Okay, who saw “Whip It?” I did not. But heard a lot of good things about Drew Barrymore’s comedy/drama following a “young misfit who finds a way to deal with her miserable, small town life through roller derby” (quote from rotten tomatoes). The trailer on youtube looked pretty cool, too.
Regardless, I was given the opportunity to head out to Schnecksville, PA for a portrait project with the Lehigh Valley Rollergirls and decided I better not pass it up. The entire team–the pivots, blockers and jammers–all would be there. And they were excited, really excited for the shoot.
The second I walked into the skating center and saw the women sitting around, I knew I had some big personalities on hand. These women are tough. And cocky. And funny. And athletic. Some mothers, some in their 40s. Everyone with a different reason for taking up roller derby. I shot for about 6 hours and it was a blast. I even was invited to an upcoming bout in Newark, NJ (which I most certainly will attend). Below are a few pics and video from the shoot. More will soon be up on my website.
By the way, these “girls” could definitely take me. On or off skates.
