Pencil socks and VERY short shorts: New book shows stunning rediscovered photos of the 1970s Hollywood skate scene
- Images of pale blond and tanned youths recall the laid-back origins of skating
- “Skateboarding happened in a lot of places, but not like California,” photographer Hugh Holland recalls of the time
Rediscovered photos of the 1970s Hollywood skate scene reveal a golden age for LA and the youth who benefited from it.
The stunning images were captured by photographer Hugh Holland in the summers of 1975-78, the products of which he now has converted into the book “Locals Only: California 1975 – 1978.”
“Skateboarding happened in a lot of places, but not like California,” the artist told ID.
“It seemed to me like this was the center of everything.”
Daring attitude: a pale blond and tanned boy full of skate scars looks into the camera of Holland
The children photographed were between the ages of 13 and 19, Holland later recalled
Holland documented the change from after-school social activities with few rules and a relaxed atmosphere to its emergence as a popular competitive sport.
The sunlit images lay unsorted in boxes for years, he told the publication, until they were shown at an exhibition in Sydney in 2015.
Now 30 of the best photos of blonde and tanned youths enjoying the freedom of their youth have made it into the book, each page of which can be removed and turned into a poster that can be framed.
When asked why he stopped shooting the scene after 1978, Holland recalled, “I kind of lost interest. Things started to change.
‘It started with skate parks and competitions – all of a sudden all the skaters were dressed in t-shirts with company logos on them. And knee pads and elbow pads and helmets.
“I was interested in that time with no shirt, no socks, no shoes.”
Holland documented the evolution of skateboarding from relaxed social activity to competitive sport
Each page in the book can be pulled out and turned into a poster
The photographer claims that the smog in LA has given the photos their “yellowish, orange cast.”
“I was working mostly during the week, so I went out late in the afternoon. Another reason I love my photos is that they have the look of a sunset,” recalls Holland
“I was interested in that time with no shirt, no socks, no shoes,” Holland later said of why he lost interest in skateboarding after the company’s branding took over