The composite image at the top of this post is from the scooter section of the Konnekting Bowl Rollers comp at Kuraby — a multi-exposure sequence showing a front flip from entry to landing in a single frame. I made it to capture something that the eye alone can’t hold: the complete arc of a trick that happens in under a second.
The Kuraby Skate Park is a well-designed facility with a full bowl, a half-pipe, and a flat section with rails and ledges. The KBR crew had been building their event around the park for some time, and the competition drew participants from across southeast Queensland.
On composite images: The multi-exposure composite is a technique I use occasionally when a single frame can’t tell the full story of a movement. The scooter front flip is over in less than a second — by the time you see it, it’s done. Compositing multiple frames from a sequence shows the full path of the trick in a way that a single image, however well-timed, cannot. It is a different kind of image from the single decisive moment, and it tells a different truth.
On scooter riding: Scooter riders at events like this are often the most technically ambitious competitors. The front and back flip tricks being done at the Kuraby comp were at a level that would surprise anyone who thinks of scooters as a child’s toy. The photography is the same as for skateboarding — anticipate the peak, be ready before the trick starts, know the approach direction.
On wide context shots: I made one wide shot of the half-pipe section that shows the full environment — the ramps, the graffiti walls, the crowd standing around the edges, the sky. It is not as dramatic as the tight action shots but it gives you the geography of the event, and sometimes that context is what the other images need.
The KBR events were a real contribution to Brisbane’s skate scene. The video highlights were cut from the same day’s footage.