Grace, Power, and Creativity

Photographs By Brian Averill

Photographer Brian Averill talks about documenting skateboarders and surfers in his new photography book, Concrete to Saltwater .

Los Angeles, California, USA

In your website bio, it says that you started shooting when you were young and then went into film school. Why not pursue photography right away?

When I was a kid, taking photos was more of a hobby and not something I ever actually thought could be a career. In junior high, I saw those early Powell Peralta skate videos and took a crack at shooting a video with my friends. It was a train wreck, but I was hooked and started watching lots of movies, paying very close attention to what the camera was doing and how it helped tell the story. I took some film production classes and eventually ended up at NYU film school.

While you were making movies, were you still photographing?

I’d shoot pretty regularly while I was in school. I’d usually just head out into the city without much of a plan, shooting a lot of street stuff, figuring out what worked for me and what didn't. This was also the era of film and, as a poor student, I think that really made me think carefully about what I was shooting before I took a photo. When I finished school, I made a short that was well-received on the festival circuit and that led me to directing second units for Roger Corman, and eventually directing a few features. At that point, I basically stopped shooting stills for a few years.

After many years of making films, you decided to get back into photography. What about filmmaking that wasn't fulfilling? How does photography fulfill that void?

Making a movie is a long, intense process and I found that, between projects, when I was trying to get people to read a script, chasing money, or trying to attach actors, something was clearly missing. I’d moved out to LA by this time, but I still had my trusty old Pentax K1000. I bought a few rolls of film and slowly started shooting again. I wandered around my neighborhood of Venice sorta like I had back in film school in NYC. I eventually bought some new digital gear, but I haven’t really stopped shooting stills since.

You recently came out with a photography book called Concrete to Saltwater, which documents surfing and skateboarding around Venice Beach and beyond. Why this project? What is it about skaters and surf boarders that inspire you?

As I mention in the book intro, I grew up skating and it’s always been in my heart. I’m also an avid surfer and the ocean’s a very special place to me. What I love about both is that they exist in a beautiful place between art and athleticism. There’s no right way to skate or surf. There’s no scoring. It’s a dance. To me it’s pure physical expression and I’m fascinated by those sublime moments of grace, power, and creativity, especially against the background of a stunning landscape.

When you started shooting the skaters and surf boarders, did you have an end project in mind or did you start for fun? At what point did you want to make this into a project?

It was absolutely for fun, I wasn’t remotely thinking about a project like this. I’d started shooting surfing in 2008 on a surf trip to Kauai and the following year the Venice skatepark opened in my backyard and a switch flipped in my brain. The combination of light, location, and incredibly creative skating blew me away. It became a big part of my life soon thereafter. I started to shoot regularly for Zflex Skateboards a few years later and it just snowballed from there.

What made you want to turn this project into a book? Why is it important for you?

It hit me at one point that I’d been shooting these subjects for almost 10 years and I now had a body of work that I was super proud of and I also felt it told a story. Venice has been going through some pretty heavy changes over the last decade and I thought it might remind people of a few things that are genuinely special and unique about the culture of our neighborhood and that we needed to respect its history a bit more than I was seeing. Friends and neighbors started to suggest making a book and it seemed like a perfect idea to tie everything together.

How did this book happen?

The book is completely self-published. I hired Alex Valich, a great designer to help with the layout and was lucky enough to find Nonstop Printing here in LA, both of whom whom dug the work and were incredibly generous and indispensable in making this happen. I pulled the trigger and made a limited run of 500 books. The community here really seemed to embrace it and it’s now available at a few different places in Venice, including two of my favorites, Small World Books and Mollusk Surf Shop.

Who are the subjects? Are they people you know?

I know about 90% of the subjects. Some of the longer lens surf stuff remains a mystery, but I know all of the skaters.

How do you feel after publishing ‘Concrete to Saltwater’?

It feels great, especially the love from the community. My favorite thing so far is watching someone who’s in the book flip through it and get to their page. It’s usually a pretty priceless moment.

What's next for you? More projects? More books?

I’m always shooting something. I’m going to keep following the muse and see where it takes me. I’d love to eventually link up with a publisher and do a bigger hardcover edition of Concrete to Saltwater. I’m also planning a gallery show this summer here in LA.