Sunday, May 10, 2015

Anderson, Shiro and a Skate Park

Sorry about this but old people frequently retell stories.

Yesterday, Alcy, Clayton and I returned to Anderson, Texas, with the Northwest Houston Photo Club. Having been there two weeks ago I wasn’t excited about the trip but I always enjoy shooting with the club so l went along. Didn’t get much in Anderson, but we made a couple of stops on the way home.

The first was in Shiro, Texas, and the second at a newly built skate park near where Alcy lives. It is rumored to be the largest skate park in Texas or maybe in the U.S. Was pleased to learn that they are very photographer friendly. Which leads me to the retelling.

In the 1950’s Aaron Siskind did a series of photographs titled The Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation. I first saw them at the Dallas Museum of Art probably during a trip to the State Fair. I purchased the catalogue even though I really didn’t like the photographs much. They grew on me. Every time I have shot at a skate park they come to mind because I find the same thing in the skaters that Siskind found in the young men jumping off of pilings into the water of the Chicago water front. [I always thought that Siskind shot these photographs at the East River in New York City. Just recently learned that I have been mistaken all these years.] Anyway, I hope to get back to this new skate park with the right lenses in the near future and do more photographs.

It was late Saturday afternoon and there were not many skaters. I found the forms of the empty ‘arenas’ to be interesting enough in themselves. Which brings me to another oft repeated story—I am seldom interested in showing in my photographs what something looks like: I am more interested in showing what else something looks like. That is apparent in the processing of the photographs of the shapes. I know they are ‘over’ processed and someday I may redo them closer to how they actually appeared because I like those images also. But for now I am enjoying the richness of the colors and the almost etching feel of the images. I may continue with this series but my main intent when I return will be the skaters.
Shiro, Texas

 

 
 
 Skate Park
 
 
Skate Park Forms



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