The first image in Shelley Calton's Hard Knocks, is a wonderful set-up for the brief, wild ride into the kinetic world of women's roller derby that is to come. Titled "Agent Belligerent," the opening portrait is of a woman who looks set for combat - and she is.

Women's roller derby has enjoyed a revival in recent years. It's a full-on contact sport - but one in which the women are not only tough, they're also aggressively feminine, donning retro fishnet stockings and makeup along with helmets and knee pads. Calton spent three years with the women of the Houston Roller Derby, working with a medium format Contax camera and an old Graflex 4x5, capturing the transformation of soccer moms, teachers and business women into competitors who challenge gender roles.





Calton's black-and-white work is as strong and feminine as the women she so clearly built a connection with during the course of her work. The portraits are simple, but direct, and the shots of action on the track are filled with a lyrical energy and power. It's a slim volume, only 61 photos, but one that - like the best photo books - leaves you wishing for more. —Sara Terry