Happy 2013!

Here is a trailer from recent footage. I've been working on a short edit of purely street skateboarding from Tunbridge Wells featuring all the locals. Happy new year and i hope you enjoy the video!

Alley-Kats at the Garden

After trying to hit up some street spots and being kicked out of one school and clashing into a Fete at the other, we decided to hit up the Garden and film a couple of tricks for Alley-Kats. Ash Humphrey and Danny Abel, who now ride for Alley-Kats threw down some bangers...much more to come from them soon! Check out alley-kats.com for their new range...Definitely digging the designs!

night footage

As the daylight diminishes over the next few weeks there is no choice but to get the night footage rolling. Making the most of the LEDs and lighting the spots up is looking pretty good so far. Definitely going to be getting more night sessions on footage in the next few days before christmas takes over at work.

Ben Woodhouse BS50-50

Barcelona Edit

For the last couple of weeks i've been working on the footage we filmed on our weekend in Barcelona. It was my first shot at filming a trip of this kind and the amount of footage that was stacked up in four day was incredible. We had an amazing time and i just hope this is shown on the footage.

Santiago.

BARCA

A couple of weekends ago we were in Barcelona on a skateboarding trip. It was the raddest skate mission with spots to die for and the safest of people to skate with. We managed to film enough footage to make a neat little edit which i have been working on these last few days. I am aiming to release the footage this coming Sunday night so keep an eye out for some fresh footage!

...Rome!

First of all i'd like to wish happy birthday to a very special person...Millie i am so happy that i am the one that gets to spend these special days with you and share all the special moments of our lives :)

We spent four glorious days in the Italian city of Rome last week. I'm not much of a city person as you have probably gathered by now, but Rome was a place that i would go back to any day. Standing at the place where thousands of people cheered as Gladiators fought to their glorified and bloody death. It sends shivers down your spine and although it is merely ruins compared to what it was back then, it feels so very real. We also visited the Vatican, full of gold and immense masterpieces by the likes of Michelangelo.

One of our favourite dishes is indeed pizza and needless to say we had our fair share of it! Together with litre mugs of beer and endless sun i was well and truly sorted! Perhaps because we didn't expect much from a short break, but we both felt that we felt more relaxed during four days in Rome than our whole two weeks in Cancun back in May.

That's all for now, i'm half way through a much needed two weeks off and just about got rid of yet another cold! hopefully hit the top of the red at evolution tonight and start on my next challenge on the wall :)

Santiago.

1 whole litre of the good stuff!

quick before it melts!

Millie and I <3

10,000km by Patrik Wallner

Having a glorious Wednesday afternoon off work i have just finished watching a skate video recommended by Luke over at crabface.co.uk. A skateboarding video featuring the likes of John Tanner, Dan Cates and a bunch of other skaters traveling along the Trans-Siberian railway which extends from Mosco in Russia to Hong Kong in China. The trip takes them through two months of shredding some of the oldest spots in the world in little known towns and also through the busy cities of China itself.

It really is a good watch so if you get a chance take a look - needless to say i am now incredibly hyped to film and skate on our trip to Barcelona in October!

We will be leaving on October 18th for a few days in what will hopefully be a sunny skate trip and will no doubt be a banging start to the already accumulating video footage.

That's all for now!

Santiago.

First music video!

Thing are coming together nicely on the video front and this week i have finished two of my most recent projects. As you have probably seen i filmed a wedding video and upon receiving the final product the clients were very happy and very grateful with the DVD that shall now be one of the memories and treasures from their special day.

I also finished a music video for In Tyler We Trust. I was fortunate enough to be filming such a talented group of musician and wasn't quite sure what to expect from the footage being my first music video shoot. I was stoked to see the final result. Dale did and fantastic job editing the footage and his ideas gave the video a rad storyline too!

In Tyler We Trust - Watch Me Fall [Official Music Video]

Let us know what you think, post a comment either on here or on the video's youtube page!

