Unfortunately the VX glory days didn't last long. As tech savvy as I am, I was too blinded by the idea of owning my "dream camera" (I realize now how stupid that sounds) to realize that HD would soon be taking over the market place.
I know 5 years seems like a long time, but it really wasn't in the life of a very, very expensive camera. There are people out there still using the VX, and I commend them. But that doesn't change the fact that the footage looks like absolute shit compared to the HD camera out now. They come up with some pretty decent excuses as to why standard definition is "better" than high definition, but they are just in denial. That and I'm sure the idea of spending $500 to buy a new camera off eBay sounds better than $7,000. With in the debate of VX versus HD, there is also the debate of DSLRS versus the Panasonic.
**Full Disclosure: I am a supporter of HD, as well as DSLRs. I think they offer the most bang for their buck. Christ, you can get a full set up for 1/3rd of the price that I paid for my original one, and it looks amazing, if not better than the Panasonic cameras. If you're on the fence, go buy a Canon T2i and the Bower fish eye. You won't be disappointed.**
As 2009 approached, I began getting more and more anxious. I wasn't filming my friends as much, and I was only about half way to paying off my setup. Everyone, including me, got jobs. We found less and less time to hang out much less skate. It was getting harder and harder to justify spending $5,000 on a "video camera". Especially being on the cusp of the HD revolution, I sold my camera. GASP.
I know what you are thinking, I'm giving up on the dream, but I wasn't. I had picked up an entry level Nikon DSLR, and begain taking more and more photos. Through this whole experience I was always shooting photos, but very rarely of skateboarding. Even when I wasn't filming or skating myself, I could just never get the proper look I wanted. That and not having a fish eye can kinda bum you out.
But I was still skating! We were still having fun, I just started taking photos more. I had always been a fan of Atiba Jefferson, but for some reason I just started paying more attention to him. His medium format photos made me oh so jealous. He got a Hassleblad H2 from Jamie Thomas a gift. A $20,000 camera as a gift. Why can't Jamie Thomas be my friend?
Jefferson, Blabac, and of course Brittan were heavy inspirations at this point. Even with an entry level DSLR, digital cameras have made amazing advancements in the past 10 years. I was able to shoot some really neat photos, just not of what I wanted to.
I started paying more and more attention to ads and photos in skate magazines like Transworld and Thrasher. Thrasher was a particular source of inspiration, because a lot of their photos represented skateboarding a little better I always felt. Some of the time they were crisp, in focus, and professional looking. But skateboarding is not crisp. It ain't professional, either, that's for damn sure.
Thrasher was showing photos that made it look like they were skating in hell on earth. Lots of motion and blur (on purpose) and bright colors. The skater was in your face, as they are most of the time. What can I say? We drink a lot of Monster.
This was important to me because the technical capabilities of my entry level DSLR were limited. They can do a lot, but they sure as hell can't make it look like you have a $20,000 Hasselblad if you have a $600 Nikon. It didn't matter however, because I could make my photos look like the ones in Thrasher. At that exact moment I became confident in myself, and I knew I could ACTUALLY do this.
Then the worst thing happened. I lost my job.
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