Johnathan Ball

FGFS LA 2019 – FIRST SESSION IN TOWN

Feb 27, 2019

First off I’ll start by saying how good it feels being back in California. A place where the sun and weather are on your side. The Mexican food tastes fucking awesome and you can step outside in a t-shirt. All things I took for granted. Until now that is. I’ve been loading up on burritos and soaking up the sunshine now that both those things are readily available.

Last weekend I drove down to Norwalk to meet up w/ the boys. JBALL and Deacon Wong managed to get me in a car to actually drive to a spot. 9 Freeways later and there I was. Standing in a parking lot with Deacon waiting 2 hour for JBALL to arrive. Haha. Somebody get this mans a watch. It’s a good thing Deacon brought with him every toy imaginable: scooter, mini fixie, skateboard, etc. Actually that’s not that much, but in my mind he might as well have brought a pogo stick. All that being said, I’m glad he did because it really helped pass the time.

After sessioning some school for what felt like forever, we rode out in search of spots in neighborhood. First up was this rail that JBALL hopped with ease. (see photo for details) Then we went to this out ledge that was pretty rounded and made it difficult to grind. Stay on your grind. A young @CHASEFGFS came out and showed us what he’s made of. I snapped this sequence of him and wish I shot more because the kid is amazing. Once everyone had their fill, we made our way to the top of this parking garage where we ended the day. (Or at least I did, I think they went and rode a skatepark afterwards) On the drive home Slam Dunk Ernie talked about how much fun we had and some of the aireal clips we shot of Marco Marquez. We’ll have to do it again soon. Until next time fam.

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WHEEL TALK – HITTING THE BOOKS AT SF STATE

May 6, 2018

With everyone in town for Mission Crit and it being the day after 420, we decided to get the gang together and have a chill session in The Sunset. We warmed up at the skatepark on 42nd Ave (Watch that video HERE) then packed up the van and headed to SF State for the rest of the afternoon. Jimmy ripped his shirt off his body, Deacon live streamed everything on snapchat and we hung out with a scooter kid for once. This plus much more in this one day video, stop reading and just hit play.

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CHROME INDUSTRIES – BUILT FOR THIS: DIMA 2.0 (FEATURING JOHNATHAN BALL)

Apr 9, 2018

Chrome Industries just dropped this video I shot of Johnathan Ball when we were in LA recently. What was only supposed to be a photoshoot turned into JBall & I stacking clips on the side for fun. We then later took that footage and turned it into this promo video for the newly designed Dima 2.0. It’s tight that these shoes are made with the rider in mind and have a built in Propulsion Shank (Learn More) to better distribute the impact from landing and keep your foot from painfully flexing over the pedal. I used to wear Chrome shoes religiously solely because of this feature. Check out more of their bike shoes HERE.

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FGFS PORTLAND – DAY 3

Jan 11, 2018

Can it be Summer again already. We’re barely even into winter and I’m already missing the warm weather in Portland. It was so nice while it lasted. Ramon Antonio invited a bunch of the homies from California to come ride with us up here. This is day 3 of their trip. By this point I had shifted my focus from photo to shooting video and capturing long lens second angles. That being said, I did shoot a bunch of stills of everyone jumping this parking lot bank.

I’m not sure what Miguel Zendejas is eating for breakfast, but it’s working. He has tailwhips unlike anybody else in fixed gear right now. Must have signed his name in blood on some ancient scroll to achieve such talent and skill on two wheels. Johnathan Ball is another one of those dudes who always surprises you with how deep is bag of tricks can be. He’s like felix the cat the way he pulls things out of thin air. I’ll shut up now, photos > words.

Click “MORE” to see other photos from this day. (more…)

FGFS PORTLAND – DAY 2

Oct 14, 2017

Blow the whistle. After taking a short mid-day break, we loaded up the van and headed back to down town to see what else we could stack before the sun set.

