Graham Tucker, known for his wondrous A > Z of Denmark, now takes his pen and camera on a journey to the land of the rising sun. Following globetrotter friend Phillipe, here’s the visual story of their escapades.

Well, umm… as you can see, Philippe is a healthy enthusiast of the skateboarding variety. No, Sir or Madam, you shan’t find him on any bicycle. Philippe also enjoys crisscrossing the Atlantic between New York and Paris more than yarn in a loom. Other times, you might catch him in Copenhagen. But this time, he went East, farther than Europe, farther than Eurasia; Philippe went to the (yes, you guessed it if you read the title) Far East! He has come to pick up where his forefathers left seventy years ago. His mission: to conquer Tokyo by board.

Daybreak, Philippe lands…

What’s your name, age, and where are you from?
My name is Maximillian Menacher, I’m 25 years old and I live in New York.

Looking back, how much do you think going to photo school helped you become the photographer you are today?
I think it kind of helped me, but I don’t know if it was worth the money. I think I could have just moved to New York and lived off that money and interned somewhere for six months instead of spending ten months in photo school. It helped me get to know the equipment but once I moved to New York and started working in a studio that helped even more. It did help me focus my eye and decide this is what I want to do business-wise, but I think you’re really better off getting in and assisting someone instead of going to an art institute and not really knowing where to go with it.

How did you manage to break into the fashion scene in New York?
I don’t know if I’d say I’ve broken into the fashion scene in New York, more of just the photo scene. What helped me do that was working for studios, assisting photographers, doing tests for the major agencies, shooting for myself and meeting the major girls and eventually getting noticed.

You’ve kept various blogs of your own work and work that inspires you for a number of years now, what keeps you motivated to share those images on such a regular basis?
Updating them is easy, as far my inspiration blog gunfire. Really I just like to get lost in tumblrs, there’s so much cool stuff on there and so much stuff that inspires me. Whenever I do a photo shoot I’m looking at inspiration so it helps me organize what I like on a page, so I just do it for myself. Just because people like my personal style they choose to follow me I guess. As far as my blogs of my own work, I really just update those for myself as well, I don’t really promote myself yet through those so it’s more just for me to keep track of what I’ve shot and where I’m going. I am working on a website that should be done in a month or so, as soon as I have enough work that I feel is good enough to be out there. But right now I’m not promoting myself, just because of who I work for and what I’m doing it doesn’t seem relevant yet, but soon enough.

Your work utilizes a variety of digital and film formats – how do you choose what kind of camera to use for a shoot?
I choose the format of camera for a specific shoot based on a look I have in mind for the shoot going into it.

Why and how do you find so many beautiful women to shoot, what about them is it that makes you want to shoot them?
I like to shoot beautiful women because I like to create beautiful pictures and so it helps to have the most beautiful people you can find in front of the camera. It used to be a problem for me when I lived in Minneapolis and LA but as soon as I moved to New York and started working with the major agencies it became pretty easy. Now the problem is finding clothes, so stylists, holler at me.

Do you still make time to shoot skateboarding and/or snowboarding, or when you go out riding do you want to get away from photography?
I do still make time to shoot skating, I’m working on a new series right now for my new website. I don’t really shoot snowboarding because if I have the opportunity to snowboard I don’t want anything to do with a camera. I do ride to get away sometimes, I skate the Chelsea skatepark in New York once a week, it’s therapy. I’ll always shoot it though I think, it’s just part of who I am.

Max

Shout-outs/thank yous/last words?
Thank you Nicole Wing for being a huge inspiration in my life and always pushing me to do better. Thank you Mariano Vivanco for allowing me to work with you, you’re an amazing photographer and a good friend. Thank you Hudson studios for supporting me, all the agencies for supporting me, and anybody who’s supported my work down the line. Thanks to everybody who’s sent me good energy, I love all of you.

Finally it’s friday. Heres a bunch of pictures from Lasse Kofod, also featuring a page in todays Politiken. Thanks to Street Machine, Guld Tuborg and a whole lot of polser, this was an amazing day.