That's all for now! my fisheye is hopefully being returned to me within the next couple of weeks after an extremely expensive scratch repair job, which i am pleased to say was rightfully paid for by the camera insurance. So as soon as that's back we're back on filming the skate video, with maybe a trip to Barcelona in a couple of months time!

Thanks for reading,

Santiago

...a nice quiet Sunday

I have finally found a spare minute to write a few words. It's been pretty manic recently as i have been finishing off a few filming jobs. My first wedding is now complete and is being sent to the duplicators this week so i am really excited to show Dave and Lizzie the final copy of their wedding video. I've also been working on a short video for "The Poet", a fine dining restaurant/pub in Matfield. You can watch both of these videos on my vimeo or my website - www.pilgrimproductions.co.uk.

I have been working a lot at the butchers as a few people have been on holiday so extra ours are plentiful. I've been saving some cash for Millie's 21st and our holiday at the end of this month! The car is still not 100% so we are going to treat ourselves to a last minute deal somewhere nice and hot!

Only a few days ago we cycled around Bewl reservoir which is a 13 mile cross country track. We were shattered and a bit sore but finished the day nicely with a well deserved barbaque, the weather was actually nice that week! We decided to keep up the exercise and make it a regular occurrence so last tuesday we set off for bewl again. I didn't fancy cycling again so i ran for 5 miles while Millie cycled along side. I was absolutely destroyed after that and it was a reminder of how unfit you can become without regular exercise. We are doing a similar thing this coming Tuesday and i want to keep the running up in order to get another personal best on the TW half marathon in February. I ran it in 1h46min last time so hopefully 1h30min will be within my reach.

Interest is growing on my Everest basecamp expedition and a few people have said they would love to come, so hopefully as the time draws nearer we will have a neat little team of adventurers heading off to the Himalayas next year.

That's all for now, the skate video has been on hold whilst a scratch on my fisheye is repaired but that will hopefully be back with me next week so we can resume filming and get the ball rolling again!

Santiago

first hit on the lens

I have recently managed to fix a noisy driveshaft in my car which has been there since last November after a woman, who i'm sure is perfectly capable of driving like most men, pulled out in front of me and proceeded to drive off only to come back and say "sorry i thought i just hit the curb". The insurance company "Cotswold Group" or as they are now known, "G4", were completely useless in even recognising that this problem had occurred during the crash...yeah, what do i know, i only drive the car every day! 

But as things are somewhat back to normal again Millie and I are planning a road trip to the south of France in August/September with the company of a couple of friends of ours in their Discovery. More details on that soon as we are in the early planning stages!

A more skateboarding related point. We went to East Grinstead Skatepark the other day, which was not too bad but i must say i personally am not a huge fan of it, especially as my lens got hit! Luckily these things happen and i have it insured and I am  currently awaiting for the repair work to be carried out.

full time!

It's been very busy and hectic over here for the last couple of weeks. After filming my first wedding on Thursday i have a lot of footage to edit. On the plus side it's nice to see that the footage has come out very impressive and my first wedding is already looking like a success. I will edit a trailer and post it for you all to see soon.

The weather has been awful recently but in the few minutes of sunshine that i've been able to go for a skate i made sure i got some footage to keep everyone entertained. Just a couple of tricks by Harry Bates, Danny Abel and a separate couple of lines with Evan.

Hopefully dry up on Sunday so we can get out there and film some street!

Santiago.

Two weeks in the sun

I have just got back from a sunny holiday in sweet Cancun, Mexico. The long flight was a killer but our "all inclusive" hotel was absolutely amazing, much was eaten, much was drank. Temeperatures were in the 30's and the beach was beautiful. Didn't really do a lot of exploring the local area as the hotel had everything you could have wanted. It was lovely to get some peace and quiet, and of course a very nice tan :)

Just Chillin'

