Kris Markovich, Frontside Shove-It, Los Angeles, CA 1999

 

“I have to be honest with you, this is one of the only covers I’ve shot that I don’t remember much about how it all went down. I remember finding the trucks and Kris doing the trick but I have no idea how it all came together. The spot is in Los Angeles and both Kris and I lived in San Diego at the time and it’s a total mystery how we linked up on this day. I’m not even sure if shooting here was the reason we met up, I almost think we found this spot after getting kicked out of the spot we really wanted to skate. I do remember it being a hot and sunny day in Los Angeles and looking back, I’m not sure why I didn’t shoot this in color. Probably because I didn’t have flash stands big enough to light Kris up (Pretty sure the sun is right above Kris in this shot) so Kodak TMax 400 with no flash was gonna have to do. I’ve always thought this was a cool shot but I didn’t imagine it would end up on a cover; I think Ted Newsome saw it and mocked up a version and everyone was down. It’s funny to look at the cover blurbs on this issue and realize that Kris got the cover and didn’t have an interview or anything, while it looks like there were features with heavy hitters like Gonz, Mike Carroll and John Cardiel. That doesn’t happen much these days. And, I might still have one of the original darkroom prints of this photo in a box somewhere.”

 

Art Director: Ted Newsome/Aaron Regan