What can I say? You fuck off on holiday for a month and nothing gets done. Here are the Danish ski champs pics that are so late I’d forgotten about them. Looks like good times, pity I couldn’t make it this year but was stoked Kenneth Nguyen stepped up to the ‘job’. It’s all good though, these are 1000 times better than anything I could nab no matter how many battery packs and extra flashes I tied to my outfit.

Click on the first pic to open the gallery.

Thanks Kenneth and DM I SKI.

Format Perspective creator Phil Evans swung through the mailbox with this edit he made while touring Slovenia and Sweden to promote the film. As a relaxed add-on to his official business, this short film featuring Emma Lindgren, Oliver Schonqvist, Craig Scott, Jake Snelling and David Stenstrom is filmed experimentally with Super 8, HD and with a few illustrations tossed in for good measure.

Current State: Snowboarding MAKING OF from David Benedek on Vimeo.

Snowboard legend, filmmaker, creative mastermind and now author David Benedek, has done a book about snowboard history. From the early days of Sorel boots and tindys to todays tight pants and kinkrails. And even if snowboarding is not your thing, the video is very well made. Peep it.

Yesterday I was at the SEB-spot with the guys from skatersvin. Roberts Osis managed to pull off a massive frontside 360, and snapped two boards trying.

Photos by Lasse Kofod.

I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell played with those green army men when I was young, setting up lines of riflemen, holding on tight to the mortar guy because you only have one, and melting the faces and limbs off those dime a dozen crawling soldiers. Well kids these days now have these little gems to play with, Aj’s Toy Boarders which come in packs of 24 and 8 different poses, so you can break the wrist of the nose manual guy and snap the Legs of your friends set. 

Hans-Jakob Brandt Big Air competiton

France Tignes

Photo By Kenneth Nguyen

Johan Duus, 1st place, Big Air.

France Tignes

Photo By Kenneth Nguyen

Nikolaj Vang, Danish Champion in halfpipe skiing.

France Tignes

Photo By Kenneth Nguyen

Hans-Jakob Brandt, Danish Champion in Slopestyle.

France Tignes

Photo By Kenneth Nguyen

Martin Berg, ollie on eurogap in Fælledparken.

Photo by Lasse Kofod.

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Bommi’s passing. Our thoughts go out to all who were near.

The second in a series of hand painted studies that aim to psychedelically capture the individual styles of influential skateboarders, this features focuses on Gravis ripper, Dylan Rieder.

Wow, I’m not sure if I’m ever going to come down from this trip. We missed the first one of these featuring Jason Dill, but there’s no way we’re missing the next.

Hats off to Matt Box from Unreal Estate - this is dope.

The info is on the flyer and if that’s not enough go here to find out more.

Today was the first training opportunity here in Tignes France for European X-Games. Here’s a first quick look at the slope-style course. Excited for this action to go down!

HUSK HUSK HUSK DM i FREESTYLE SKI – WEEK 13 – TIGNES

You can still book a place on the DM tour right here!

Oh I can’t take this torture. First I get this quote from Thomaz at Method Mag earlier in the week: “JAPAN, baby! if you still haven’t been, you are totally blowing it, sell the car, sell the house, but GO!” and then Nikolaj at Playground drops this ridiculous video on us. Watch and suffer.

We slept on episode 2, but here’s number 3 featuring the Danish Nike SB team destroying Shanghai in a well produced film by Defekt. Good evening viewing.

This was our first time at the BEO and we were far from disappointed! King hospitality, an amazing park and pipe set up, rad dudes, hot babes, vege burgers, cold beers and blazing sun pretty much sum up the extended weekend at Laax.

This is not the first time we’ve been riding up at Laax, but having Nicolas Müller‘s inside knowledge of the hill made the riding super fun. The only problem was he kept making us drink his nasty green health stuff (in between shots of Fireball).

