"Captured as it went down ż hot. And presented to you without the assistance of gimmicks." This is what the author Ricky Adam has to say about his first book. Born & raised in Northern Ireland Ricky discovered photography at the age of 16. Destroying Everything żSeems Like The Only Option is a raw, unflinching, honest snapshot of youth sub-culture that Ricky himself has been immersed in for many years Bringing together aspects of bikes, D.I.Y. Punk & underground youth culture Destroying Everything żSeems Like The Only Option is a collection of photographs of people who do their own thing their own way and live life from the heart, no matter what the consequences. Rickyżs work has been featured in many worldwide publications /record labels, some of which include: DIG BMX magazine, Juxtapoz, Obey, Maximum Rock NżRoll, Upper Playground, Hamburger Eyes, Dischord Records, Burning Heart Records, The Independent, etc. żItżs hard to explain, it just felt right and when I began to see the results it pushed me to take more. At the time no one else was taking photos at shows, so apart from enjoying taking photos as time went on I also felt it was important to document certain aspects of the punk scene that I was involved withż said the author. After the first edition sold out in less than a month, Drago is proud to announce the second edition, with 12 additional pages and a lot of new photos. Ricky Adam was born and raised in Northern Ireland and first discovered photography at the age of 16 after he tooks a few photos with a camera from his friendżs dad. He never had the money to buy a camera of his own until he turned 19. As soon as that happened, he was terminally hooked. He was attracted to the immediacy of photography, he was always good at art and painted a bit at school, but found the painting process too slow. He has always been a collector of things: records, books, magazines ż so taking photos is sort of an extension of this. Being from a hardcore BMX/punk background himself, Ricky began to shoot photographs of friends in the different scenes that he was involved with and made regular contributions to DIG BMX Magazine who are based in Belfast. The mag has a passion for stylistic BMX riding alongside a D.I.Y. punk ethic, so he could really tune into the magazineżs vision. These days, heżs the staff photographer, editor and janitor at their office in Belfast. Ricky considers himself lucky enough to be able to travel the world with fellow weirdos, documenting the many unique aspects of BMX life. What he has learned is that if you have a real passion for photography or anything else, follow your heart and believe in what you do. Itżs all about whatżs happening today, now.
