Home is where the heart is, and the work of Zachary Tinker caught my personal eye because he photographs my native land with a keen eye for composition like few skate photographers do in rural New England. Hailing from southern New Hampshire, Tinker captures a lot of action, the pristine beauty of the landscapes, and the timey old buildings that still stand amidst some of our nation’s first colonies with a close-knit group of friends that keep an already small scene thriving. Here’s some of his fine work below, and Zach, thank you from the bottom of my heart for showcasing the stoke in the place I feel so blessed to be able to call home.
-Theodore Maider
Nashua, NH has been repeatedly voted one of the “nicest places to live.” Who votes on this, I am unsure, but the way Drew Uphold busts this clean back smith along the river (either the Nashua, or the Merrimack) makes even the gloomiest day look pleasant.
Milford, NH has always been a cutty place for spots in southern NH. They have a skate park that many of us went to as kids, beautiful hiking trails, a better than average Wendy’s location, and the Pasta Loft where you can get gorged on noodles and listen to dads play classic rock. Christopher Vigue makes good on their hidden skate spot gems with this wallie to tailside.
Manchester, NH is one of the only “cities” in the area and clearly you can get away with some shit there because Troy Mavrogeorge and Zachary were able to rub brick this ledge and get some of the first tricks ever done at this spot. Front 5-0 through the flowers to officially break this sucker in.
Most people know Salem, MA for witches and everything you read about in your 3rd grade history books, or saw in the movie Hocus Pocus. Salem boasts some skate spots, along with the spooky vibes, but that didn’t scare Drew Uphold away from snapping this back tail in the dead of winter.
Vermont is the favored state in New England with it’s lush greenery, positive vibes, lax laws and because it gave America Bernie Sanders. Brattleboro is one of the quaint, yet larger towns, and it’s got a handful of steep hills and house spots that allowed Damien Garon to snap this ollie real quick before cruising into the springtime air.
No matter how small your scene may be, you can always find SOMETHING sizeable to ollie over. Drew Uphold doesn’t hold back boosting over this rail somewhere deep in Nashua.
Just outside of Boston lies Somerville, a quintessential entity in the social fabric of the Boston life. While it has been famous for spots (it was on the cover of The Hot Chocolate Tour), Troy Mavrogeorge was able to hit this more low key ledge with a tailslide and a big ol’ drop to fakie.
Finding ways to keep the photos exciting and visually interesting is important. This fast paced, fast motioned style has always been a trademark of solid photographers and breakneck skaters. Damien Garon and Zachary took that look up a notch with this front smith deep in the streets of Brattleboro.
As skaters, no matter where we are in the world, we can find the dopest red curbs to skate and have the time of our lives. Scottie proves this life hack with this squiggley curb on the NH/VT state line.
Throughout this piece, it sure makes sense that Drew Uphold and Zachary Tinker skate together a lot. Having a good relationship like this is important for creating the best skate photos possible because it allows trust. Here, Zach gets all up in Drew’s business for a close up nosegrind that you could only pull off if you trust the person jamming a camera at your feet at close range.