French photographer Fred Mortagne has a staggeringly beautiful portfolio of black and white film photography, primarily of skateboarding. Shooting an extreme and fast-paced sport is difficult enough as it is, but to choose to do so with film in a digital age is truly impressive.
Few people will know that I grew up deeply embedded in the world of skateboarding. I was a skater before I picked up my first camera, and sadly never made the connection with my love of skate videos and magazine imagery, and the sport and community I was lovingly a part of. There has been a long-standing tradition in skateboard photography of exceptional composition; something I noticed as a teenager without really knowing what it was that made the images so memorable and special.
Mortagne is the epitome of that. I want to say he has an incredible eye for photography and composition, but I think it does a disservice to the sheer amount of work and time he has put in to his craft. He wasn't born with the innate ability of creating spectacular imagery. Anyone, whether interested in skateboarding or not, can benefit from taking the time to look through his portfolio and watch the video above.
I really enjoy his images. He has a defined style that doesn’t seem overly technical. It feels like he learned by doing and trying which is pretty different from how most photographers learn now.
Why don’t you shoot skateboarding Robert?
A great shot. I can even sense this motion. I have the same feeling for scootering as an author for skateboarding. That's a spectacular and fast-paced sport. I tried to do something similar while attending a competition, but the result was disappointing.
Here is some of them - https://rideoo.com/scooters