Photography

Jenny Sampson is a Berkeley-based photographer. Her focus is wet plate collodion and traditional film photography. Sampson is a member of the Rolls and Tubes photographic collective and writes for WithItGirl. She is a founding member of the East Bay Photo Collective, currently serving as the board president. Her work has exhibited in the United States, United Kingdom and has been published in Zyzzyva, Analog Forever Magazine, BBC, GirlTalkHQ, The Hand, SHOTS Magazine, All About Photography Magazine, Lenscratch, The Guardian, The Eye of Photography, PDN, WIthITGirl and Visual Communications Quarterly. Sampson has two monographs, Skaters (2017) and Skater Girls (2020) published by Daylight Books. Skater Girls received Book of the Month from Leica Fotographie International in September 2020. The Rolls and Tubes Collective published their book, A History of Photography, in October 2021. Sampson’s photographic work is included in the Candela Collection and other private collections, and her books are included numerous public collections.  

Visit jennysampson.com to learn more about Jenny's work.

Photo credit of JRS above: Geoffrey Berliner

Skaters

Berkeley-based photographer and San Francisco native Jenny Sampson has dedicated the last 14 years to documenting West Coast skateboarding culture through a unique lens. While skaters have traditionally been viewed through the prism of counterculture—defined by their distinctive style, the sound of wheels on pavement, and their creative reimagining of urban spaces—Sampson's work reveals a deeper, more nuanced narrative. 

This selection is a fraction of Sampson's Skater portrait work offering an unprecedented window into the depth and intimacy of skate culture. She employs the historic wet collodion tintype process, a 173-year-old photographic technique that strips away artifice to reveal raw authenticity. The resulting images are both striking and vulnerable, echoing the ethos of skate culture itself—unfiltered, bold, and pushing beyond conventional boundaries. Sampson's methodical approach involves a portable darkroom and exposure times of up to 15 seconds, creating a collaborative experience where subjects witness their portraits materializing in real time. This process demands mutual trust and cooperation and results in remarkably intimate portrayals. 

Sampson's work is published in two books, Skaters (Daylight, 2017) and Skater Girls (Daylight, 2020). She recognizes the underrepresentation of women, LGBTQ+, and other diverse voices in skating culture. Alongside organizations like Women’s Skateboard Alliance (The Alliance), HAGS, All Girl Skate Jam, WithItGirl, Villa Villa Cola Collective, Mahfia TV, Skate Like A Girl, Exposure, Girl is NOT a Four Letter Word, Skateistan, Meow Skateboards, Gnarhunters, OHSO, FroSkate, Rogue, Hoopla, WomenSK8 History, Unity, and Welcome Skateboards, her portraits contribute to a movement of inclusion and the reshaping of skateboarding's cultural landscape. This evolution is particularly evident in the current SFMOMA exhibition Unity Through Skateboarding (through May 2025). Portraits of Jeff Cheung and Gabriel Ramirez, who curated the SFMOMA exhibition, as well as those of other pioneering figures in the queer, trans, BIPOC, and women's skating communities, are included in this exhibit. 

Sampson's work transcends traditional skateboarding photography through its patient, deliberate process. Her portraits offer a counter-narrative to conventional stereotypes, revealing skate’s democratic spirit and its participants' humanity. Like skateboarding, which requires only a board with four wheels and a surface, these images provide accessible entry points to understanding the emotional landscape of their subjects. Each portrait captures not just individual skaters but moments of vulnerability, courage, and connection—universal experiences that resonate far beyond the skateboarding community. 

- Marialidia Marcotulli, Ph.D. and Jenny Sampson 

Jeanne Hansen bought her first camera at ten with money earned from picking strawberries in Skagit Valley, Washington, where she was born and raised. She earned a B.F.A. in Fine Art Photography at the San Francisco Art Institute. During the 1980s, she lived and worked in the Bay Area and contributed to the social and political movements of the day through her photographs, many of them published in local magazines and newspapers. Her more personal projects were exhibited in alternative galleries. 

Visit jeannemhansen.com to learn more about Jeanne's work. 

Alternative Voices 1980's Punk San Francisco     

In 1980, I was 22 years old, had just left the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara and moved to San Francisco, landing in two epicenters—the San Francisco Art Institute and the Mission District. At that time, San Francisco was a hot bed of artists, musicians and those pushing cultural and political boundaries. With Reaganomics in the White House and conservatism in the saddle, the “Do It Yourself” (DIY) movement was the place for a young photographer, like me, to feel at home. In the Mission District, apartments were affordable and creatives came together in alternative spaces, underground clubs and on the street. With my camera tucked inside my oversized coat, I moved through crowds looking for moments that spoke to me. Photography allowed me to express and explore myself and the City.