Tobin Yelland is a photographer who specializes in images of young people doing insane things on skateboards, but there's more to the story. Through his photography, videos, and zines, he gives us a look not into a "subculture" as it's often called, but into a culture-- a group of people who love each other. His photos capture rebellion, athleticism, freedom, and a wide range of emotions, but mostly they capture love. Having lived in L.A. for awhile now, the real question is, what is Tobin Yelland's favorite taco spot? We wanted to find out, and threw in some other questions as well...
What's your favorite taco?
La Playita.
What brought you to Los Angeles?
I moved to LA from New York for a job making videos for DC Shoes.
What keeps you here?
The warm weather and creative culture.
Who are your favorite artists?
Mark Gonzales, Masaki Kawai, Chris Johanson, Jerry Hsu.
When and where are you most happy?
Im most happy when Im with my family and or taking and making photos and films.
What is your entrance music?
Dave Brubeck, Take Five.
Describe your daily routine.
Wake up - eat breakfast with kids - get busy making stuff.
Do you have a lucky number?
not really -
What makes you feel the best, taking the photo, seeing it in print, or seeing it for the first time?
I like seeing the photo for the first time. Checking how it looks compared to how I thought it looked through the lens.
What are the elements of truly great action skate photo?
Most important element to me in a skate photo is Style and then difficulty of trick.
We're living in the golden age of _________________.
The golden age of sink or swim.
Has the shift from magazines to the internet been good, bad, or indifferent for skateboarding culture?
Thrasher has 200 + pages an issue and web presence going off.
Do you have a recurring dream?
I haven’t been remembering them lately but flying dreams are the best. My last favorite was jumping out of a helicopter into the ocean.
For all the young photographers out there, what's one thing they need to do?
Make things because you love to do it.
One thing they need to avoid?
Be influenced by others but try not to copy others. Your point of view is the best point of view even if you don’t see it as popular. The world needs new ideas.
Got any shoutouts?
Shoutout to all the good people trying to make positive change in the world.
Visit TobinYelland.com or his online shop.
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