GoPro skateboard test run

Guess who got a GoPro for his birthday? This guy did! :)

Another Floridian Christmas

Finally back in Gainesville after a wonderful week in Orlando and an equally wonderful week in Bradenton. My last semester at UF starts in four days (I know I keep thinking every semester is my last, but this time it is the truth. I promise) and I couldn't be more ready for an end to my academic career. Then who knows where life will take me?! But anyways, here are some shots from the Bradenton part of my break. I never liked Florida very much until I discovered Bradenton, but now I know there is at least one place in the Sunshine State with much more to offer than just humidity and thunderstorms. Enjoy!

JonJon

So I went to the skate park again today since I didn't really have anything else to do. I have been thinking about doing a photo essay for the paper about skate park culture and the people who frequent the local park. Today I met Jonathan Vaught (better known as JonJon), a local kid who was fun to photograph. Enjoy.

Sassy skating

Today I only had one assignment for The Sun - to shoot Sassy, a 13-year-old Maltese who acts as a "merchant mascot" at a stained glass gallery in Micanopy, Fla. She sits atop the counter and greets customers as they walk through the door. But while the assignment went well and I got to photograph a really cute dog, shooting dogs sitting atop counters isn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world. So afterward I headed to the skatepark where the real action was. I've been busy and haven't been able to go feature hunting on my own in a couple weeks now, so it was definitely refreshing. I ended up meeting three cool kids who visit the skatepark pretty much every day. They reminded me of me when I was 15 years old and when my life was also dominated by skateboarding. Also, I've really been in a black and white mood lately, so enjoy.