Just Another Thursday..?

Last Thursday, we had ourselves a tasty little treat in New Smyrna Beach.

A skate contest.

—WHAAAT??!

Yeah, dude. A fucking skate contest.

Too bad you missed it—should have locked in.

Several forces joined together, and the resulting brainchild was dubbed the NSB Skate Open.

An addition to the annual Mike Martin Pro/Am surf fest. Thanks to Blake Carpenter, Monster Energy, and beyond.

They shut down Canal—from Jimmy Hulas to the Hub—and hosted a skate contest in front of The Brewery.

Quarterpipes, handrails, a huge bank, and even a Miata.

What’s not to love?

Nothing—It was sick as fuck.

Just ask Curren Caples who landed this huge kickflip indy.

Or Brian Anderson. Kelvin Hoefler. Devin Bagnoli. Kanaan Dern. The list goes on.

Real-life Pros.

Obviously we have tons of local legends when it comes to surfing.

But the skate scene pales in comparison.

There’s some gnarly dudes in town, dont get me wrong.

But it’s never on display like it was that night.

First Time for Everything

By 4 PM, skate ASMR was in the airwaves.

Pops, grinds.

Hoots, hollers.

Slams…

As seen by Micky Papa. (He was alright.)

Boards were flying. The faint smell of ganja tantalized my nostrils.

It was a party.

Vendors and fans lined the sidewalks—it was a huge community event.

Monty’s seemed to be a popular viewing spot. The handrail was right out front.

The Schweizer’s. Some Clancy’s. My cousin Colton.

I spent a fair share of time here playing with manual focus and composition.

For some reason these shots really landed with me… Pun intended.

Something about a blurry skater in front of a focused-in crowd… Chef’s kiss.

I definitely missed some shots.

I was on a fixed 50mm lens. Of course I’m gonna miss.

But I had a lot of hits, too.

Sony for Life

Not, really.

I prefer shooting Fuji—but if Sony wants to sponsor me…

but seriously, this A7CR is an absolute beast.

I got it to carry around Japan when I went last March—it didn’t disappoint.

61MP. 50mm f/1.4. Hell yes.

If that means nothing to you, believe me when I tell you it’s a game changer.

The crop factor almost seems like cheating. Don’t get me started on the autofocus features…

Case and point: this shot of Jake Wooten’s bs 360 that won best trick.

That’s like 300% zoom. Damn near crystal clear. So dumb… (but also amazing.)

Expensive gear for the win, amirite?

Shots near the handrail had limitations, but I like how they turned out.

These guys definitely gave me gear envy. I want to shoot Hasselblad so bad…

April Showers Can Suck It

I left early for 2 reasons—my camera died, and I have a labral hip tear.

I bled for these shots...

Not literally, but I did need to use my crutches the next day.

The plan was to ice my hip and head back for golden hour.

Florida weather, of course, had other plans.

Around 6:30 PM, the parade was rained on. A light sprinkle, but enough to cause concern.

It was definitely a disappointment, but for most of these skaters, this isn’t just fun—it’s their livelihood.

So as the sun was setting, they announced the winner for best trick—Jake Wooten, of course.

Then the merch started soaring—

shirts, hats, boards… an absurd number of socks.

Seriously. So many socks.

But the real highlight?

Someone’s dog broke loose and started running the course.

He almost took Best Trick.

The pros and crowd started to disperse. Then some random skaters stormed the field for their own exhibition.

Rain or shine, they weren’t done—and honestly, it made for a perfect second act. Especially for anyone who showed up late expecting a show.

Speaking of shows…

The local boys, Harder than Nunchucks, played a dope set in front of the Local Pearl.

I overheard Eric saying Duncan only had like a day to learn all their songs.

He killed it. Nice work, boys.

ISO 32,000 btw…

The after-party headed to Clancy’s for another jam sesh where Eric joined Evan—aka Steel Pan Man—and Kevin Michelbrink.

I didn’t bring my camera, but I did get a shot with my iPhone. It was dope.

Will the Monster Miata make a Comeback??

Short answer?

It better.

I didn’t get an official confirmation, but if Instagram has anything to say about it—we’re destined for a repeat.

So the only thing left to do is give a final shoutout.

First, let’s thank the City of New Smyrna Beach for giving the greenlight. This was huge.

Next, a special thanks to Blake Carpenter, Monster Energy, and the countless sponsors that made this a reality.

Blake was mostly hosting, so I didn’t get a single shot of him skating… maybe next year.

Lastly, I wanna thank the skaters. These boys & girls really put on a great show for the community.

Check @nsbskateopen on IG for more details on everyone involved.

And while you’re at it, go ahead and follow my page @dvoyd to follow my photo journey and get updates on future articles.

I think Japan is next on the menu, and you won’t want to miss that.

Enjoy this teaser in the meantime.

@dvoyd