The Great Go-Kart Confusion

A couple of weeks ago, I thought I had a brilliant plan. I saw this flyer and thought to myself, "Self, this would be pretty cool to shoot. You should try to get in there and shoot that." So I reached out, quite blindly I might add, to try to get access to shoot this event. And I was successful. Yes! I'm thinking there is going to be a motocross event, outside, with lots of dirt, colorful uniforms and loud bikes. I'm thinking I'm going to light it and shoot some documentary stuff and possibly some portraits. A field day, right? Wrong.

This flyer, was actually for fans to have a meet and greet and the opportunity to race against the motocross riders...but at a go-kart track. So I get to this indoor racetrack and I'm thinking to myself, "Self, where is all the dirt? There must be another track, outside, behind the building." And that's when I got the news. Instead of motocross, I'd be shooting indoor go-kart racing. I could have packed up all my toys and gone home, but I didn't. I just shot some go-karts. Shout out to the good folks at K1 Speed. Also, I'm still looking for the words "go" and/or "kart" on that flyer.

Go Skate Day 2009

As I'm driving down 14th St. jamming Wale, I see someone in a bright, turquoise shirt fly up in the air and come right back down. While passing the scene, I see more turquoise shirts, a few Red Bull vehicles, a cop car, skinny jeans, and skateboards...lots of skateboards. I had two good things going for me at that point: 1) It was one of those few days this month that rain was absent in DC and 2) I had my gear. I made a left and another left...and yet another left, looking for parking. Apparently it was Go Skate Day.

Upon closer inspection of the scene, I saw torn skinny jeans, ripped up sneakers, wallet chains, skin artwork (tats and scabs), lots of Red Bull, cigs, 40 oz. bottles and ah yes...purple haze. A ramp was constructed (sponsored by Red Bull: keeping hearts beating unusually fast) in a parking lot and participants took turns risking their bones doing tricks on their boards.

I spent about two hours at that place taking pictures, but I'm still kicking myself for not shooting any portraits. Go Skate Day 2010, coming to a city near you. Shout out to organized chaos.



He finally nailed it.