I didn’t shoot as many photos as the day before but was able to get a handful of shots of Miguel Zendejas’ neon yellow Master Bike Co Prototype. I’m not sure when these frames will be available to the public, but I’ve heard whispers of them rolling out sometime in the few couple months. What I can tell you is that these frames are incredibly compact, have steep head tube angles and offer up one of the most progressive geometries FGFS has ever seen.

If you’ve ever ridden with us, than I’m sure you already know, but I’m always the idiot running around trying to round up the crew for a family photo. It’s become somewhat of a tradition at this point, and is always worth the effort. This one in particular was potentially the most challenging one we’ve taken yet. We used the typical 10 second timer, but added in a 2 second exposure as a curve ball. Shout out to these dudes for remaining completely still during that time and to anyone else who has ever put up with my consistent craziness. One day I’ll publish a book of all these group shot. You’ll see.

That just about covers it. Again, keep em peeled for photos from Day 3 of our time together in Portland. Click “MORE” to check out other photos from day 2. (more…)

FGFS PORTLAND – DAY 1

Oct 2, 2017

Day one and done. It didn’t take much to roast us to the bone. After the first full day of riding in Portland with the boys we were already salty, sore, and thirsty for more. With legs like noodles and arms like peanut brittle we pushed ourselves and each other to keep the stoke alive.

Setting the stage. Ramon Antonio flew Johnathan Ball, Miguel Zendejas & Josh Silva to PDX to film for a video project he’s been wanting to shoot. Although we don’t have a name for it yet, filming is well underway and is already shaping up to be the hot ticket video of the Summer.

Click “More” to check out other photos from day 1 (more…)

FGFS PORTLAND – 35MM

Sep 30, 2017

Life is better with grain. Film photos always have such stronger feels and carry such a greater reward for capturing the moment with a single click. It’s been minute since the homies from down south were in town. Still having a hard time calling Portland a city. Feels more like a suburb with a skyline. More trees than buildings over 2 stories tall.

I tried shooting an old roll of color Kodachrome while they were here. Lets just say it didn’t work out as planned. Haha. It basically came out as a bunch of gray images. That roll aside, here are some photos that did turn out. Until next time my dudes. (Riders: Miguel Zendejas, Johnathan Ball, Josh Silva, Ramon Antonio III, Sam Allgood)

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120MM – PRICKLY PEAR JAM

Aug 15, 2016

120mm – Shot number 159

I keep a camera on me just about everywhere I go, and ever since I got my hands on a Hasselblad it’s quickly become my everyday carry. So when it came time to fly to Arizona for the Prickly Pear Jam I knew I’d be bringing two things. My FGFS bike and this camera. I’ve traveled to a lot of places and for the most part when it’s hot, it’s humid. But AZ was a dry heat that I don’t think any of us were prepared for. It was by and far one of the most blisteringly hot places I’ve ever been and sent everybody home with either a tan or a sunburn by the end of the jam. 9 hours of riding beneath the desert sun will do that to you. Shout out to Mike T. Schmitt for hosting the event and getting the band back together again.

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PRICKLY PEAR JAM – DAY 3

May 16, 2016

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Those words couldn’t be more true as the 2016 Prickly Pear Jam in Arizona comes to a close. Huge shout out to everyone who showed up and an ever louder applause to Mike Schmitt for bringing everyone together. I’m looking forward to seeing where the next jam like this is going to take place. Until then, enjoy scrolling through these 50 of the images I took during the day of the event, and keep your eyes peeled for a video of the Jam coming soon.

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PRICKLY PEAR JAM – DAY 2

May 15, 2016

That’s it folks, the 2016 Prickly Pear Jam in Arizona is officially a wrap. This has been one of the best FGFS events there has been in years and it’s something that will be remembered for a long time to come. Scroll through and check out a handful of photos from our second day in town and Keep your eyes peeled for shots from the jam coming out tomorrow.
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