This has to be one of the most amazing series of photos to do with streetphire which I’ve ever seen. Street Phire regular poster Bertie Buck worked on this project solid during the summer of 2009, getting all the riders together, the cardboard letters made, finding locations and then setting up each photograph until the final one was shot which is a BEAUT!

Im going to also take this moment to apologize to Bertie for the amount of time I’ve taken to get this up, i’ve dragged it out for far too long. This project has been something real fun to watch come together and im quite overwhelmed with the final result.

I’ll sign off with a massive thanks to Bertie and all the guys involved in making this happen, be sure to go to http://www.streetphire.co.uk homepage to see the final image and continue reading to see the full story with additional images.

H-Man asked me a few months back if I had any shots/ideas for the welcome page for streetphire.  I’d been wanting to do something like this for a while, I explained the idea to him best I could, but it was clear he hadn’t a clue what I meant.  I wanted to make the letters of streetphire massive in 3D, then get some rider to do a trick over them.  I seemed to have better luck with my friend Ollie, who understood immediately what was going on and we discussed tactics over a brew.

Mostly the idea came from RideUK’s 100th issue, where they did a similar shot for the cover. I was also beginning a 3-year model-making course in September, so it seemed a good ‘warm up’ project to make.

Originally there was only going to be one photo, but Ollie pointed out we should do a shot for each letter, then a banger. I had a few lines, and all the locals got involved with their own ideas to make a cracking set of images. They played such a big part in the process that they deserve an explanation- Joe Cornwell is a trails rider at heart, so when he’s riding street he seeks out an obstacle that most resembles a set of trails. Joe Blacknell first got me into BMX and is the nicest person I’ve ever met. If he’s at the bar with two pints, chances are one of them is for you. When I first met Chromey he wasn’t running a freecoaster, but I’m pretty sure he was running one in his mind ‘till he got one.

For the main shot we wanted to do something unique; I’d seen similar things done on bmx, but not really over a gap. We set up the letters, and set up the bike at the bottom and had a look from the top. I was SHIT scared of this line, and it took like 20 run ups before I even attempted it and when I tried it first time the top bike crushed a few of the letters. The shot was out of focus, I hadn’t landed it and I was knackered by that point so we decided to come back another day. After a few days we came back and set up the shot again. This time I was more prepared, and we got the shot we needed, but I hadn’t landed it yet.  I must have tried it at least 20 more times, including some horrific bails, but eventually I got it clean in the end and rode off in the direction of the pub.  Thanks to everyone who helped out.

Joe Cornwell sending a fakie wall ride near Newmarket

Joe sticks by his Nokia 3310 gearing, giving him enough speed for this fence hop

Tooth hanger, at a local abandoned warehouse in Ely

Chromey, tuck hop from a ghetto kicker

Chromey again with a derelict looking half-cab

An almost perfect handrail, with a dangerous dismount

Well, what would a set of Streetphire photos be without a hop barspin?

Joe ‘two pints’ Blacknell with a double peg

Fakie manual, after a hair cut

This was the first and only go, an old man’s disapproving  ‘OY!’ sending us on our way shortly after.  We were pretty lucky to get this shot.

If a rider falls in a wood and there are no trails around, is he considered street?  Joe Blacknell, tree ride

The letters were pretty bruised and battered by then, but it had to be done, bike transfer!

http://www.streetphire.co.uk – for the hi-res version of the bike transfer!