Skate Photography

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY MONIKA CSAPO

I heard about The Boardr Copenhagen Open through a friend during my holidays in the city. I always liked skateboarding culture because of its open-mindedness and appreciation of freedom but I never had the chance before to take skate photos. I also liked always in skaters that they really seem to love what they are doing. The Boardr CPH Open was a perfect location to take photos at: everyone was chilled, welcoming and happy. People were used to being photographed and also wanted to be photographed.

I have never thought before that I will enjoy skate photography this much but based on the positive experience here I decided that I definitely want to do also more skate and street art photography in the future.

Nowadays we live this very strong "Quo vadis??"-age. It has to almost shout to people`s faces in an instance who you are. Everyone should be branded and easily understandable. I have had some problems with it in the past when I started to take photos. I am interested in many (sometimes opposite kind of) things also in my personal life. Sometimes I listen to black metal, sometimes to minimal techno. Sometimes I wear monochrome clothes for a while then something happens and I start to wear more color again. I like people but sometimes I need my time alone. And I feel the same well in the crowd in Berlin as I feel in the nearby forest in Helsinki. Probably if I would like I could tell the common points in these things if I would want to explain myself. But is there a need to explain ourselves all the time?

I am also surprised by my own choices sometimes. I would lie if I would say that I felt super confident and belonging as I walked the industrial park alone trying to find the place where the skating competition was held. But I gave myself a chance to follow my interest and it took me to a place where I felt actually pretty well.

Lately I decided to allow myself to exist: instead of spending time on trying to filter who and how I am simply doing more of what I like. If the photos are of very different topics or color world I can always start a separate page or find an other platform to publish them if that seems a better choice. I think there is no need to cut back on who we are. There is a danger that if we always cut back what is new and different, we will always stay the same and never evolve.

Life is dynamic not fractional.