Behind the lens: Marie Dabbadie

You’ve traveled a lot and photographed skateboarding all across Europe. Which cities have the strongest women’s skate scenes? Have you noticed much of a difference between the places you’ve been?
I think this is an always changing thing. I remember the FlipA video of the girls in Barcelona released in 2010, that was quite a big deal; I mean there are so many girls skating in that video but now Barcelona’s scene is totally different.

The UK has always been pretty big to me thanks to Jenna Selby’s videos and photos and it’s getting even bigger right now with the cool girlskateuk.com sharing good content and showing a lot of variety in the skating they are publishing. That’s probably attractive to girls that wanna start and girls that already skated for years, which is a real good achievement. Every place seems to be different from another and this is a day-to-day thing.

Which European cities do you think offer more opportunities for female skateboarders?
Many cities in Europe are beginning to be more open about female skateboarding. I can mention Tösabidarna, now that I am here in Malmö. They are offering two girls-only sessions a week and free skate classes during school holidays which is good for girls to get out there and skate without fear. This is cool, but I also see some girls getting out there and creating their own opportunities which I consider even cooler!

I think that the opportunities are everywhere, they just need to be taken – any city or street has something to skate to offer.

You’re a skateboarder and a photographer, which one came first?
They kind of synchronized. I always liked to capture everything I did or felt, the places I saw and the people I met. Now they clearly complete each other.

What’s your favourite photo that you’ve shot?
This is really hard… but I’ll pick one of them. It’s an analogue photo of Anthony Mura skating a DIY bowl in Lolo’s garden, lost in the vineyards around Bordeaux. I love this moment – Gauthier is cheering behind and the other guys are chilling in the back. That was when I was still living in Bordeaux and skating with these amazing Black Bowl Battalion guys (look it up!).

What’s in your camera bag?
I don’t really use a camera bag, it’s more of a bag of mixed stuff with my camera inside a beanie. I always have a notebook and one or two black pens, the book I’m reading at the moment, a music player, some cigarette filters that jumped out my pack, films and an ID.

What advice would you give to other females thinking about shooting skate photos?
Everyone should do it, I think everyone can take photos because everyone is seeing beautiful things when skateboarding – inspiring people, grand architectural pieces, different landscapes, etc… The technique matters only if you want to make a job out of it or get published or if you are a tech-savvy perfectionist. Anyone can be a photographer with any kind of camera, from the matchbox to the latest Canon jewel. And don’t be afraid or lazy to get your camera out at any time.

Interview: Sarah Huston
Photos: Marie Dabbadie