Skate photog, Mike Blabac, is releasing his first book this July. Titled Blabac Photo it will chronicle nearly 20 years behind the lens. To celebrate the release, DC has got a collab shoe coming out, the Blabac Azure Mid. The shoe looks awesome and the book will be a must have. Check below the cut for the full press release or head over to the mini-site here.
PRESS RELEASE:
DC CELEBRATES LEGENDARY SKATE PHOTOGRAPHER
MIKE BLABAC’S 20 YEARS OF WORK WITH PHOTO BOOK AND
LIMITED-EDITION SHOE RELEASE
April 15, 2009 – VISTA, CA – This July, Mike Blabac releases his first book, BLABAC PHOTO – The Art of Skateboarding Photography, which documents 20 years of skateboarding history pulled from Blabac’s extensive collection of work. DC is releasing a limited edition Blabac Azure Mid shoe to compliment the project and pay homage to Mike’s decade of service as DC’s exclusive skate photographer.
BLABAC PHOTO is the first skateboarding book of its kind, with 224 pages of photography in a beautifully designed, cloth-bound, large format hardcover book. Published by powerHouse Books, BLABAC PHOTO takes you on a visual journey from Blabac’s humble beginnings as a kid who was intrigued by cameras, to shooting some of the most legendary skateboarders of all time.
Blabac started shooting photos in the late ‘80s and has been DC’s skate photographer for 10 years, documenting some of the most epic moments in skateboarding history. BLABAC PHOTO recounts his early days with Madcircle Skateboarding in San Francisco and Girl Skateboards in Los Angeles, his coverage of Danny Way’s jump over the Great Wall of China and numerous world records, and his latest work with skateboarding’s youngest talent, demonstrating his vital role in shaping the sport and lifestyle. His photography truly captures the essence of skateboarding.
“In my opinion, Mike has shot some of the most memorable photos in skateboarding, and he has played an integral part in shaping the look of DC,” says Ken Block, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of DC. “Some of Mike’s skateboarding photos for DC’s ads were so strong that we just ended up running them full bleed with almost nothing else in the ad.”
“I’ve come a long way from shooting local kids on the sidewalks of Lansing in 1987 with a used Nikon F3,” says Blabac. “I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by skaters who give me the opportunity to create images that not only will inspire some to go pick up a skateboard as I did, but will hopefully be looked at for many years.”
The contributions to BLABAC PHOTO are by skateboarding’s most respected photographers, editors and icons: J. Grant Brittain (Director of Photography, The Skateboard Mag), Dave Swift (Editorial Director, The Skateboard Mag), Jake Phelps (Editor, Thrasher), Scott Johnston (Shoe Designer, Lakai), Aaron Meza (Visual Media Marketing Manager, Girl Skateboards), Ken Block (Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, DC), Skin Phillips (Editor-in-Chief, TransWorld SKATEboarding), and many others who graciously contributed to the project. This “who’s who” of skateboarding gives detail to events previously unrecorded, and provide inside stories about the iconic images featured throughout the book.
In celebration of the publication of BLABAC PHOTO and Mike Blabac’s unparalleled visual contribution to the brand, DC has created a limited-edition shoe that will be available exclusively at skate shops in July, to correspond with the launch of the book. The shoe features personal touches, including photo-printed insoles and other unique touches, as well as a signed Blabac photo print in a limited number of boxes. The shoe is especially notable considering DC’s reservation of signature shoes being exclusively for its top pros. The Blabac Azure Mid is the first time a DC signature shoe has been made for a non-professional team member.
BLABAC PHOTO and the Blabac Azure Mid release on July 1, and will be available at http://www.dcshoes.com/blabac10, DC flagship stores, select skate shops, powerHouse, and select book retailers. Blabac will also be touring the world to exhibit his photos in support of his book launch. Tour details will be posted at http://www.dcshoes.com/blabac10, and will also feature videos, never-before-seen Blabac photos, and preview book scans.
