Behind the lens: Hannah Bailey

You have traveled to Afghanistan in your work with Skateistan. What was that experience like?
It was an incredible experience to be there and see the little girls skating. I will never forget that. The places Skateistan exist in are really hard places for people, in particular girls, to live. Kabul is an unsettling place, but in the safe space that is Skateistan’s Skate School kids are getting to be kids. They are smiling, playing and having fun. We take that for granted! Going to Afghanistan was definitely a perspective shift in my life.

What was your most memorable moment during your time working with Skateistan?
There were so many incredible moments working for Skateistan. In my 2.5 years there I managed the launch of two Skate Schools (Johannesburg and Phnom Penh) where we hosted events with local kids and supporters from around the world. Tony Hawk and the Birdhouse crew came to South Africa. Mimi Knoop and Sky Brown came to Cambodia. But I’d actually say the real highlights were simply seeing the kids having fun in countries which are not so fun to live in. Skating with the Back-to-School students in Mazar (Afghanistan) and celebrating women’s day in Johannesburg with about 40 little skaters.

Later this summer a documentary that I have been wanting to make for about 3 years, about the women and girls skating over there, will come to light. We filmed it during the launch of the Skate School in February, and it’s really a dream come true to get to show this story to the world!

Where does the name “Neon Stash” come from?
When I started out in the snowboard world, it was at a time when it was all about wearing clashing bright colors on the mountain. I moved to London and noticed how much people wore gray (suits) and how it made me feel to dress brightly. It was a conversation starter with strangers, and I always felt it brightened people’s day.

So when it came to a name for my communications agency, “Neon Stash” was already there in my mind. “Neon,” bright and engaging. “Stash,” a collection of these bright things.

What would be a dream project to work on with Neon Stash?
We have a dream project coming up, helping out with the media and comms for the skateboarding and academia conference, Pushing Boarders (at House of Vans London in June). It’s an event which is showing the social impact of skateboarding worldwide so it’s great to use my experience with Skateistan, support the wider skate-for-development scene and push it out to as many eyes to see the good skateboarding can do for the world!

What’s your involvement with Lomography?
When I first got playful with photography back in 2011 to capture the outdoors and women’s sport, I would only shoot on little 35mm cameras including Lomo equipment. I got in touch with them in 2012 and pitched an idea to cover Go Skateboarding Day through a 6 part series on the skate scene in the UK, from the beginners to pro, crews to rad dads.

Ever since then they have supported my photography, including putting on my first solo exhibition in 2016 called “Skate Stories.” They gave me the Lomography Soho London store for 8 weeks to display my photo stories of skaters and give a face to female skating through it.

What inspires all your experiments with film photography?
I love the unpredictability of film photography and that the control is often out of your hands. You never know what you are going to get, but often the flawed shots can be the best. It makes me feel good to be creative and photography is that outlet for me.

As someone who has been working in skate media, where do you see women’s skateboarding in five years?
The past few years the mainstream media have been more open to covering women’s skate. Where before I would be pitching to platforms, now they are coming out with the content themselves. But more excitingly is the increase in core outlets for skate— from Skateism, to Quell—I am always spotting new DIY or core skate media who really do the content justice. Over the next 5 years I think the opportunities for women’s skate in a media and content perspective will just grow, with the spotlight on it up until 2024 and beyond.

How important do you think it is that there are female photographers in the skate industry?
There’s a direct correlation between photos of women skating, the amount of coverage these women receive, and the number of girls who take up skating. It is only natural that more female photographers mean more female skate content, so I think that it’s really important! These photographers featured in Yeah Girl are also showing it as a viable path for a girl to take up documenting skating.

If you could photograph and interview any skater, who would it be?
I have been really lucky to interview many of the world’s best skaters and women in the industry over the years—from Leticia Bufoni and Lacey Baker to Elissa Steamer. Right now I’d love to chat with Kristin Ebeling (Skate Like A Girl) and return to the UK scene to capture the skaters where I first started. Lucy Adams, Helena Long, and Amy Ram…

Interview: Sarah Huston
Photos: Hannah Bailey