Photo Gallery: Garric Ray

Portland, Ore. photographer Garric Ray takes us through the underbelly of the Northwestern skate scene. Gallery

I'm not really sure how it happened, but over the last ten years I became a skateboard photographer. Typical story -- I got hurt and blew my knee out skating when I was a teenager. While I was hurt, I hated sitting around at my house while all my friends were skating, so I picked up a camera and started taking photos.

In 2002, some of my friends opened an indoor skate park in Portland, Oregon, called the Department of Skateboarding -- I was lucky enough to get a job there. Over time I made a lot of good friends and ended up getting the opportunity to shoot photos of local skateboarders like Matt Beach, Tyler Bledsoe, Willis Kimbel and Devin Appelo. From time-to-time teams would come to town and drop by the park looking for spots and sometimes a photographer as well. The photos in this gallery are all a direct result from the friends I made at the Department of Skateboarding.