A Glimpse Into the Work of John Capps
When the word driven or self motivated comes up there are few people more deserving of the title then John Capps a.k.a Cappsie. Out solo filming himself doing technical and crazy maneuvers on the bike or pointing the lens at a fellow rider Cappsie is always creating something. We asked our newest team member to gather some of his favorite photos he has shot over the years and give a little insight into each one. Below is the words and photography of John Capps, we hope you enjoy his work as much as we do. Also hit up our crew page on this site to see the man in action on the bike and to follow him on all his personal social media outlets. You will not be disappointed.
-Shajn
Words and Photos by John Capps
We’re quickly approaching the shortest day of the year in New England and sessions are becoming scarce. Some are braving the weather, some seeking indoor alternatives, others are recovering for the season ahead. No matter what you’re doing, like me, you probably have some time on your hands. I have been healing, getting my solo sessions in, and digging through some drives while the cold is upon us, looking for those photos that sum up the feelings we all miss around this time of year.
Paul Gingras in the capsule. Growing up with a park like Edge in your area is a luxury not everyone who rides gets to have. It’s an even bigger luxury to have one with a capsule this big. I helped Paul’s step dad pick out his first bike and immediately he took to riding with speed and style. One day we were riding the back section and he ripped around the capsule higher than anyone I’d ever seen in person. He was 15 when we shot this photo.
Harley Redfield on the ground. One day Harley and I were out riding and filming with Mathew Tavares and we stumbled on a fairly large “railhop” style drop. It was a little foot high ledge you had to hop over to an over our head height drop and me being a fiend for jumping off stuff we stopped to get some clips. After my clip we convinced Harley to hit this thing, and it being probably the biggest drop he’d touched at the time, he ended up bump jumping it. Perfect two tire landing. It could not have been better but landings like that tend to wreak havoc on the joints. Harley pulled it but circled back, dropped to the ground to hug his now toast ankle. I came right up to shoot it admitting “you’re going to hate me but this looks cool”.
Mathew Tavares hop bar. Long trips, big contests, and bad crashes all have their place but just enjoying a session cruising with your friends will never get old. The meat of BMX is nothing more than that and the simplicity of it is the best part. This photo is a result of just one afternoon doing exactly that.
Dennis after a face plant. Once in a blue moon you can coax a foxy local to leave that park and come riding. Circuit jams at the pump track are the perfect reason so Dennis and I drove down. Deneye knows his way around a jump but it being his first time at the pump track threw a helmet on. Luckily so as his 2nd lap of the day knocked himself out. After coming back to us, Dennis checked himself over. He was good to go and posed for me to document the damage.
Derek Klegreaf jumps his own car while Mat does a burn out. I stopped by Derek's shop one day after he had just finished getting his motorcycle powered mini cooper running, and yes it’s as crazy as it sounds. He had the idea of jumping it so we set up and started ripping tires. He did it a few times to get the perfect timing, before blowing a coolant line and mat smoked out the whole shop. Stuff like this just makes you feel like a kid again.
Tales of Swampfest past. There’s not much to say about this photo or Swampfest except if you’ve been you know and if you haven’t you have to go. The ramps are janky and the set ups are not meant for a session. They’re set ups to send. There were dirt doubles with coffins for tabletops, 360 wallrides, a loop to open loop. At the end of the event the ramps were burned, as well as 2 cars, and any scrap of wood that could be grabbed was tossed into the bonfire.
Declan Murray fast plant 3. Sometime in October of 2018 some of the Circuit boys, Mathew Tavares, Bobby Proctor, Mayo, and I loaded up my busted old Acura to make the trip to the FBM DIY world championship. Somehow we made it the 8 hours down to Richmond without a hiccup. We were treated to the hospitality of all the Virginia boys (thank you billy for the couch!), Bobby slept in the woods, we blew up pumpkins, and finally we went to the FBM Jam. The scene down there is full of some serious riders with the best attitudes. Fun first. It created an atmosphere for some serious stunts. Declan did some wild maneuvers the whole weekend but watching him stomp this fast plant 360 to flat was beautiful.