Surreal moment for young photographer

PASSION PROJECT: Georgia Richardson’s photo of Niwa Shewry after he crashed during the Mangawhai Bowl Jam was used as part of an exhibition at Te Papa exploring the skate culture of Aotearoa. Picture by Georgia Richardson

Local photographer Georgia Richardson’s work was unveiled in a recent Te Papa exhibition.

She is one of four photographers included in the E reti! Toroa te ao retireti i Aotearoa, Skate! Explore skate culture in Aotearoa exhibition.

Richardson travelled to Wellington for the opening of the pop-up Skate! showcase in Toi Art last weekend, with the exhibition open until March 7.

“It was a very surreal moment. It didn’t quite hit until I saw it on the wall. It was a very proud moment for myself and for how far the Surely Skate group has come,” she said.

Along with skateboarding photographs from around the country, the exhibition includes panel talks on the culture, workshops, and a one-day skating event.

Four of Richardson’s photos were included in the exhibition, with a picture from the recent Surely Shred Skate competition at Alfred Cox Skatepark and three from a competition at Mangawhai Skatepark.

She was approached after the organiser found the Surely Skate Instagram page and asked if they would like to contribute to the exhibition.

Photography is something that Richardson said she wants to pursue after leaving Gisborne Girls’ High School, where she is in her final year.

She became fully immersed in the art of photography two years ago after buying her own camera and hasn’t looked back, earning the highest grade, excellence, for her photography board last year.

Her ambition is to be a fashion photographer, which she said draws parallels to skating style and culture.