Rafael Gonzalez

Hello everyone, this is Rafael Gonzalez, skateboarder and photographer from Panama city, Panama.

It’s not that big actually as it’s a small country, but it’s been growing fast the last couple of years. There are more people into skate related culture and also some things going on in the city more often like contest, events and art shows. Regarding the spots, these are rough and not that smooth as in Europe or in the US, but I guess it’s a chance to get different visual material. Some teams such as Element, DC, Girl/Chocolate and some others have visited the city to get footy for their videos.

I actually don’t spend that much time traveling in a row during the year but instead do several short trips here and there. Last year I visited San Francisco, New York, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Madrid, Istanbul, Amman, Petra, Rotterdam, The Hague, Bilbao and in between.

I must say Copenhagen, the vibe during the summer is something you have to experience to be able to understand it. Middle East was amazing also, totally different from what I have visited previously.

I shoot analog because of the results I get with it, the grainy mood, textures, contrasts and accidents are something you can’t get with a digital camera unless you’re really good on photo-editing. Also, it makes me think way more before shooting as you have limited photos per film, that’s a way to train your vision about what could look good and what not. I can’t say film is better than digital, both have their pros and cons, but I just stick with film and chemicals.

I use the Hasselblad 500C/M, Leica M6, Xpan, and lately have been shooting some stuff with the Graflex Speed Graphic. I like shooting on different formats depending on the situation.

If I have to choose one I could say the ol’ trusty Hassy 500C/M. The glass is really sharp and the square format allows me to experiment with compositions.

I like its cinematographic/panoramic format, so when you’re shooting skateboarding with this camera, you can get in frame the entire surrounding and not just the trick/person. It’s also a 35mm camera, so you can get film easy.

It depends, sometimes I have to hit the local lab if I have to send photos to somebody in a hurry. Or if it’s not the case, then I wait until I get home to get all my stuff developed/scanned or printed.

I’m not sure about what could be my style in skate photography, I could say it’s a bit journalistic as I try to document not just the trick on the photographs but the surroundings, and also a bit of geometric when it comes to compositions and perspectives. It’s just a personal expression of how I see things on my daily basis, I guess that’s what I want to show with my work.

It gives this timeless and classic feeling to the photographs, also when doing it I just have to concentrate on the compositions more than the colors of the scene. Besides that, it’s easier for me to develop black and white films at home than color.

Sure, I’m working on some photo-zine projects and also would like to do some exhibitions with photographs from previous travels. Hopefully I can make some of them in Europe. I’ll keep you guys posted! You can keep track of them on my Instagram or tumblr.