|
| Name? |
| Ryan Hugh Allan - The Hugh comes from an old fur trapper my father looked up to as a kid. He lived in a cabin on my grandparents land. |
| Birthplace? |
| Grimsby, Ontario Canada. A town of about 20,000 at the time. |
 |
| Colt Cannon, Backside Flip |
| What made you decide to start SBC (Skateboard Canada), what goes into starting a magazine and what made you leave? |
| After college I was wondering if I should go into assisting or shooting skating. A friend of mine offered me a job at this small zine he was running. I worked with him for awhile and then went out shooting skating. Canada was a tough place to make it as a photographer back then. There was really only one magazine (Concrete) and it was based on the west coast. After trying to make it just shooting skating I decided that starting a magazine as a means to have my photos run was the best plan. The friend I worked with at the small zine now worked for SBC media doing their snowboard magazine so I pitched a zine to the publisher and the idea was so well received that it became a national full distribution magazine right out of the gate. After doing the magazine for a few years I started to feel antsy. Appleyard was riding for circa and told me of a design position available there. I jumped on it and moved to the dream land of Huntington Beach, CA. (Dreamland is sarcastic for hell hole) |
| Where are you living now? |
| I now live in Oceanside, CA. After lots of back and forth between Cali and Toronto I met my wife and we got married and bought a house here. |
| What was it like starting over again in southern California? |
| Skateboarding is really cool that way. I never feel like I don’t have friends somewhere. We are nomads and we seem to accept one another so it’s easy to
start over. |
 |
| Mark Applyard, Backside Flip Melon |
| How does it feel to have already shot a cover of every major us skate mag? Did you think it was possible? |
| Ha its not as exciting as I thought it was when I was 15. Nothing has changed but I am stoked. I wish I could have got one with Big Brother before it went away. |
| What’s the photo set up that makes this happen? |
| I use pretty much what everyone else uses. Too many flashes and a digital camera. I am really getting into natural light stuff again. I shoot Nikon but I am in no way one of those people that get caught up in the Canon vs. Nikon shit. Gabe Friedman shoots with a voigtlander and I think his shit is amazing. |
| Ever get your pocket wizards from strobist? |
| Yeah man. That ruled. First off I love Pocket Wizards and Second the exposure was huge. I think Joe Krolick and I have both had calls about that video. |
 |
| Geoff Rowley, Frontside Flip |
| Got a blog or website to see more of your work? |
| Yep - www.ryanallan.com is my portfolio site and www.busylivin.com is my blog. I also blog for Mumble at clubmumble.com |
| Canada or Cali? |
| Canada for sure. Sorry Cali but I dig clean cities, foods of the world and seasons. Show me where you can get like 100 different kinds of ethnic food on one block SD? |
| Any tips for up and coming photogs? |
| Its not about knowing all the right filters in photoshop and having the most flashes. Its about relationships with people and capturing a moment that gets people to stop and look at the picture for a second.
Some of my favorite shots were just natural light and being at the right place. |
 |
| Spiro Razis, Stalefish |
| Shout outs or thanks? |
| I owe so many people. Arto, Apples, Rowley for helping me pay the bills and being some of the most creative skaters out there. All my Toronto homies that come visit so I dont become a So Cal Bro.
All the filmers that dont barge into the frame. (Ewan Bowman) My wife for understanding that Saturday and Sunday may be her days off but they are my peak times. Any skater I have rolled with that
opened up and welcomed me. Thanks. |
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