07/15/2026
Recently, I had a crazy creative idea. I took a chance, and it turned into one of my favorite photo shoots.
One evening last month, I was sitting on my couch, scrolling Instagram after a long day of work, trying to quiet my mind before my vacation the following week.
I paused to watch a video of a guy roller skating. But not just roller skating…fancy footwork, weaving back and forth, spinning between a line of neon cones, and ending with a bow for the scattered onlookers, all perfectly paired with Another Part of Me by Michael Jackson.
The skater’s name is Elimanel. I met him once about three years ago on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland. A jellyfish had washed ashore, drawing a handful of strangers together in shared curiosity. We started talking about photography and creativity, exchanged Instagram accounts, and have stayed connected ever since.
He’s a competitive roller skater, and every time I’d see one of his videos I’d think, “That would make such a fun photo shoot.”
Seeing his latest post, I had the thought again. Instead of continuing to scroll, I quickly typed out a message, ending with… “this idea just randomly crossed my mind after watching another one of your videos, which is why you’re getting this random message tonight.”
I almost deleted it before hitting send.
It really did feel random. My impostor syndrome quickly reminded me that I photograph wildlife far more often than people.
The funny part? I assumed he’d still be living in Africa and that maybe, if I was lucky, we’d make it happen years from now.
Instead, he replied that he had recently moved to Harrisburg and just happened to be on vacation this week.
Suddenly this “someday” idea became a “how about this weekend?” idea.
That gave me about two days to figure out locations around Baltimore’s waterfront, sketch out a loose plan, and then trust the process.
Once we met, the plan became more of a suggestion than a schedule. We’d find interesting light or a backdrop that caught our attention, he’d skate, and I’d figure out how to photograph it. Some ideas came together immediately. Others took a little experimenting. But that’s part of the fun.
We wandered from spot to spot, chasing good light, reflections, architecture, and whatever caught our attention. It felt less like a photoshoot and more like two creative people making things up as we went.
I haven’t even finished going through all the images yet, but I’m already struggling to choose favorites.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of this gallery, but these are the first images that made me stop scrolling.
More tomorrow…
Sometimes the best stories begin with a little curiosity… and a message you almost don’t send.
If you are interested in seeing his skating videos you can find him on Instagram at -> eli_manaction
