MPB Meets: Skateboarding Photographer Jon Mecca

Photographer Jon @jonmecca, who works as a product specialist at MPB Brooklyn, has a background in darkroom development and studied photography and journalism in college. Let’s hear from Jon about his beginnings in rural Pennsylvania, his kit and his passion for skateboarding. Over to you, Jon.

My first camera was a Nikon D3300, with just a kit lens and fisheye lens, back in 2014. After a few years, I finally upgraded to my current setup, which is a Nikon D5000, carrying over my small repertoire of Nikon lenses—the 35mm f/1.8G DX, 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED and 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX. For right now, it’s the ideal setup for my needs and what I shoot, but still versatile enough to cover any situation. 

In the near future, I plan to upgrade to a Nikon D850 along with some full-frame Nikon lenses. The D850 is a DSLR that will stand the test of time, and it will be the ultimate investment for me in the long run. My setup for shooting 35mm film is a Pentax ME Super, with a 28mm f/2.8 lens. It's a step up from a K1000, it’s small, and quiet and the aperture-priority mode makes shooting a breeze. I usually take that everywhere I go, as it’s my ‘Goldilocks’ setup. I love the look and charm of a 28mm lens, it allows me to be close and intimate with the moment.

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where I spent a lot of my days skateboarding with friends and getting into any adventure that came about. Before getting into photography, when I was in high school, I started out with a camcorder and would make skate videos with my group of friends. I’ve always been the ‘cameraman’ of the group and had an eye for capturing slices of life. 

My interest gradually shifted toward photography and I wanted to take it more seriously, so I got my first DSLR when I was 17. That’s when everything changed, and I became immersed in every aspect. Photographing my friend's skateboarding was how I learned everything quickly, I always had something to work with that incorporated many different elements of shooting. Before joining MPB, I worked as a studio assistant for professional photographers Joe DiMaggio and JoAnne Kalish. I also studied photography, journalism and communications in college.

An achievement I’m proud of is my first personal project Fresh Youth being selected as part of my college’s 26th Annual Art Exhibition and receiving the Fine Arts Achievement Award. It’s a series of black-and-white film photos I sequenced together as one cohesive body of work. The series is candid documentation of a certain period of my everyday life and the people in it, carrying the innocence of youth into young adulthood and experiencing rural suburbia in limbo together. I had just begun shooting with black-and-white film for the first time, and the series came together organically over a nine-month span. I spent vigorous time in the darkroom almost every day developing film, developing 5x7 prints, archiving and scanning. My way of seeing and shooting was different. Photography felt new to me again. It was the greatest learning experience.

What keeps me inspired to create is how much beauty and truth there is to capturing life, and sharing it in hopes that it can make others feel inspired or connected in some way. Life is always changing, so the possibilities are endless. Everyone has something to say or a story to tell.

Some of my favourite photographers are Ed Templeton, Atiba Jefferson and Jonathan Mehring, to name a few. However, the three photographers who have had a direct influence on me are Joe DiMaggio, JoAnne Kalish and Joe Guerriero. They’ve guided my growth as an artist and have taught me so much about fine art, commercial photography, photojournalism, and professional standards and they have shared many life philosophies with me over the years.

I find myself shooting whatever I get myself into, so a little bit of everything. I enjoy shooting skateboarding the most. Every time I shoot skateboarding or snowboarding, it’s like its own ‘photo-mission’. It’s a collaborative effort between you and the person doing the action. You’re not just taking a photo, you’re making a photo. It’s always engaging and it requires a lot of alertness and anticipation. You have to be ready. Being up close in the ‘danger zone’ with the fisheye is always exhilarating, except when a flyaway skateboard hits you, but that’s part of the fun.

A few years ago, I stumbled upon shooting astrophotography during a creative rut. It finally gave me a chance to breathe and made photography feel meditative. Being under the stars with my camera, surrounded by the ambience, totally slows me down and keeps me grounded. Those two genres are the best of both worlds. In the future, I would like to explore deeper into portraiture and studio lighting again and get myself more well-rounded.

For those who are just starting out, I say be open to everything and embrace learning. A photographer takes photos, so wear your camera like a necklace and get out there. Fall in love with every aspect of it, and the rest will come together. Make your own path. Everything you’ll ever need is right in front of you if you look hard enough. Fill the frame.

Lately, I’ve been really excited about shooting skateboarding with external flashes and the learning curve of hyper-sync and high-speed sync. Getting into it was intimidating at first, but it changed the game for me. A photo I’m hyped on, in particular, is one I took of my brother doing a frontside-lipslide down a handrail in the streets, using high-speed sync with three flashes to achieve the look.

I have many plans, and right now it is to pick up my momentum again to reach the goals I have insight into. As for upcoming projects, I’m involved with filming and photography for an upcoming Nimbus Skateboards @nimbus845 video, working mainly with my brother for his section in the video along with other team riders. Be on the lookout for that soon.

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This article is part of the MPB Guide to Sports Photography, our comprehensive look at how to create sports photography, with camera recommendations, advice and interviews with experts.