‘I guess I like being able to create something that speaks for itself’
Sean Meighan
March 2025
You moved from Boston to San Diego. What was driving the move?
I moved five years ago from Quincy, Massachusetts right outside of Boston to San Diego, California. I had lived in Massachusetts my whole life and was getting to a point where I wanted change. At the time, a few friends of mine were out there already with a room available. I decided to pack up my truck and drive across the country. I had enough of snow and cold weather that lasted three-quarters of the year and was ready for palm trees and a summer that never ended.
Assuming you started off skateboarding at what point did you move to photography and why?
I did start skateboarding long before I started capturing it with camera. No one in my friend group had a video camera when we were younger, so I decided to be the person to get one. I initially had a little JVC video camera that I would bring to Boston with us every weekend when we would go downtown to skate and document the sessions, hijinx included. Later on, for whatever reason I decided I liked the photography aspect more than the videography side of it. I guess I like being able to create something that speaks for itself rather than having a play-by-play video to express it to someone. Every once in a while, I might film something, but I primarily shoot photos now.
‘The energy that Mark Gonzales appears to bring to a session mixed with his endless style and creativity calls for an iconic photo in itself.’
Is there one skateshot you wish you had taken?
There isn’t a single photo that I wish I had captured. That being said, I can think of a lot of situations where I went out on what I thought was going to be a mellow session and then people start throwing down hammers, instantly regretting not having brought my camera. Sometimes bringing a camera, with no flashes too, getting a subpar photo that could have been significantly better should I have been prepared for anything.
Favorite skate photographer?
I don’t know that I could narrow it down to just one but a few of my favorites would consist of Alex Papke, Sam Muller, Jake Darwin, Zander Taketomo, Sam Ashley, and Alexandre Souetre. I find that these artists find a way to shoot skate photography as more of a fine art form opposed to a lot of the blind fisheye shots you see come out of what seems to be a large number of skate photographers.
Proudest moment as a photographer?
The proudest moment I have had as a photographer so far would have to be the first time I had one of my photos printed in a skate mag. It was this East Coast magazine called East Coast Overdose. A two-page split horizontal photo of one of my homies doing a dump truck off a fence into a crusty bank. There is no better feeling than seeing your photo printed in a magazine, it is special. I have since had photos printed in multiple other magazines, every time getting the same satisfaction.
Most embarrassing?
I have had plenty of embarrassing moments as a photographer. One being when your equipment, say your flashes for example, malfunction ruining the photo that could have been great. Even worse, is human error, when you click the camera shutter a millisecond too soon and get the timing off on a trick.
‘I like the creation in destruction, capturing the erosion of humanity.’
Any skater you like to shoot with?
If I could pick any skater in the world to shoot with it would probably have to be Mark Gonzales. The energy that Mark Gonzales appears to bring to a session mixed with his endless style and creativity calls for an iconic photo in itself. To collaborate on a vision together would be nothing short of a dream come true.
Going through your IG it looks like you like shooting abandoned buildings and places. Why does it fascinate you?
Back when I was living on the East Coast, I was shooting a lot more abandoned stuff. Unfortunately, California has very little of it. Anything that becomes abandoned is soon bought and demolished with land being so desirable out here. That and the beautiful weather year-round cuts back substantially on buildings decaying the way they do on the East Coast. I like the creation in destruction, capturing the erosion of humanity. Moving away from easily captured photos. It is far more satisfying to create an image that very few have had the opportunity to lay their eyes on, let alone capture it. It is a way of preserving something that will soon be gone and forgotten.
Last question. If you could interview one person, who would it be?
If I could interview one person dead or alive, it would have to be Salvador Dali.