Ed Templeton / Andrea Sonnenberg

Artist Research Paper

“Hi, my name is Ed Templeton. I’m from Huntington Beach, California, and depending on what hat I’m wearing: I’m a skateboarder, an artist or a businessman.” (Leica) Ed Templeton is known for working in a variety of mediums that include photography, painting, graphic design, and videography. The medium in which Templeton has received the majority of his attention from in the art world is from his photography. He has no formal training when it comes to the arts, but he is able to create from what is around him and what he knows. The subjects that are a reoccurring theme within Templeton’s work include lifestyle, youth culture, and his personal life. His photo work is real, meaning that nothing is staged or altered. “As much as I would like to go out of my way to shoot specific things, everything I’ve ever shot has just been on the path that I’ve been on, be it skating or travel or street photography. It all comes after the fact because I’m there for some other reason.” (Leica) I believe this is what sets Templeton apart from many photographers and makes for him to be one of my favorites.

Ed Templeton was raised in a broken home – both parents were alcoholics, leading to a childhood filled with fear. “My father was a dirtbag,” (Pelling) his father would go on to leave the family to be with a 16 year old girl when Templeton was eight; his mother suffered from brain damage, leaving her with the mental capacity of a 15 year old. I believe this is what leads to his fascination with rebelliousness. Templeton became a professional skateboarder at a young age – getting to travel all over the world and do what he enjoys. He quickly realized that he needed to start documenting his trips.

What I like about Templeton’s photo work is that he explores a lot of themes that are uncommon in the photo world. For example, in his books Teenage Kissers and Teenager Smokers he focuses on putting together pictures of teens kissing and teens smoking – uncommonly...