Behind the lens: Nam-Chi Van

You’ve shot some major competitions like X Games and Women’s Street League. How do you handle the pressure of photographing such globally renowned events?
I’m not going to lie; it’s very nerve-racking up to the day of the actual event. I think being able to shoot the women practising the course before the event helps a lot. It also helps to know what tricks each person is going to do during their run and how they skate. There will always be that pressure to get the shot, but in the end, it’s all about documenting history and having fun. I think we’re all very supportive of each other because we all know that we’re all in the same situation; whether we’re the ones organizing the event, covering it, or even the ones competing. When I first started, I didn’t really know anyone on a personal level, so it was intimidating to get in their space to get the shot. I think you have to earn everyone’s trust and build a bond between you and person you’re shooting.

How was it capturing the first ever Women’s Street League? What was the vibe like?
Capturing the first ever Women’s Street League was unbelievable and so exciting. I remember standing on the course with Mimi Knoop, telling her, “Wow, I can’t believe that I’m here right now,” as she nodded her head in agreement with me. The vibes there were different than X Games. I feel like Street League is more of a skater’s contest since it’s run by skaters and for skaters. The community was strong. I’m excited for more events like this. It was cool to meet other women skaters in the industry from around the world (Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, etc) that traveled there to support women’s skateboarding.

How did you get the gig as a photographer for Mahfia.tv?
When I lived in San Diego, I saved up for my dream camera set up. I wanted to be a skate filmer, so I hit up a bunch of different companies, but no one ever got back to me. After moving to the Bay Area, I started following a bunch of women’s skate companies (Meow, Hoopla, Silly, etc) and stumbled upon Mahfia.tv. I pretty much sent them the same, “Hey, I’m a skater / filmer / photographer” spiel. I didn’t really get any responses back so I kind of moved onto something else at the time. In 2011, I created Moshlounge, which was an online music publication, which got me into music and concert photography. About 6 months later, Kim Woo (founder of Mahfia), sent me an email telling me that she’d been following my work on Instagram and asked if I’d be down to fly out to Austin to shoot the Summer X Games. Of course I was stoked and said yes. That’s kind of where it all kicked off.

What’s your favourite trick to shoot and why?
Favorite trick… that’s a hard one. Flip tricks down stairs are always fun to capture. I would say the most difficult type of trick to capture would be any kind of handrail trick, because of the angles. Angles can make or break a photo. When I’m shooting vert skaters, it’s really fun to capture them when they are doing some gnarly grab right above my face.

If you could have the chance to photograph any skateboarder, who would it be and why?
I think it would be pretty sweet to photograph Andrew Reynolds because he’s always been an influential skater to me growing up.

Where do you see the future of women’s skateboarding – particularly regarding media coverage and recognition?
I see it blowing up within the next 5 years, especially with talks of skateboarding being in the Olympics. Skateboarding, in general, has already blown up internationally. It’s only a matter of time until it’ll be normal to see a woman or girl skating (if it isn’t already). It’s crazy nowadays because anyone can go out there and make it happen. For example, anyone can go out and film and edit or shoot some photos, post it online to all their social medias, and get easily recognized. I think the women’s skate industry is small, but I’d say we’re growing at a rapid pace. We’re basically out there creating our own media outlets and content.

Interview: Sarah Huston
Photos: Nam-Chi Van