"To Balance is Trust" - A Unique Photo Series By Hannah Bailey.

Christana ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

We are seriously all about "To Balance is Trust". 

This unique photo series, by Hannah Bailey, and supported by the Getty Images Show Us Grant, that shines a light on the real faces of female and non-binary skateboarders, empowering them to tell their stories and show us what skateboarding means to them. 

Mac ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

Helena Long ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

 

Marcia ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

 

For many,      skateboarding has been seen for the first time on TV this past week with its Olympic debut. 

Hannah's hope is that "To Balance is Trust" will intercept this competitive controlled vision to put it back in the hands of the people who skate through portraits and stories.

Lily Rice ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

From wheelchair motocross champion Lily, to founder of Melanin Skate Gals and Pals Maz, to eight-year-old skater Mac, long-time skate videographer Yuri, and anti-racist activist/co-founder of SkateBoobs, Amy. Hannah was lucky to meet and photograph over 20 skaters from different backgrounds on different missions but united through their boards.

Yuri ~ Hannah Bailey

We strongly encourage you to check out the full presentation of "To Balance is Trust" because these are stories that need to be heard and skaters that need to be seen.


 

Emily ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

The series travels to the home of the Olympics, Athens, Greece to meet with Denia Kopita, a talented skater and online manager of diversity skate magazine Skateism. It travels to Haverfordwest, Wales, to meet WCMX champion Lily Rice who is pushing to make skateparks more accessible. And it features skaters part of the Melanin Skate Gals and Pals crew who are working to empower the BIPOC community to skate and be seen. As well as young Scottish skaters, Rudi and Mac, and professional London-based skateboarder, Helena Long. 

All these skaters and riders are pushing the lesser-seen side of skateboarding in order to make it more accessible to all, to show it is something for everyone.   

Amy Dunbar ~ Photo Hannah Bailey

 

Hannah Bailey has been photographing women’s skating around the world for over 10 years, inspired by the diverse faces and underground culture of the scene. It has been her mission to question society’s perception of gender in sport and challenge how women are represented in the media through her images of skateboarding and portraits of skaters. In March 2020 Hannah won the inaugural Getty Images #ShowUs photography grant with the project ‘To Balance is Trust’, which aims to look beyond stereotypes, to shine the light on the faces of women, non-binary and female-identifying skaters, and support them to tell their stories.