I did a lot of reading whilst sipping on beers and cocktails. I normally take a very long time to get through a book but in this ocassion i had some really good literature at hand and got through nearly three books in two weeks. I picked up at a copy of Joe Simpson's "Touching The Void" which tells an incredible tale of mountain survival first hand. Another masterpiece i came across was "K2-No Way Down" by Graham Bowley, a journalist from New York City. He wrote a detailed account of what went down on K2 in early August 2008. It is a recent example of how crazy things can get up there on the mountain and describes how 12 lives were lost in just three days high above on the slopes of K2 in Pakistan. Finally i polished off the rest of a book i've been slowly working through for the last few months. This is "The Longest Climb" by Dominic Faulkner, it follows the EVERESTMAX team as they cycle more than 5,000 miles from the lowest point on earth - the dead sea - to the highest peak on the planet - the summit of Mt. Everest. Not only is it an incredible journey but also a superbly written account of what happened during one of the deadliest seasons on the mountain.

That's all for now. I will be going out for a much needed skate tomorrow afterwhich It will be a busy week this one no doubt as i'm shooting my first wedding video on Thursday. I will let you all know how it went but i'm confident it will go well!

0610h the sun rises over the Caribbean.

Thank you for reading!
Santiago.

less is more

A hard day at work today as it always is catching up on the missed hours due to the bank holiday earlier in the week. Nevertheless yesterday i had a pretty active day. I headed down to Evolution for a climbing session, about an hour and a half trying out a couple of new routes and training up the old ones too. I wanted to go running too, i want to really get into shape so i have been trying to cut down on unnecessary binges of food at work and at home. This with a bit more exercise should do me some good. I came home after climbing and went back out again for a 5 mile run, over to Tonbridge and back again there is a nice gradient on the way back. I enjoy running up-hill more for some strange reason, it's more of a challenge i guess.

I also had a new idea for a possible trip. I was going through the books in Cotswold when i found a book about Norway's great outdoors. There is some incredible scenery and the mountains and lakes are just amazing. Maybe i'll head that way for a few days, camp out by a lake and climb a few peaks. It should be a nice drive too!

That's all for now, i have a day off tomorrow in which i plan to maybe go for another run and buy some vinyl. I might head down to Brighton as they have some decent shops in where to buy such things for little money.

"Mexico in 10 days babyy!"

Running

After attempting to a few tricks on my board thing's weren't going very well. In fact i wasn't feeling it at all and ended up getting frustrated. Too tired, maybe. Just loading up some Trance Anthems on my iPod and heading out for a hilly 5 mile run. Just as the sun is descending it looks quite a pleasant evening out there! Apart from last night's lamb balti which was absolutely stunning i have been trying to eat pretty healthy and keeping my portions down. Combined with a bit of regular exercise this might have positive results!

I leave you with some lyrics that stuck to me at work today.

   "The sky is full of dreams, but you don't know how to fly.
 I don't have a simple answer, but i know that i could answer, something better."

The Killers' "This is your Life".

the garden edit

I had a day off on Friday and when my plans to shoot a video with a mate canceled i headed down the skate garden and filmed some tricks with a few of the guys, enough to release this edit.

I've managed to fight off the cold and i'm feeling pretty good again! In 20 days i'll be leaving for Mexico for two weeks. Excited is the right word here and i am going to make the most out of the "all inclusive" facilities at the five star hotel. I hope you enjoy the video!

After a three mile run last night all is good, it appears I'm not that vast out of shape yet! Have a stinking cold though so on the fruit and juice today!

A couple of filming projects coming up soon too so busy busy busy!

April showers

Despite having to repeatedly flee to the car for shelter from the pouring skies, waiting for it to dry, going back out, getting shouted at by retarded grumpy old men who have no idea how to coexists with fellow citizens in a car park, we did eventually manage to film a couple of tricks for the slowly accumulating collection of clips that will one day form part of a bigger piece of work.

On a separate note if you're into climbing my friend Alec Turner is in the Himalayas en route to climbing Lhotse, this being the peak next to mt. everest. He is attempting to summit without the use of supplementary oxygen, an amazing achievement. I have been following his steps on his journey up there and the most exciting part is about to start so check it out on "www. glacierboy.com".

