By 
Nathan Kelly by MikaAltskan
Local photographer Mika Altskan appears to have unprecedented access to a gravity defying group of athletes (or super heroes). Whether they’re pulling an E.T. move on their bike or skating horizontally through the air, he’s there to capture their raw talent with his camera. Aside from the great stop action in the shot above, the color, the low point of view, and the timeless, carefree emotions that are portrayed make this shot a winner. The icing on the cake for me is the lens flare, something that is sometimes accidental but adds a unique touch of cinematic beauty to the shot, a photographic snowflake if you will. This photo makes me want to play hooky so I can practice my own skull cracking stunts in the final days of warm weather, but who am I kidding? I’m only a daredevil when I’m in or on something motorized, preferably with an airbag. I’ll leave the bone breaking activities to our youth.