We snapped a few snappers with the point and shoot but were lucky enough to bump into Canadian born local Aaron Schwartz (who besides taking brilliant photos is also a stunning graphic designer AND illustrator) who was shooting pictures for Suiss, Whiteout Magazine (who were kind enough to lend us a few, thanks Mo).

Here’s a short gallery from the weekend. Thanks to Aaron for the action pics, Mo for releasing them, Nico for grand hospitality and guiding on the hill, Birgit at Burton for armbands, Brusti (Absinthe Films) and Chris Bachmann (Sudden Rush) for good laughs, Greg from Burton for good style and Gregie, Nadja and Magda for good friendship!

Here’s the results and a bunch of pics for you.
Halfpipe Women – Podium:
1. Kelly Clark (USA), Burton, 91.45
2. Gretchen Bleiler (USA), Oakley, 82.33
3. Yuki Furihata (JPN), Burton, 72.63

Halfpipe Men – Podium:
1. Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI), Quiksilver, 88.90
2. Danny Davis (USA), Burton, 83.75
3. Ryo Aono (JPN), Yonex, 83.08

Slopestyle Men – Podium:
1. Aleksander Ostreng (NOR)
2. Roope Tonteri (FIN)
3. Peetu Piiroinen (FIN)

Slopestyle Women – Podium
1. Jamie Anderson (USA)
2. Enni Rukajärvi (FIN)
3. Isabel Derungs (SUI)

Once again we spent a few days in the fantastic Austrian capital of Innsbruck for the Billabong Air & Style 2012, presented by Burn. The film’s taken a while to chop together but here it is, in all its glory. A huge thanks to 2-meter Peter for his mad clipping skills. It was freaking cold in the mountains but we got a day riding some relatively fresh pow and had a blast at the Burn Fire & Steel Rail contest on the main street the night before the main event. The contest was a sell out with a 13000-strong public braving the cold and rocking out to some of the world’s best riders dropping switch bs 1260 doubles all over the place.

Burn Fire & Steel Rail contest
1st: Noa Gadelius (SWE)
2nd: Gulli Gudmondsson (ICE)

Air & Style
1st: Peetu Piiroinen (FIN)
2nd: Seppe Smits (BEL)
3rd: Niklas Mattsson (SWE)

Photo by: Lasse Kofod
Where: DIY-park, Marseille
What: Julien Benoliel (Nike SB), trying hard for a BS air on a gnarly spot.

Not far from the city of Marseille, a bunch of skaters build their own skatespot four years ago. Friday they took me there for a quick session, and a lovely walk in the mountains.

Photos; Lasse Kofod

Rockaway Taco, A Selby Film from the selby on Vimeo.

This dude is on it. Sleeping on the roof, making awesome tacos, surfing, ultra laid-back vibe – I bet chicks dig him… hell, I dig him!

Following all the hype of Hjalte Halberg‘s fresh ‘pro skateboarder’ status for Polar last week, the goods continue to roll in. This brilliantly filmed and cut clip from Swedish Defekt shows the Danish Nike SB team rolling into China late last year (a little too late for us to publish the photos unfortunately).  Featuring Hjalte Halberg, Anton Juul, Nis Andersen, Morten Bech during a ten day stay in Shanghai, China with additional appearance by Danijel Stankovic, Nils Svensson, Henrik Svan, Charles Lanceplaine and Luypa Sin.

Next episode out Feb 28 over at Defekt so bang it in your calendar.

Seth Epstein is behind this unique portrait of one of our time and culture’s biggest influencers: Shawn Stussy. After the success of Stüssy worldwide, Shawn takes it back to his roots of shaping surfboards, and is on the verge of opening his first surf board gallery in Tokyo – S/Double.

Here’s a rare insight of Shawn’s world, while he hand shapes a board and recaps his past.

Source: SlamxHype

This video from Jacob Sutton is so brilliant. No need for an intro, just sit back and enjoy.

LED baby. The future.

Photo: Lasse Kofod
Rider: Julien Benoliel, Nike SB
Where: Marseille suburb