Photographer Dina Douglass Releases Punk Book
Shot As a Teen collects Douglass's 1981-1985 punk photographs in a 250-page book published on November 14.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Teens
Dina Douglass is publishing Shot As a Teen, a 250-page collection of punk photographs she took between 1981 and 1985, on November 14. Trust Records and Kill Your Idols Books are publishing the book, which is available in Trade and Deluxe editions.
Why it matters
The collection preserves images of Los Angeles punk scenes from the early 1980s that were stored for decades before being published. It offers a firsthand visual record of local music culture from the perspective of a teenage photographer.
The book runs 250 pages and comes in Trade and Deluxe editions, with the Deluxe edition limited to five editions of 50 copies. Douglass shot the images on a Canon AE-1 camera at shows across Los Angeles.
The players
Dina Douglass
Dina Douglass is the photographer who shot the punk images in the collection beginning at age 16.
Trust Records
Trust Records is a music label that co-published Shot As a Teen with Kill Your Idols Books.
Kill Your Idols Books
Kill Your Idols Books is a publisher that co-published Shot As a Teen with Trust Records.
The details
Douglass began photographing at age 16 and developed the images in her school darkroom. Her negatives sat in her childhood bedroom closet for more than 40 years before restoration and research work, which took thousands of hours, prepared them for publication.
Timeline
- 1981-1985: Douglass takes the photographs included in the collection.
- November 14: Shot As a Teen is published, with a launch party and signing at BEYOND THE STREETS.
Seasonal Patterns
The collection documents the Los Angeles hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s, a period when teen-driven local music subcultures were largely captured by a small number of participants with access to cameras and darkrooms.
Los Angeles readers interested in local music history can attend the November 14 launch party and signing at BEYOND THE STREETS. The Trade and Deluxe editions offer different buying options for those wanting to own a copy of the archive.
The takeaway
The collection shows how a teenager's personal photographs can become a lasting record of a local music scene. Readers interested in early punk history can use it as a primary visual source.
What happens next
Shot As a Teen is scheduled for publication on November 14, with a launch party and signing at BEYOND THE STREETS in Los Angeles.
Further reading
Explore more Teens coverage on Wisevoter for context on youth culture stories like this one.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SPIN.
