The Photographic Ethics of 'The Make'...

Aside from the odd Candid Camera slam reel, skateboarding videos don't portray a normal skate session. Within the edited perfectly landed sequence of tricks, there is usually another 90% of falls and sketchy landings.

Skate photography and magazines follow the same pattern. For every perfect shot showing the elegance and skill of the sport, there is probably a hundred shots that didn't make it.

Now the difference with photography is that you can catch the trick at it's climax and still get a passable shot even if it doesn't go on to be landed becoming 'The Make'. Now I don't get my photos published anywhere other than here but there is conflicting opinions on whether a photo should be published if the trick wasn't landed. Other options happen if you get a decent shot in the session and that one wasn't landed but a subsequent or previous one was. Then there is the obtaining of a decent shot but the trick wasn't landed at all in the session. Is it right or wrong to use a picture that wasn't actually landed.

This falls into that latter category. Aaron here didn't make this kickflip melon tonight but he can do them and he did get incredibly close on some runs and he attempted it A LOT. Must have been absolutetly buckled by the time he say down as he was at it for well over an hour.

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I managed to cobble a wee video of this together to show what's involved. It's slowly converting as I type this but when it's ready, you can view it here.