Sk8 Purse - P0SER - 35mm Film

Casey Pflipsen
Apr 22
2 min read

There is a specific kind of magic that happens when you stop "working" and start creating.

Since moving to Los Angeles and settling into West Hollywood, I’ll be honest: I got a little lost in the hustle. As a freelance videographer and photographer in LA, it is so easy to let the grind of edits, bookings, and back-to-back shoots take over. I moved from Minnesota to escape one set of problems, only to find myself buried under the weight of "hustle culture."

P0SER

I am incredibly excited to introduce my latest creative endeavor: P0SER. This is an ongoing queer LGBTQ+ photo series dedicated to the subcultures of snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding. These three sports are my roots, they are the things that shaped me long before I ever picked up a cinema camera.

P0SER is my way of merging my professional skills as a Director of Photography & Photographer with the raw, unfiltered joy of board culture. It’s about reclaiming my identity and having fun with the lens again.

The Art of the "Skate Purse"

For this shoot I wanted to create something tactile, weird, and visually iconic. Enter: The Skate Purse.

I headed to a local thrift shop, found a $10 bag, and decided to perform some surgery. After a lot of ripping, drilling, and technical "super glue magic," I transformed my deck into the ultimate accessory. Is it functional? Absolutely not. It won't hold your lipstick or your wallet. But as a piece of queer skate art? It’s perfect. It’s currently hanging on my wall as a reminder that fashion and skating don’t have to play by the rules.

The Medium: Analog 35mm Film

To capture the soul of this project, digital wasn’t going to cut it. I shot this entire session on my Canon Elan 7N 35mm analog film camera. There is a grain and a depth to analog photography that perfectly mirrors the grit of the skating world.

Supporting local LA film staples is a huge part of my process. I picked up my stock from Kodak House on Sunset Blvd and took the rolls to the legends over at The Icon Los Angeles Film Lab on Wilshire for processing and high-res scanning. There is nothing like the feeling of getting those scans back and seeing the colors of Kodak film pop.

Let’s Work Together

While P0SER is a personal labor of love, it represents the level of creativity and technical skill I bring to every professional set.

If you are looking for a Queer/LGBTQ+ photographer or cinematographer in Los Angeles, I’m your person. Based in West Hollywood, I specialize in:

Commercial Filmmaking
Editorial Photography
Fashion Films
Music Videos & Branded Content

Whether you need a DP (Director of Photography) who understands the nuances of light and movement, or a freelance filmmaker who can take a concept from a thrift-store-sketch to a high-end production, I am ready to collaborate.

Follow the journey: Stay tuned for more 35mm film drops from the P0SER series by following me on Instagram @pflipsen_.

Ready to book your next shoot? [shoot me an email casey@pflipsenfilms.com]

35mm film photos from the shoot: