The Kids of Hate and Love follows a group of skateboarders from Asheville, North Carolina. As someone who aggressively pursued a career in skateboarding from the age of twelve until about 24, I decided to direct my new focus, documentary photography, on an old passion that is still a big part of my life. This essay focuses on the emotions, intensity, frustration, drive and camaraderie that is the all encompassing world of skate culture. It has been interesting holding a magnifying glass up to the sub-culture that shaped me in so many ways. I have found ways that I have been influenced by the culture that I both like and don’t like. This long term project follows the same group, many of which I grew up skating with, over the course of several years as they grow up and find their place in the world.
