Atiba Jefferson

ATIBA

Any skateboarder knows who Atiba Jefferson is. Many just know him by Atiba. He is the fore runner in skateboarding photography, as well as a largely popular photographer in the sports and music scene. Pick up any skateboarding magazine and there is a guarantee that at least 2 images in it will have been shot by Atiba. He uses big pan shots, close angled shots, and depending on what hes shooting, fish eye lenses. The fish eye lens is one of the staples of skateboarding photography, and also a nemesis of other modern photographers. Many photographers HATE fish eye lenses, but when shooting close up action shots involved in skateboarding, the fish eye allows you to get the subject, and the background being dominated.

At Atiba's point in his career, every skateboarder wants him to photograph their session. It is basically a right in passage of being a pro skater. Atiba can guarantee to make you look good in your shots. It helps that he is so versatile in his skill. He can get right up in a shot, or pull back and get huge panoramic shots, making the skating gaps huge. Now that he already is popular, everyone else wants to be shot by Atiba, whether its Kobe Bryant or the Neptunes.

Atiba shows that you can go from photographing your friends tricks, to being a highly demanded photographer in the skating scene.