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We sat down with Michael Cirelli – Photographer, Filmer, skateboarder and friend for another Q&A feature. When he’s not shooting the Skate Lair MOBB up in MA he frequently heads down to NYC for shoots with everyone involved in the New York skateboarding community. Peep the photo collection and get to know more about the talented Michael Cirelli below.

 

Basics:

Full name? Michael Cirelli
What year did you start skating/photography? I started skating in 1988 and started shooting photos in 1996 when I was in high school.

 

This or That:

Film or Digital? Digital unless you’re shooting an 8×10 camera
Kodak or Fuji? Fuji
Canon or Nikon?  Nikon
BW/Color? Both
Sequences or Cover shot? – Both [laughs]
Film or just photos? I shot both films and photos because sometimes having the ability to do both comes in handy in the viewfinder or post (edit/crop) – in the viewfinder
Aperture or Lightroom? Lightroom
Stop Down or Wide Open? Wide open

 

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Location Stuff:

Where r u living currently? Manchester, NH
What’s your favorite spot of all time? The CT snake run… it’s an East Coast gem!
What’s your favorite spot in NYC? The Banks are amazing, let’s hope construction ends soon.
Where would you like to skate/shot/visit in the future? California or Hawaii
Who do you like shooting in NYC? Mike Powley, the UXA crew, the Skate Lair crew, the Bodega guys, TJ Schick, Luis Tolentino, 5boro crew, Josh Zickert, Cmartin, the Shut guys… it’s always nice to say hello to Rodeny Smith.

 

Charlie Wilkins, Erik Munday & Luis Tolentino

Charlie Wilkins, Erik Munday & Luis Tolentino

Other Stuff:

Skateboard setup? I ride a 8.0 with 60mm ATF Bones.
Camera setup? For sequences Nikon D700, for stills Nikon D600, for filming video a Panasonic HD camera with a Century Lens.
Band? No bands! Straight hip-hop looking forward to the new Wu-Tang album
Skate Website? Hellaclips
Skate Crew? Skate Lair MOBB
Skate Mag? I really support zines… StepDad Mag, Lowcard is king and Blair over at Transworld is the man!
Trick? Kickflip
Skate Spot?Anything fun

 

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NY Favorites:

Favorite skate spot in New York? The Banks
Favorite skate shop in New York? Shut
Favorite NY based skate brand? UXA
Favorite crew or person to skate/shoot with in New York? Too many.. I got love for all of them – UXA, Natural Koncepts, Bodega, Shut, 5Boro.
Favorite New York based movie? Taxi
Favorite New York based skate vid or section? Mix tape 1
Favorite thing to do in New York off the board/behind the lens? check out art
Favorite place to eat in New York? Katz
Favorite bar in New York? Epstiens

 

NY Opinions:

What did you think the first time you visited/skated/shot in NY? This place is massive
What makes New York different than other places to skate/shoot? You have to be able to move around really easy, “keep it moving” as Hopps says.
The Good of NY? Everything
The Bad of NY? Winter

 

Advice:

To anyone visiting New York to skate/shoot? Pack very very light. your back will be killing you at the end of the day with you bring all that extra crap!
General advice to anyone who wants to start skate photography? Have fun shooting your friends.

 

Shout Outs/Plugs:

NYSkateboarding.com, special thanks to Peter H of UXA,Oscar at Bodega, JZ, CMART, Nardelli, Rodney Smith, Peter Bici, Erik Munday, Mike Powley, the Skate Lair family, Lowcard, Transworld, StepDad Mag, Blair and Rob Collinson at Lowcard…. Come skate NEW HAMPSHIRE it’s dope!

 

Michael Cirelli Photo Collection:

 

https://vimeo.com/41078067

Additional Links:

Michael Cirelli Site
Michael Cirelli on Instagram
Michael Cirelli on Twitter
Skate Lair Book
Michael Cirelli Tumblr