Eleventh International Conference on The Image

Abstract

Rendering the world of skateboarding, the death lens and the fisheye have become synonymous with capturing the “line.” Placing an emphasis on the trick, both the death lens and the fisheye allow the viewer to feel much closer to the skater without cutting out their bodies. While the lenses distort the image of the skateboarder within their surrounding environment they also add to the visual narrative communicating style, challenge and unrestrained persistence. Examining the phenomenological experience of the skateboard photographer in relation to the action and environment, this paper explores the imagineering of these two objects as a form of experiential visualisation. This paper reflects on the contribution these lenses have had on skateboarding’s lively and vivid visual taxonomy. Critiquing a number of interviews with leading skateboard photographers and videographers the paper reflects on the participatory practises of those forming this media, my own autoethnographical knowledge of working within industry and skateboarding’s visual heritage. This paper is written in part for my PhD thesis, adding to current debates within cultural and visual ethnography.