Shoot and Destroy - ISSUE 04
Cameras and skateboards
Housekeeping
Hello friends, happy Friday, or maybe not depending where you are in the world…either way I’m glad you are here for another issue. You may have guessed from my title that this week we are talking about skateboarding and photography! I have tried to steer away from Jason lee and a few others we hear about a lot in the photo space, and instead highlight some docos, videos and other cool stuff you may not have seen.
If you missed my latest YouTube video on Ektachrome def give it a watch, it’s sort of an essay, but not as polished as a T Hopper video, cause I am far less academic than her.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Ali of the digicam centric YouTube channel, One Month Two Cameras. I love Ali’s approach to photography and her mantra #nobadcameras! You can listen to our chat here. We had a blast!
Also I need to address my ignorance in referring to the great Anton Corbijn as Danish when he is, in fact Dutch and they are not the same thing. I’m sorry I seem to always get them confused. Shout out to the two people who pointed it out, you know who you are, so thank you!
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Jerry Hsu - A love like mine is hard to find
This video is 6 years old now and it’s probably one I have watched more than anything else on YouTube. It just always put me in a good mood, a thoughtful mood, a mood that makes me wanna create and chase the next great photo I may take. So I hope it makes you feel the same.
Jerry Hsu was a pretty big pro skater, but like so many other people with that job title, he also dabbles in other practices, like photography. I love the way he describes the link between skateboarding and photography, explaining it’s a way of seeing. Scouting for spots to skate is the same process as keeping an eye out for a subject or composition in your everyday life. Jerry Hsu’s work is very organic, starting as a tumblr page full of phone photos showcasing L.A. Everything from fast food to thrift stores, funny signage or number plates and crazy scenes he happens to witness and capture. Jerry has a few books now but I’m pretty sure they go for a pretty penny, so maybe just flick through online and check out this video for his great insights.
The most inspirational documentary on art you’ll ever see!
Big call, but I promise you it’s true! I’ll convince you with a story…
So around the same time I found the zine NGL that I wrote about in my last newsletter, I was also exposed to this gem of a doco. I was working in a little boutique shop in an alley way that sold Carhart clothing, Cheap Monday jeans, zines, cassettes, penny skateboards and a rack of really expensive designer women’s clothes that I couldn’t have cared less about. I felt like I was the coolest teenager ever working in this shop, I’m not sure why they paid me cause I one hundred percent would have worked there for free!
Anyway, so we started selling these DVD’s (they were still a thing then) all documentaries on artists, musicians, writers just anyone creative that had made a mark on the world. I decided to pass on yet another pair of Cheap Monday high waisted black skinny jeans in an attempt to emulate a member of U.K. band, The Horrors, and instead buy a copy of this DVD titled “Beautiful Losers”. Little did I know my world was about to be opened up to so much cool shit.
This documentary is essential viewing for anyone interested in the cross section of art and skateboarding. It embodies the ethos and culture around both, and highlights the safe place these sub cultures were for anyone dwelling on the fringes of society. All the people in this film have had an impact on me and I only knew about a handful of them when I first watched it. I really urge you to carve out the time to watch this if you can and absorb the energy from all these artists. You won’t be sorry. Let me know how you go.
This video is so great! Marcus has put it together in such a cool way and the music choice and the info are all just so on point. I couldn’t not share this video as it fits so well with all the other viewing provided here. Definitely don’t miss this one.
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Skate culture in Soweto
I am a fairly religious reader of Frankie magazine and I keep meaning to submit something to them, but I just end up making excuses as to why I can’t, shouldn’t and won’t. The latest issue featured this awesome interview and work from South African photographer Karabo Mooki
I was instantly drawn to these portraits of women holding skateboards, and reading the interview gave these images even more background and weight. It’s so interesting seeing work from places like Johannesburg or Soweto and I think this photography project is really shining a light on a different kind of skate scene and culture. This article isn’t online unfortunately, but you can grab a copy of the mag on the website! I loved all these quotes from the women in the photos so wanted to share these pages with you. You can check out more of Karabo’s work on his website, it’s pretty impressive!
That’s it from me this week guys. I will be looking to include more work from photographers and use this newsletter as a platform for photographers to showcase their work straight to peoples inbox rather than fighting with the algo on IG. Let me know if you have any suggestions of great work you have seen recently.
Have a great weekend everyone. Thank you for reading :)
Love Lucy xx