Dominic Daniel

I landed back from Corfu literally the day before the Hove Lagoon Skate Jam, thinking I’d come home with a decent tan, but somehow ended up catching more sun legging it around Brighton with a camera in my hand than I did a whole week by the beach.

This was my first ever time shooting a skate event, and what a way to start. I’ve shot skating, but never like this. A big thanks must go to my boss, Geoff from Team Rubicon (event hosts), who not only let me come down to cover the event, but even sorted me a hotel so I could make the trip from Leeds. Massive love to BiPola as well for letting me jump in and write a few words to go alongside the photos! This is all new territory for me, and I’m buzzing to be a small part of it.

Where do I even start with the location? We just don’t get parks like this in the UK. Massive respect to the council and the crew at Maverick Skateparks for pulling off something this special. It’s a proper plaza, right by the sea, and the setup flows! The kind of place people will travel to, not just roll past. Evidenced even further, by the large turnout of skaters from Cardiff on the day. 

As expected, Team Rubicon had the pedal down from the get go, and the turnout was wild. Every bit of grass, every bench, all packed out. People were barbecuing, lounging about, cheering, it was just a proper good vibe all day long. The skating itself? Next level. Kids barely out of primary school absolutely ripping, blokes in their 40s still going hard, and as always the girls showed up and did what they do best. It was one of those days where you couldn’t look away for a second without missing something.

The format of it all was spot on too. Things kicked off with the younger ones, giving them their moment to shine (some proper fearless mini shredders out there). Then came the main jam with the older skaters, which just built and built as the afternoon rolled on. Things wrapped up with a hectic session down the stair set, which was full send from the first second. It was carnage in the best possible way with boards flying, bails everywhere and everyone screaming. Exactly how a skate jam should end.

I used to shoot cars, the kind that sit still unless someone turns a key. So trying to track skaters flying at me from every angle was absolute chaos. I spent most of the day dodging boards and praying I hit focus. Total madness. Totally hooked. Can we go again?

All in all, it was a class day. Great energy, proper community buzz, and a park that’s going to mean a lot to a lot of people.