We all know Reuben Barrack is a great skateboarder, he’s been varial heelflipping fourteen stairs since he himself were fourteen. Most recently recognized for his heelflip back 5-0 on the Stanford hubba in 19th AVE’s “Gridlock.” But Reuben has grown a lot in the last ten years, since getting a Bachelor’s Degree in History of Art and Visual Culture from UC Santa Cruz, he lived in Oakland for a year before moving back to his hometown of San Diego. He worked an assortment of retail jobs up and down the state to pay for his extended travels in 2018. His dream to travel the world and skateboard with his friends was never diminished by lack of sponsors or money, he worked hard, quit his job and said “Fuck it, why not?” Last year Reubs went stateside on a “Fuck This Video” trip around the southwest, took a trip with his older brother and some friends to Japan, flocked to the skate haven that is Copenhagen Open, branched out to Berlin, came back and visited friends in Portland, OR went to San Francisco for a day to attend Tyshawn’s SOTY party and ended the year with a trip to New York City for his 25th birthday for good measure.
Photo: BARRACK
Along with his skateboard, he brought along lots of rolls of film, capturing his travels along the way. Reuben finds himself gravitated to the d.i.y. ethos and keen eye in the streets that it takes to capture good photos. His photography is a great balance of catching spontaneous moments in the streets while also exposing the personalities of his friends through the lens.
Reuben isn’t trying to sell his photos, he doesn’t have a blog, he’s not putting on a solo show, he just does it for the love. For having tiny remembrances of his friends and his travels to look back on for years. Not to say he doesn’t like to share his photos but it’s just that his only expectations are to take photos that he enjoys. To do something not for profit but purely for yourself and the love of it is something that is not as common to come by in this internet age.