Rich Gilligan
- Text by Shelley Jones
- Photography by Rich Gilligan

To celebrate Huck 46: The Documentary Photography Special II, our annual celebration of visual storytelling, we are having a Huck website takeover – Shoot Your World – dedicated to the personal stories behind the photographs we love.
In this regular series, My Sweet Shot, we ask photographers to zone in on a single photograph from their archives that they feel best embodies the questions they’re broaching, generally, with their work.
First up is a Huck favourite Rich Gilligan, whose fine art approach to skate photography – like his stunning series on DIY skateparks around the world – has taken the genre into a new realm.
My Sweet Shot
By Rich Gilligan
Bruce Kelliher, Kenmare Co.Kerry, Ireland. 2000
“This photograph was a pivotal moment for me and my path in photography. For a number of reasons it still resonates with me as much today as it did when I first printed it in the darkroom beneath the Gallery of Photography in Dublin 14 years ago.
The subject of the photo is one of my best friends, Bruce, and it reminds me so much of a time in our lives when we were both totally obsessed with skateboarding. If we weren’t skating, we were talking about skating, constantly planning road trips everywhere, making zines and just so hungry for it all. This picture ended up running as a double spread in the late, great SLAP Magazine from San Francisco and it was the first time I had ever had anything published or Bruce had any real coverage.
This photograph very quickly opened so many doors for us both and within a year of publication Bruce was a legit sponsored skater getting recognition for his unique on-edge style, which a good friend once described as “a ballerina on acid”. I was also suddenly getting regular paid work from various skate magazines and travelling the world shooting with people I’d always looked up to.
Luck plays a big role in all our lives but I’m a firm believer that you make you own luck in this world and this photograph sums all of that up for me in a single image.”
You might like

Dalia Al-Dujaili: “When you’re placeless, nature can fill the void”
Babylon, Albion — As her new book publishes, the British-Iraqi author speaks about connecting with the land as a second-generation migrant, plants as symbols of resistance, and being proud of her parents.
Written by: Zahra Onsori

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind
Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.
Written by: Emma Garland

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”
Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.
Written by: Angela Hui
Meet the hair-raised radicals of Berlin’s noise punk scene
Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy of the German capital’s bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.
Written by: Miss Rosen

The rebellious roots of Cornwall’s surfing scene
100 years of waveriding — Despite past attempts to ban the sport from beaches, surfers have remained as integral, conservationist presences in England’s southwestern tip. A new exhibition in Falmouth traces its long history in the area.
Written by: Ella Glossop

Southbank Centre reveals new series dedicated to East and Southeast Asian arts
ESEA Encounters — Taking place between 17-20 July, there will be a live concert from YMO’s Haruomi Hosono, as well as discussions around Asian literature, stage productions, and a pop-up Japanese Yokimono summer market.
Written by: Zahra Onsori