Terminal Takeover with Annie Stallman

May 19, 2024

Words and photos by Annie Stallman

I started taking skate photos a few months back because I wanted to capture all the cool things my friends were doing. So far, it's been so(!) fun. Learning about the manual settings on my camera, experimenting with framing, understanding how to time a photo to tell a clear story, it's all fascinating and empowering. That being said, it's a little awkward writing a post about the photos I took at the terminal takeover event, because I really didn't feel like I had enough experience to be there.

Brett Seeger with the Backside Tailslide

I don't mean to sound negative or ungrateful, I'm just saying it's hard to feel like you belong in a place surrounded by people who have been mastering their crafts for decades when you're just a beginner. I'm telling you, the level of skating at the old airport was enormous. The obstacles were HUGE, and the skaters were FLYING. All the photographers that had traveled in from different parts of the country were unphased. They knew exactly how they wanted to play with the light in the room and what angles would look best. If I'm being honest, I spent a lot of that day feeling out of place and worried that I was getting in the way.

John Kosch Frontside Flip in the Parabola room

The doubt was mostly internal though. No one at the event ever really made me feel like I didn't belong. It's just that competition and exclusivity necessarily exist as mechanisms of capitalism, so they are embedded into the corporate skate experience. Throughout the day, I did my best to shake the anxiety off and remind myself that skateboarding has room for everyone.

New Orleans legend Andrew Bankston, Noseslide Nollie Heel

And it's true! In the New Orleans skate community, I've never felt liked I needed to be the best to matter. We build family through our collective passion and lift each other up regardless of the size of the trick. We celebrate all progression, and all progression is relative. It's why I was so grateful to be at the airport with the Humidity team.

Thomas Woodruff with the hippie jump

Adolfo Garcia, Kickflip Front Board

The shots I've selected here are far from perfect, but they're my best attempts at capturing the style, ease, and character of the skating I got to witness that day. Thank you to Adolfo, Thomas, Brett, Andrew, Dom, Those, and John for allowing me to shoot them. And thank you to Kim and Philly for encouraging me to share them.

-Annie

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