Cape Breton skateboarders focus of new photo exhibit

An unusual exhibit opens tonight in Sydney. It's a series of photographs profiling the skateboarding scene in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Harry Doyle took 1,500 photos over the course of a year. He said it's a glimpse into an entire subculture.

"Central to taking skateboard photos is tricks," said Doyle, "and you see lots of interesting things happening that is not skateboarding.

"There's parents at the park, there's little kids that are just learning, there's interactions between the people. There's confrontations, sometimes, nothing very serious, but you have the camera there."

This was a project of passion for Doyle. He's been skateboarding since he was 10 and said that gave him incredible access to the various skateboard venues in the CBRM.

"People are so used to you being there with a camera," he said.

Doyle hopes the exhibit will help raise the profile of the sport in CBRM. 

"We need to move skateboarding forward so that it's more accessible and more young people come in, and help give it a larger culture," he said.

"I think that it's something worth investing in. It's an activity where you express yourself in an individual nature. I think that's really good for the future generations of the city."

Doyle, who's 38 years old, calls the exhibit 28/38 because he's been skateboarding for 28 years.

It opens tonight at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design.