Patience is a Virtue

Photography By Brandon Rivera

Photographer Brandon Rivera shares the story behind his latest zine, ‘Catch Me If You Can’, a mixed collection of skate and graffiti photographs from different cities in the United States and Europe. Brandon opens up about the struggles of creating the zine, skate spots that don’t exist anymore, and navigating the world through skateboarding.

Dallas, USA

You released your zine, 'Catch Me If You Can', on September 20th, 2025. What is this zine about?

Yes! I'm hyped to finally release it after two years of working on it. My newest zine is sort of a sequel to my first one. A mixed collection of skateboarding and graffiti photos from times spent in the city with friends. I wanted to expand this perspective, so I decided to focus it on different big cities around the world.

Why did you decide to put it together? Why is it important?

I decided to put this together because I felt accomplished after focusing my first zine on Dallas and wanted to take it to the next level. I like traveling so the idea of going to different cities to skate and take pictures was pretty sick to me. These photos serve as a time capsule of great memories with friends so they're important to me.

What was the process like?

The process was fun but also a bit stressful. The fun part is doing what I love to do, which is hang out with friends and skate in the city. The stressful part is being selective and making things look the way I want to in the zine. The indecisiveness kind of made the process longer than it needed to be. I had to learn a ton of stuff too, which was fun, but stressful at times. Aside from putting the zine together, learning how to get the results I wanted through printing was a bit of an obstacle as well. I’m glad everything ended up working out in the end.

Did you experience any challenges while creating 'Catch Me if You Can'?

I definitely went through some challenges throughout the making of this zine. I was recovering from my ACL surgery and couldn't shoot photos for a while. I had a long road to recovery, so I used my downtime building a game plan as to how I'll approach the closure to the zine. I was initially going to have the zine only be based on big cities out in Europe, but at that time I realized that I wanted to throw New York and Dallas in the mix. I was also finishing up college at this time, so there was a lot on my plate that made me postpone the release of the zine. I learned how to have a lot of patience because of these challenges and ultimately it all paid off.

Tell the story behind one or more of the images.

There are two photographs that I took at one of the most famous skate spots in Dallas that I’m proud of. My friend Ben is in both of them. He rips. I grew up skating at this spot and it meant so much to me. At the time when it was taken, the spot was getting shut down and the city of Dallas had plans to turn it into a dog park. My friends and I were bummed. It was a goal of mine to get a couple of pictures there before it all got destroyed and that’s exactly what we did. We were both on crunch time to get it done and the results came out how I wanted them to. The spot no longer exists, so I’m happy I have those flicks to look back at.

‘Catch Me If You Can’ includes images from Paris, London, Milan, New York City, and Dallas. What were the differences and similarities between these cities?

There were a lot of similarities and differences between these cities. I noticed differences in how people would dress and carry themselves. Every big city has its own unique style of doing things. I related a lot with the friends I met out there through skateboarding, which helped me navigate to lots of new places I’ve never visited. Although we were from places far from each other, it all felt like a small world.

This is a sequel to your first zine ‘City Slickers’. How does this collection show your growth and evolution as an artist?

Yes, this is a bit of a sequel to my first zine "City Slickers". I aimed to make this zine more subtle and prioritized the quality of my photography. I've learned a lot since the making of my first zine and wanted to show some sharper skills in this one. I chose quality over quantity for this project. I wanted to expand my initial idea and show everyone how I put myself up for the challenge.

How did you celebrate the release?

I celebrated the release by throwing an event at Fine Print Magazine Store in Dallas. There's no way I'd work this hard on something and not have a celebration out of it haha. I launched the zines there and displayed a selection of my recent works from ‘Catch Me If You Can’. I decorated the place with meaningful things like graffiti canvases from friends to transit maps of different cities to compliment the theme. My friends Evil Henry and Metallix were DJing and held it down with some great mixes. There was also free beer so everyone was hyped haha! I was really stoked to see how many people came out to see the exhibition and purchase a copy. I was able to meet lots of new people who heard about the zine which was really tight. I was overwhelmed with the amount of love I got, and couldn't be more thankful to everyone who came by to support. I'm forever grateful to my family and friends that helped and encouraged me throughout this entire endeavor. It was a night to remember.

What's next for you? What's next for the zine?

I’m stoked to say that there will be multiple stores holding my newest zine. They’ll be held in Paris, London, New York, and Dallas. I figured it made sense to stock them in the cities that were involved in the project. I’ve also got a few ideas up my sleeve for some new projects. I have a friend who’s helping out with the next one so I’m excited to see how it turns out. The next project won’t be a zine, but it’ll be similar. I also plan on visiting New York a lot more. It’s starting to feel like a second home since my girlfriend’s out there, and I have lots of family and friends nearby. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds. Until then, I’ll be stacking up new work taking it a day at a time. Patience is truly a virtue.