            Since Carlos Jaramillo moved to New York in 2012, he has been photographing the lives of New York skateboarders in an artistic way as opposed to the conventional method of skate photography.  Photos of skaters are taken in a way that is unlike most other types of photography.  The main goal of skateboarding photographers is to capture the difficulty of the trick, and make the viewer believe that the trick will be completed. Jaramillo’s photographs show the wide variety of locations in New York City that are used for skateboarding, as well as the unique style of the city's skateboarders.  In their photo essay, “Skating New York” Carlos Jaramillo uses light, color, and long shots, to support Willy Staley’s message that there is more to skateboarding culture than the performing hard tricks.

            This photograph is not like most other photographs of skateboarders.  Jaramillo focuses on where the skateboarder, Jacob Gottlieb, is and what he is doing.  This long shot concentrates on the skateboarder’s movement through the city instead of the performance of a trick.  Because of the openness in both the mid and background, the viewer is forced to focus on the larger objects in the photograph; the couple on the bus bench, the skateboarder, and the taxi.  Viewing the city from behind the bus stop gives the viewer and the couple a similar perspective.  The peculiarity of a man skateboarding through the middle of the street captures the couple’s attention.  Because the viewer is looking over the shoulder of the couple, the viewer's gaze follows the couple's to the skateboarder.  The couple's gaze towards the skater is semi-reciprocal,  meaning although the couple's attention drawn towards the skater, he is focused on the city ahead of him and unaware of the couple.  The gaze of the skater is more peripheral.  He is focused on the intersection he is approaching.  After being drawn towards the skateboarder by the couple's gaze, the viewer follows the skateboarder's attention towards the intersection and rest of the city.  Taxis are iconic to New York City, and the presence of one here helps remind the viewer that the skater is not in an area one would associate with skateboarding.  Jaramillo shows that skateboarders in New York use all parts of the city, showing that skateboarders do more than just tricks. Contrast between light and dark show the boundary between the skateboarders and the rest of the city.  Shade from buildings is cast over the background, creating two separate scenes.  A passive color scheme is used in the background in contrast to the bright light that shines on the area the skater is in.  Together, the lighting of the city and the color scheme of the photo, spotlight the skater’s movement and help Jaramillo show that skate culture in New York coincides with the city and is not always focused on tricks. 

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            Matt Town is pictured here performing a kick-flip in front of a Brooklyn grocery store.  Jaramillo establishes the scene with a long shot of lower income neighborhood by picturing the condition of the building and corner store.  Faded letters on the sign, worn brick on the building, and an old AC unit all suggest they are skateboarding in a lower income area.  Stillness in the background freezes the skater in the middle of his trick, and draws the viewer’s attention towards him.  Stillness is rare in skateboarding photography because movement is necessary to show the progression and completion of a trick.  This shows that Jaramillo is focused on capturing the surrounding area instead of the process of the trick.  Reds, yellows, and green-blues, complement each other throughout the photograph and affect what aspects of the scene are accentuated.  The light red value of the building is unable to compete with the brilliant saturation of its blue windows. Blue shade in the building, the dark shade of the sidewalk, and the dark greens found throughout the photo, create a cool and passive feel.  Attention is drawn to the yellow corner store because of its contrast with the general passiveness of the picture.  The yellows of the corner store absorb the blues of the windows, and complement the green awning and clothes of the skateboarder.  Jaramillo shows the limitless freedom of New York skate culture when it comes to finding areas to skateboard in.  The color scheme and lighting backup his message because they draw the focus of the viewer to the surrounding area instead of the trick the skateboarder is doing.

            Willy Staley’s main goal in this photo essay is to draw attention to the culture of skateboarding that is not focused on performing tricks.  Jaramillo wanted to “capture the experience of skateboarding as most skaters know it” (Staley).  The majority of skateboarders can relate to riding down the street even if they are at an amateur level.  This is an example of the kind of experience that all skaters can relate too even though it is rarely photographed.  The skateboarder is also not performing a trick but simply riding through the streets.  This is also rarely photographed.  The second photograph is more colorful and aesthetically pleasing than traditional skate photography.  The colors help the viewer understand the area they are in and the diversity of locations they frequent.  By taking advantage of the colors Jaramillo creates “fine art that took skateboarding as its subject” (Staley).  He also wants the viewer to focus on the freedom of the skateboarder, rather than the difficulty of the trick.  Shown in this photograph is New York skateboarder’s ability to get on their board “and being able to go wherever, whenever” (Staley).  Jaramillo makes Staley’s article credible by capturing the freedom, spirit, and diversity of New York and its skateboarding culture. 

            The utilization of visual elements throughout Jaramillo’s photos strengthens the message of his photographs and Willy Staley’s article.  He photographs skateboarders while they are not performing tricks, giving the viewer a glimpse of a culture that is rarely pictured.  His use of color highlights the scene for his photographs, and draws the attention of the viewer to the subject and surrounding area. He makes his photographs unique by focusing on the lifestyle of New York City skateboarders and the setting in which they skate, rather than trying to capture an impressive trick.  The visual aspects in, “Skating New York” show the culture of the skateboarding community without focusing on tricks, backing Willy Staley’s article.  

 

 