Thinking of going on a short run before work in the morning to kickstart my running habits. I've not done much running since my half marathon in late February and besides it will be nice to wake up doing something different. I shall let you know how that goes. I am probably more likely to snooze and sleep knowing me but it sounds a good idea! Anyway that's it for now I shall leave you with a quote from a book I'm currently trying to read.

"The main street finishes in a dead end, only a rusty piece of corrugated iron and a pile of sandbags marking the end of Nepal. Behind them sat a teenage soldier playing with his helmet, the muzzle of his rifle resting under his chin. The defence of the nation was clearly in safe hands".

Rainy days skateboarding

Not a very sunny day today, in fact it was pissing it down. However we still tried to have a skate and headed to a derelict building in town.

Century Xtreme and the "Winter Clearout" edit

Last week i was fortunate enough to buy the new Century Xtreme fisheye lens for my HMC151.

I have finally achieved the goal of completing a full HD filming set-up and have started to shot for a full-length  skateboarding film. Below is the first trailer for this film which consists of footage shot using my old fisheye lens. I will post a test of the Century up soon, it is absolutely stunning. Enjoy the first promo and feel free to comment on your thoughts!

Work or play?

This past week has been hectic as I have been doing the normal work at the butchers but also started to get stuck into some video productions work. On Wednesday I had the amazing opportunity to film and produce a promotional video for an argentine steak house in Fulham, London. It's great experience to gain the necessary skills to film at a more professional level and outside of my 'comfort zone'. The video is being edited as we speak so I will post those on here once they're completed.

On another matter I managed to climb an overhang route which I have been working on for several weeks now so I must admit I was feeling a bit smug after that!

I have started the basic planning of what will be an adventure to everest base camp next year so i am so excited about that as you can imagine! More details on that coming soon.

Thanks for reading!

M25 London bound.

Half marathon 2012

A veery long day at work today after yesterday's run; a thirteen point one mile run through the beautiful Kentish hills. The weather was once again spectacular and the atmosphere was just perfect. I wanted to beat last year's 1 hour 58 minutes, which going by my training runs it would be hard work, you could say I was under pressure with what seemed a hard to achieve goal. The gun went off at 10am and leaving the ones I knew behind I ran ahead and aimed to stay at around the 1:50 marker and seeing for how long I could keep this up. As it turned out I found it easy to get hyped and push myself to what I think was fairly close to my limit. I tried to keep at the back of my mind to constantly keep running at a pace slightly quicker than what I was used to. It was hard work and it took me further into my motivation and mental strength than anything ever before, and soon enough it was apparent that I had pushed myself more than last time, paranoid that I wasn't going to beat last year's time I actually crossed the line at 1 hour 47 minutes, which as you can imagine I was completely happy and over the moon about. It gave me hope that I can push myself to new physical limits and achieve really great things through determination and mental strength to keep going, for the first time I really found it possible to really push myself, and it felt good!

So that was my second half marathon and no doubt I will be doing it next year. I have an idea to keep up my running and therefore be at an even better standard of fitness for next time.

That's all for now. I am hopefully going to north Wales sometime soon, as soon as I get a little problem with my car fixed to be exact, so I'm really excited about that one!

Thanks for reading!!

Climbing

For the past month I've been going climbing again, and I have definitely noticed the strength and stamina building in just a few sessions. Today was one of those days and after work Big ash and I headed over to evolution and hit the wall for a couple of hours, they've made a really fun route on the overhang that has left us shattered! We shall be going back next Wednesday and hopefully see some improvement!

blogging once again!

I have been thinking about how much i loved blogging in the time that i spent travelling and even when i came back, just putting a few thoughts into words, and telling the world about new adventures or past experiences. Even if no one reads it at least it will stay on here and i can look back on my life and see how things used to be! I have been kindly given and Iphone as a 22nd birthday present by my beautiful girlfriend so updating the blog should in theory be a lot easier!

That's all for now, hope you all like the new look, since traviajero.com has been taken by someone else i have had to think of a different web address so hence the change there! but the blog is the same, trips, film, music, adventure, life!

Take it easy brothers and sisters, good night.

Santiago.