Getting The Clip: A Ballad of Belonging

Story and photos by Dylan Sherrard. 

"Yo, can you get me this clip?"

The question hangs in the air like a promise hollered through a genuine smile. It's a signal that something significant is about to unfold. The crew, always a puzzle of varying age experiences, is buzzing with anticipation. Because it's never just about capturing a moment. It's about the style and creativity of the rider, the ease of reviewing the capture, and the commonality of working towards something sweeter.

The phones come out, the risks are stacked and weighted carefully, and the movements are fluid. A celebration is due but always delayed for after review. "I can do that better actually," I'll often hear. Because to the rider, whoever they are, each shot becomes a frame of reference for how they show up in their riding. A chance to immortalize a fleeting moment, in pixels and permanence, or at least until their phone runs out of storage.

So we give it another go and the cheers are due. It's relatively brand new to be able to make such critical advances. Progression happens on an expedited path when every new move is immediately available for 4k critique and shareable with an infinite audience around the globe. Although billions of captures like this are made around the world each day, it's rarely ever for the likes or the follows, but more for the sheer love of a craft.

Each clip collected on the phone becomes a memory stamped in the moment. A moment of shared vision and deep presence with the people who captured it, while the world outside the screen and our immediate surroundings fades. It's easy to claim that stopping to get the clip interrupts the ride, or even ruins the flow. Though the laughter, punctuated between serious focus and the creation of an atmosphere of creativity and camaraderie, says otherwise.

Don't be shy to hit record when the moment feels weightless. 

A Ballad of Belonging - short stories of the moments that define our ride.