Capturing the Peak: Riverside Skate Photographer Shares Pro Secrets

Riverside-based professional skateboard photographer Tim Aguilar, of Thrasher Magazine, conducted a hands-on workshop for aspiring photographers at Urge Palette in Riverside on Tuesday, combining classroom instruction with field practice at a nearby skate spot. Aguilar, whose talent and experience have taken him around the world, has built a successful career capturing skateboarding's most dynamic moments and turned his passion into a global profession.

The free community event, sponsored by People’s Photo Lab, drew about 15 participants eager to learn the specialized techniques of action sports photography. Aguilar's presentation emphasized capturing the "peak of action" moment that reveals both the trick being performed and the skateboarder's trajectory.

"Most of your composition is done before the skateboarder is even in the frame," Aguilar explained during his PowerPoint presentation, stressing the importance of preparation while remaining adaptable to changing circumstances.

Following the lecture, Aguilar led attendees to the "T-Street" ditch near Bonaminio Park, where they could practice applying the techniques in a real skateboarding environment.

Participants learned about the unique challenges of skateboard photography, including safety concerns with flying boards, technical difficulties capturing fast-moving subjects, and the need for improvisation in unpredictable settings.

Aguilar shared personal experiences to illustrate the importance of seizing unexpected opportunities, recounting how an unplanned element—a stranger sitting on a bench—transformed an ordinary shot into an exceptional photograph.

"I have all this expensive equipment and I still use my belt to strap a flash to a chain-link fence half the time," Aguilar told the group, emphasizing that creativity often trumps gear.

The workshop is part of People’s Photo Lab's ongoing residency at Urge Palette/Pain Sugar Gallery, which continues through May 2025.