Category Finalist 2010: Spirit

Fred Mortagne

In the summer of 2008, I was trying to gather photographs for a special black and white article and travelled to Montreal, Canada. I had the idea to make a photo article based on style and aesthetics, rather than action and performance.

I hooked up with a guy I'd previously met, Alex Gavin. We went to the stadium that was built for the 1976 Olympics, and I was blown away. It was imposing, amazing, and it's design offered original skate spots all over it. Alex showed me another spot that was next to the stadium. It was on a huge pillar supporting a bridge. It looked great, but the problem was getting to it.

Alex used a shoelace to tie his skateboard around his back and used his socks as gloves to get extra grip. I shot photos of the whole process. I was scared for Alex as the climb up was sketchy, but he made his way up there in true high mountain climbing style. Sometimes things come super easy, but the part of chance remains tiny. All the ingredients were there, they just had to be gathered and mixed up correctly.

PHOTO INFO

Photographer: Fred Mortagne
Athlete: Alex Gavin
Location: Montréal, QC, Canada

TECHNICAL INFO

Camera: Nikon FM2
Film: Kodak Tri-X
Lens: 35mm
ISO: 400
F-Stop: 2
Shutter Speed: 1/250