Fer Sher!
A glimpse at a few days in the life of the Valley.
Photography by Mike Blabac
I moved to the San Fernando Valley from San Francisco in January of 1998 after marrying a "Valley girl" who swore up and down I would like this sprawling L.A. County area more than San Francisco¿and she was right. Compared to San Francisco, the San Fernando Valley is massive. The Valley is made up of over 30 cities: Arleta, North Hills, Sunland/Tujunga, Bell Canyon, North Hollywood, Sylmar, Burbank, Northridge, Tarzana, Calabasas, Pacoima, Toluca Lake, Canoga Park, Panorama City, Topanga, Chatsworth, Reseda, Valley Village, Encino, San Fernando, Van Nuys, Granada Hills, Shadow Hills, West Hills, Hidden Hills, Sherman Oaks, Winnetka, Lake View Terrace, Studio City, Woodland Hills, Mission Hills, and Sun Valley.
Knowing nothing about the Valley, I didn't think I was going to shoot many skate photos, but after a while I realized there was plenty of talent both professional and amateur here to shoot. Pros such as Fabian Alomar, Jeron Wilson, Weston Correa, and Guy Mariano are from the Valley. Most recently Chad Muska transplanted himself here.
There's a long list of spots in the Valley, as you'd expect in such a huge, suburban area, but I'm not going to name them here because I don't want every person reading this article to skate where I shoot. Selfish? Yes, but I do this for a living. And because photography is my forte and writing isn't, I'll end this article now.Enjoy the photos.¿Mike Blabac
