Scenes From An Indie Film

Photography By Nicole Burleson

Photographer Nicole Burleson shares her documentation of Arizona DIY skateparks. She talks about how DIY skateparks are works of art, pushing boundaries, and becoming a fearless photographer.

Arizona, USA

You are sharing your documentation the DIY skateparks in Arizona. Why is this important to you?

There is something different about a DIY skatepark than a regular skatepark. As a passionate artist, I'm always in awe of the work of other artists. DIY skateparks are works of art that skaters come together to build. Documentation of these skateparks is important because they are constantly changing. Skaters will add on to these parks and fix them up constantly. It is a beautiful sight to see the ever going progression of these DIY spots.

How did you find the skateparks? Who did you connect with?

A lot of the DIYs I've been to I have found through friends or locals. I did find a DIY ditch spot in Tucson through youtube. I had a squad at the time and we would try to find as many spots as possible through friends and local skaters. We made a trip out of it when we found a day we all had off work. It was an adventure and I highly recommend taking a skate trip with your friends at some point in your life.

What were some of your most memorable experiences?

The most memorable time we skated the ditch spot was an evening in late November of 2020. I had brought a camcorder that records on tapes and we shot skate clips. Someone brought a speaker and was playing music while everyone chilled and skated. The sunset lasted for a long time and it made the sky look like it was on fire. We had a lot of people at the ditch skating all night. It felt like we were living out a scene of an indie film.

Were there any difficulties while shooting?

I didn't have much difficulty shooting. I only wish I had shot more on film. I brought a Holga with a roll of black and white in it to Mike's house to shoot his bowl session. A Holga is a very simple camera with only two settings. I was worried about how the shots would turn out, if at all on that camera. But I was happily surprised that they came out. I will definitely be carrying both digital and film cameras everywhere I shoot to avoid regrets.

Do you have a favorite skatepark?

My favorite DIY skatepark is this ditch spot in Phoenix. This ditch spot was built by a local Arizona skate shop called Cowtown. This spot was shown to me by a friend of mine two years ago and I have been coming back to it ever since. I like to take beginner skaters there to learn because they feel more comfortable there without an audience at the local skatepark. This spot has a couple curbs, a barricade, a gap and a quarter of a bowl with coping. My friends and I have been coming to this little spot and skating till the sun fades.

How do you think these images show your growth as an artist?

As an artist, I have always wanted to expand my mediums and shoot on different film formats. Being able to shoot on medium affordably has really opened a lot of opportunities for growth in exploring more formats. The Holga is a very cheap almost toy camera but I am grateful to be able to experiment with shooting medium format film with it. Shooting skateboarding has helped me become more fearless as a photographer and pushed me to take action shots that are also art. I don't want to just take a good skateboarding action shot; I want my photos to be fine art as well. I am not at this level but I am learning how to push the boundaries and blur the line between action shots and fine art.

What's next for you?

Shooting action sports such as skating and BMX will always be on my agenda as a photographer. But as a growing artist I would like to make my first book. I am currently making two books which I believe will take about a year to complete. One documents the punk scene and isn't location specific. The scene is important to me and I want to preserve it through photos. The second book, "Best Buds," is full of portraits entirely shot on fisheye and in black and white. This book is about friends enjoying marijuana. I love the way a fisheye lens distorts features of a person's face in a portrait and it reminds me of looking in a wonky mirror as a kid. These projects have me busy and push me to think about shooting with intention and not just because that shot would look cool.