While on the “constant search” for extraordinary spots at which to shoot, German skateboarder and photographer Robert Christ had found his next location in southern Germany.
“André and I found out about a sculpture bike path and immediately made plans to go there,” said Christ, speaking to The Illume, referring to his friend and professional skateboarder André Gerlich.
Christ’s image of Gerlich riding the sculpture was recently announced as the winner of the Skate category in the 2026 Illume Awards, a major outdoor and adventure photography contest formerly known as Red Bull Illume.
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“This sculpture is part of the sculpture path, and people usually shoot photos of themselves doing burnouts on their motorbikes in front of it,” said Christ. “André chose to skate this rough piece of concrete instead and did a stylish backside air [skateboard trick].”
Robert Christ’s gear and settings
But getting the shot was no easy feat, Christ explained. Before arriving, the duo had only seen pictures of the location on Google Maps – and although Gerlich is a professional skateboarder, the sculpture was “harder to ride than expected”.
“The asphalt was coarse, and we had no broom, so we made one out of tree branches and swept,” said Christ. However, after “maybe 15 or 20” attempts, the photographer got the shot. “André did well, he always does,” he said, adding that both were “really stoked” (a term for “happy” commonly used in skateboard culture).
As the winner of the Skate category at this year’s Illume Awards, Christ took home a suite of prizes, including a Leica D-Lux 8 camera. His winning photograph will also be published in The Illume Photobook 2026. Head to the 2026 gallery on the Illume Awards website to see all of this year’s commended images.
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