Allison Hunter

Freedom to Fly

8 photographs

Facing a struggling economy, a rising climate crisis and quickly diminishing reproductive rights, women in the US are facing the greatest challenge to autonomy in decades. Nonetheless, they choose the freedom to fly by using what they have: skateboards. This series won the 2023 Excellence in Photography Award from "Communication Arts" journal, the People Photographer of the Year award from the International Photography Awards, and the Critical Mass Top 50 honor from Photo Lucida.

Portrait of a young Black woman with medium-dark skin tone, wearing a red tank top, box braids and shell necklace, a tree branch reflected across her face, paired with a lone skateboarder in a red tank top, dark pants, skating on a skateboard under a streetlight in an empty parking lot undert a spotlight with city skyline behind
Rianna
Side profile of a Black woman with medium-dark skin tone wearing black headphones gazing out a dark window, paired with the same woman skateboarding in long-sleeves and jeans on a sidewalk alone at night beneath a streetlight and a car wash sign on a New York City street.
Equality
Close profile of a Black woman with medium skin tone in a white headwrap seen through a decorative iron stair rail, paired with the same woman skateboarding with one arm raised on a sunlit court.
Hairo
Close profile portrait of Black woman with medium-dark skin tone with gold hoop earrings and beaded necklace, paired with a skateboarder mid-trick against a golden-lit concrete wall.
Pink
Portrait of a white woman with light skin tone and chin-length brown hair looking through a screen window at night in warm light, paired with the same woman skateboarding on a sidewalk in a red top at golden hour
Oriauna
Portrait of a young Black woman in profile with turquoise blue curly-haired wig and a brimmed hat , paired with the same woman in a short-sleeved top and light pants doing a skate board trick on a dark path in a city park
Cami
Portrait of a light-skinned white woman with long dark hair in a yellow hoodie looking out a window, paired with the same woman jumping off a skateboard with arms raised on a New York City street
M.
Portrait of a young Latina woman with purple dark hair and a pink hair clip and bangs, in a short-sleeved black crop-top and a tattoo on her upper arm, leans on a windowsill gazing out at golden hour, paired with the same woman in pink overalls pulled down to her waist, a white sports bra, white cap, skateboarding on a park path at dusk
Ames
Portrait of a young medium-dark skinned Black woman in gold hoops and a black cropped tank top looking through a window, paired with the same woman in the same top skateboarding with jean shorts on a concrete parking area beneath a city park
Rosie