Crazy (stupid?) photo of a skateboarder jumping over New York City subway tracks stirs controversy

This photo of a skateboarding daredevil pulling an "Ollie" jump across the tracks of a New York City subway line has garnered a variety of reactions on the Internet in the last week. But one thing now seems clear: it's not a fake photo.

"I knew I was facing where the train was going to come from," Allen Ying, the photographer who captured the shot, told the Daily Intelligencer. "There weren't a lot of tries."

 

This controversial photo by Allen Ying appears in an upcoming issue of 43 magazine.

The skateboarder who performed the stunt goes by the handle Koki, and you can see him preparing for the shot in these behind-the-scenes photos. The stunt took place in January at the 145th Street subway station from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. in the morning, and Ying shot the picture from a position on the subway tracks. (Yeah, that's pretty crazy-stupid too.)

The image will appear in an upcoming edition of 43 Magazine, which is also having a photography show to help launch the issue.

We think it goes without saying: Do not attempt to duplicate this photo yourself. We suggest using Photoshop instead.

(Via PDNPulse, Daily Intelligencer, and Gothamist)