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There’s this skatepark that I go to regularly to take pictures and improve my street cred. Really, there is no streetcred to be had, but I like to pretend.

In Santiago, you can generally walk around with a camera and snap pictures, and people don’t seem to mind (possible theft notwithstanding). Certainly there is not the abject paranoia I hear about in other places where everyone’s a stalker, a kidnapper, a malfeasor. I’m just another quirky gringa, bicycle and braids with a knitted cap that hangs out and takes pictures of skateboarders. Every time I go I pick a favorite or two to really concentrate on. Usually a couple of people come up and talk to me, ask if I’m on assignment and then drift away. Occasionally I meet the same people again later. Nobody ever asks me what I’m taking pictures of.

There’s lots to see. There’s jumps, and ollies and unbroken lines with board grabs and the occasional near-collision and not-even-tweens pointing proudly to their own chests saying “voy, voy” (my turn, my turn) in the area I like to call “the kiddie pool.” But on Wednesday I slowed it down a little and looked not for motion, but stillness. And here’s what I found.

I wove a backstory for these two people in my mind, but here’s where Eileen the writer takes a backseat, and just lets you think what you will about this photo. I won’t tell you what to see. There’s onne more photo of the duo on my flickr. Enjoy.