud Fawcett, and Trevor Graves was an incredible experience.

Do you feel like knowing Tim Zimmerman helped you become a Firing Squad champ?

Haha, well I would like to think so. Not because I know him or that he knows me, but because working with him was super helpful. He is very technical and very organized. Even the little tips I learned from him are ones I use whenever I shoot.

Where are you based?

Right now I’m based in NYC. One more semester and I will have a BFA in Photography, but after that I have no idea where I’ll end up. I try to shoot more local kids around my area by Mt. Creek, but I’m always up for working with new people.

How long have you been shooting?

I started shooting in high school around 2003 and have been doing it ever since. I just recently started shooting snowboarding within the past 2 years and hope to continue with it.

Any advice for people thinking about trying to shoot snowboarding themselves?

Shoot often and work with as many people as possible. Shooting is like working out a muscle, you need to keep it up or you’ll never become a strong photographer. If you really want to push yourself, try shooting the same spot with multiple photographers. It forces you to be creative to get a unique shot.

Check out more of Kevin’s work at www.kevinheitczman.com

If you survive four weeks in the line of fire, you obviously shot a superior photo and it’s time to let someone else have a chance. But don’t despair, your photo will live forever in YoBeat infamy here.

(click the photos to enlarge)

2008/2009

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2010

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2011

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