Hoodlums, delinquents, and thugs. That is probably what you think of when you hear the word “skaters”. Unfortunately, these are also descriptions that these young men have brought upon themselves. However, with a visit to any city skatepark these days, one would find that these stereotypes are not fair descriptions. Yet since the inception of the skateboarding craze in the 70s, skaters have drawn the short straw in the sports world. After shooting all the flowers in the yard and shadows on the walls, I wandered down to the boardwalk one day out of boredom and found the skatepark buzzing with activity. I set out to offer a fresh perspective on the sport of skateboarding.

Along with the beauty of the early light, the thinner morning crowds also provided easier chances to frame out the busy backgrounds and focus only on the athletes. Hann said that he also quickly learned the benefits of shooting in the California morning haze. With various techniques, I managed to capture the raw athleticism and artistry of the young boys and girls.

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About

Andy Hann (1962, US) was born and raised in Southern California. Along with skateboarding and surfing, he developed a deep passion for art and design, which he followed into art school and then a prosperous 30-year career in entertainment advertising. Utilizing his formal design training and decades worth of advertising work, photography is a craft that seems to suit Hann quite well. A quest that began about four years ago when he started studying such masters as Arbus, Winogrand, Shore, and Eggleston, and promptly launched out into the streets of LA to shoot the grittier side of his hometown. This resulted in the self-published book Welcome To Hollywood (A two-year photo essay of Hollywood Blvd.) and Metal To The Pedal (A photo essay of the motorized bike clubs of South Central LA).