Who's Rad? Photographer Ken Hada.
Today's "Who's Rad" isn't about a girl. And it's not about a skater, surfer, snowboarder, or BMX rider. It's about a guy. Why? Because Ken Hada is one of the few photographers out there taking photos time & time again of girls who skate. He's not on assignment looking for a paycheck, he is doing it just like most skaters are - for the love of it. Read on to find out what makes him interested in shooting the women of skateboarding and what makes a skater easy to photograph.
Who's Rad? Ken Hada
Where do you live/work ? Southern California
How did you get started in photography?
Back in 1975, I would
borrow my sister’s 8mm
video camera and make films of my neighborhood friends skateboarding, biking,
and doing stunts.
What type of photography do you do when you are not shooting
skateboarding?
mostly my kids, some Product Shots, Live Concert, band press kit
type stuff, and portraits.
What made you decide to start shooting female skaters?
I bought a used Nikkormat camera
and some lens from my buddy Chuck Lantz, back in 1978 when I worked at Skatopia
Skatepark. Yet I captured very few photographs from that historic time in
skateboarding. A few years later lawyers and liability challenges closed most
of the skateparks. Many years later when I would look at the few skateboard
photos I shot from the 1970’s
I realized that I missed a wonderful opportunity to capture a historical aspect
of skateboarding. So for me it is very interesting to document these amazing
female skaters, making their way through skateboard history.
Are there any skaters you really enjoy working with &
why?
I will shoot anyone who has a trick and a location in
mind. It is always fun to shoot Lizzie, Julz, AmeeJay, Mikayla, Hunter, Alana,
Natalie, and Nora. They show up on time, want to make a good picture, never
complain.
What are some of your favorite places to shoot at?
I like to shoot in bright sunlight. So anywhere
outdoors is fine with me.
Do you have an all time favorite
skate image? No.
Any favorite tricks you like to shoot?
I like to shoot back
Smiths and back D’s.
Favorite camera body & lens?
Whatever I own or have
borrowed at the moment works for me.
Do you like to light or do you prefer shooting with natural
light?
I always light my shots.
Any girls out there you haven’t shot yet but would like to?
The great news is that there seems to be many more talented girl skaters these
days. So there are many people I would like to shoot.
Any advice for someone who wanted to get into action sports photography?
If you are going to shoot skateboarding it really helps if you are a
skateboarder. Study previous skateboard photos, there are some unwritten rules
in skateboard photography. Make pictures with the gear that you own.
Where can we see your work?
A few of my non skate photos made some National TV commercials, aside
from that you might see my pictures at skate company websites, Zines and Skate
Mags. I did a showing of a few photos at a Channel Street art show a few years
ago.
What social media sites can people follow you on?