Portraiture Shortlist

In the mid-to-late 1940s a new subculture in America emerged, as Mexican-American youths started to place sandbags in their custom vehicles so the body of their car would ride close to the road. The lowriding scene became more technologically advanced as hydraulics replaced sandbags, and the vehicles and bikes were decorated to show political statements and images representing the Mexican-American culture from which it was born. By the start of the twenty-first century, lowriding culture had become extremely popular, and was often seen in music videos, as the scene was embraced by cultures around the world. I went to Los Angeles – the spiritual home of lowriding – to document the individuals who make the subculture what it is today.

Owen Harvey (b.1989) is a London based photographer with a BA (Hons) from the University of Wales, Newport. Harvey works on long term documentary projects and has had his work displayed at venues including, The National Portrait Gallery, Photographers' Gallery and Royal Albert Hall. Harvey works internationally for a range of commercial and editorial clients and has had his work showcased by i-D, BBC, Dazed & Confused and Vogue.