Growing up skateboarding in California, artist and photographer Amir Zaki has chosen a subject in that closes to his heart for his upcoming book California Concrete: A Landscape of Skateparks. Unlike other skateboarding photography, Zaki focuses on telling the stories of the skateparks instead of the skaters, and all images are taken without people in them.

Zaki spent years photographing the large concrete structures in different skateparks in the county, visiting during early-morning when there were no skaters around and the natural light just brought out the beauty of these bowls and pipes. Each photo was stitched up from dozens of shots taken with a digital camera mounted on a motorised tripod head. This method allowed Zaki to present the spaces in wide-angle without changing the perspective, and the images can be turned into large size prints at 75″ x 60″ while keeping all the details.

With essays written by legendary skater Tony Hawk and Los Angeles-based architect Peter Zellner, California Concrete: A Landscape of Skateparks emphasises a well-designed skatepark is not just built for skaters to serve its specific purpose but also contributes to a tradition of architecture and public art.