Atiba Jefferson is a successful skateboard photographer, a founding member of The Skateboard Mag, and an in-demand commercial photographer who’s done work for Nike, Adidas, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and the like.
After taking photography classes in high school, in 1995 Atiba moved from Colorado Springs to San Diego. There, he convinced Grant Brittain, photo editor of Transworld Skateboarding, to let him assist in the office.
In the past 15 years Atiba has shot tricks with all of the top pros, garnered numerous cover photos, and branched out to shoot basketball and other sports, music and different ad campaigns. He’s shot Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tony Hawk, Kevin Garnett and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and had covers on Transworld Skateboarding, The Skateboard Mag, SLAM Magazine, and ESPN the Magazine. In 2003 Atiba left the Transworld Skateboarding staff and The Skateboard Mag, which today is an industry standard.
Atiba now lives in LA. He divides his time between skate and commercial shoots, as well as playing in the band The Goat. Atiba credits his success to the fact that he is, at core, a skateboarder.
SeagateCreative: Before I ask about your four great photos below, tell us about your creative process. How do you go about it?
Atiba Jefferson: Well, it depends on the project. I’m working on a campaign for Oakley with an agency called Roundhouse. (That process) was a lot of creative briefs showing what (the agency and brand) are looking for…conference calls and then a pre-light before the shoot so we can dial it in. Then you shoot it.
SC: How do you choose your subject matter?
AJ: Well, some jobs choose me, but in the last couple years I have made it a goal to shoot some of my favorite musicians and it’s worked great through word-of-mouth. But my favorite subjects are people I’m a fan of.
SC: What role does editing play in your creative process and creating your aesthetic?
AJ: Well with digital especially, editing it is huge, because you can shoot so much, unlike the film days. But as far as creative process: the more you can pre-visualize, the more you are editing along the way.
SC: How do you overcome a block to your creative process?
AJ: It’s really something that just hits you when you least expect it. I think if you know your craft well enough to try different things, you shouldn’t get blocked for too long.
SC: What’s one piece of advice you’d give an aspiring photographer?
AJ: Enjoy it; if you don’t enjoy photography it becomes a job.
SC: Let’s look at four great examples of your work:
SC: Who it is?
AJ: Andrew Reynolds
SC: Why do you like shooting him?
AJ: Andrew is one of the best skaters to ever live. We started our careers at the same time. I had no idea how good and legendary he would become. I’m really lucky to have 18 years of photography of him.
SC: What publication you were shooting him for?
AJ: This was shot for the Skateboard Mag.
SC: Anything funny or memorable from the shoot?
AJ: I was on trip to Canada for an event Emerica shoes does called wild in the streets, where thousands of skaters take over a city. So I normally would shoot this with a fish eye and get up close to the action, but I was brutally hungover and was just shooting this for myself — I thought it would make a cool photo with all the people in it. I had no idea it would be such a powerful photo from this angle thanks to the hangover.
SC: What gear did you use to capture that shot?
AJ: I shot this in just available light, with a Nikon D3 24-70 2.8 lens — very simple.
SC: Who is it?
AJ: RG3, aka Robert Griffin III
SC: Who were shooting this for?
AJ: This was shot for Pepsi, through the agency Tracy Locke.
SC: How did you shoot this one?
AJ: This was just shot on grey, and I had a great retoucher Mike Campau retouch — he built the background, and made it look amazing!
SC: What gear did you use to capture that shot?
AJ: I shot this with Hassleblad H1 80mm, with Leaf 75 back tethered to IMAC and Profoto lighting.
SC: Who is it?
AJ: Michael Jordan
SC: What publication were you shooting him for?
AJ: This was shot for Slam Magazine’s 100th issue.
SC: How was it shooting Michael Jordan?
AJ: I was honored Melissa Brennan hired me — I always wanted to shoot Jordan. It was a short shoot, about 10 minutes, but Michael was super nice and every frame was perfect.
SC: What gear did you use?
AJ: I used the Hassleblad 501c 80mm. This was the film days — the film was provia100f. And Profoto lighting.
SC: Who is it?
AJ: Ice Cube
SC: Who were you shooting this for?
AJ: The Skateboard Mag
SC: What do you remember about the shoot?
AJ: It was a hip-hop shoot, which usually is four hours late, and a big posse. Cube rolled by himself; he was on time, and super cool and pro.
SC: What gear did you use to capture this?
AJ: Canon Mark2 24-105mm, and Profoto lighting.
I like what you guys are up too. This kind of clever work and exposure! eagckccckkda