a brief glance issue _40 by a brief glance skateboardmag

e _38

issue _40

WELCOME TO ISSUE

Switch B.S. Tailslide / ROMA / ITALY.

Photo // Davide Biondani

COVER STORY Going on a mission with Tom & Nick is always good fun and a certainty that you will return home with sick photos. Always. In the last few years I have had the great pleasure of shooting with them on some occasions, and apart from appreciating their always positive approach to skateboarding and their ability to adapt to any situation, what I have understood is that they are first of all, great friends. This is also evident in the photo we shot in Roma at Ponte della Musica, where in the middle of the sesh they started trying this double switch bs tail slide. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Skateboarding is all about having fun with your friends.â&#x20AC;? _db

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THE EVA N SMI T H

WITH

CA LI FORN I A S PO RTS - TEL 0119277943 - WWW.CALIFO RNIASPORT.INFO EVAN SMITH \ SWITCH KICKFLIP \ BLABAC PHOTO DCSHOES.COM

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Skateboarding is absolutely brilliantâ&#x20AC;?

Jerome Cambell

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WWW.CARHARTT-WIP.COM SYLVAIN TOGNELLI – OLLIE UP 5-0 • PHOTO: MAXIME VERRET

A COLLABORATION BETWEEN

ISLE SKATEBOARDS RAPHAÃ&#x2039;L ZARKA CARHARTT WIP

4O a brief glance

Fragments_ The DC Skate With US_ Toscana Tour 2016 The Salman reissue. Attrapper Au Vol_ a conversation with

Fred Mortagne. The Waterproof project_ DVL interview. Places_ Marrakesh.

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« ATTR A PER AU VOL» A P H OTO G RA P H Y B O O K BY E LEMEN T ADVOCATE F RED MOR TAGN E AVAI L ABL E N OW ON : EL EMEN TBRAN D. C OM

a brief glance | year VI_ nÂ° 40

EDITOR and CONCEPT_ Davide Biondani. {davide@abriefglance.com} ASSOCIATE EDITOR_ Guido Bendotti. {guido@abriefglance.com} ASSISTANT EDITOR_ Andrew Zolin. TRANSLATIONS_ Jonathan Levin. PHOTOGRAPHERS_ Leo Sharp, Jonathan Mehring, DVL, Craig Dodds, Brian Gaberman, Marcello Guardigli, Davide Biondani, Marcel Veldman, Giulia Romano, Reece Leung, Robert Christ, Sebastiano Bartoloni, Alberto Chimenti Dezani, Fed Mortagne, Joel Peck. CONTRIBUTORS_ Francesco Paolo Chielli, Mario Torre, Mark Baines. DESIGN_ M. Bod Ciceri {Question Mark, ink!#?} GET ALL THE INFOS at: info@abriefglance.com a brief glance skateboard mag is a bulletin published by Fake Donkey Skateboard asd. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. All right reserved.

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Hand

www.plazaboards.it

8 - 8.25

Distribuito www.playwood

info@plazaboards.it

in Italia da: d-distribution.it

Lights 8.125 - 8.375 special shape

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Kristjan Rowell Bs boneless Photo_Marcello Guardigli Melbourne, Australia.

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Simon Perrottet Fs kickflip Photo_Sebastiano Bartoloni Geneva, Switzerland.

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Manny Lopez, Ollie over to 50 50 Photo_ Leo Sharp London, UK.

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Cian Eades, Switch bs kickflip Photo_ Craig Dodds Dublin, Ireland.

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D C / / S K AT E / / W I T H / / U S / Photography & words_Davide Biondani

/ / / / / / / T O S C A N A / / T O U R

T O S C A N A / / T O U R After having traveled all over Europe with the Italian DC team over the past few years, in 2016 the boys decided to play at home, and for the DC Skate With Us Tour 2016 we went to Toscana, one of Italy’s most beautiful and well-known regions in the world. It wasn’t the classic street tour, because we skated some parks with the locals too; it was super fun to meet some old friends and new young skateboarders. They are the future of skateboarding and it’s always a great pleasure to find new rippers in every local scene. We weren’t very lucky with the weather because it rained almost every day, but in the end everything went well and we managed to skate in every city we went to. For the first part of the trip we stayed in Pisa and moved along the west coast, while for the rest of the week we slept at a friend’s luxury holiday house in the hills around Firenze, where we had a fantastic stay. At the end of the week everyone was sad that the tour was over, and this means that everybody had a good time. I can’t wait to leave for another mission with the DC team.

D C / / S K A

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T E / / W I T H / / U S

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FABIO COLOMBO_kickflip to fakie_Firenze. This spot is in Firenze and is one of the bridges over the Arno river. Our guide Massi forced us to go check this spot even though we were super late and had to leave to drive to another city for an event we had to attend. He was like, “This would be a sick photo! If you fall you die but it would be a great shot for sure.” Even though the bank looked mellow from the side, while standing on top of it we realized how narrow and not that mellow it actually was. And yes, in case you didn’t land the trick you would have to dive into the river. Not the best alternative. Fabio was the only one to skate it and as soon as he landed his trick he ran straight to the van, exclaiming, “Never again!” Ha ha ha.

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ALE CESARIO_crooked grind_Firenze.

That morning we woke up and it was raining, but we tried to go to the city center anyway to find something to skate. Luckily for us, when we arrived the rain had stopped and while we were stuck in heavy traffic, Ale spotted this flat bar with a dry run up.

Once at the spot we realized that the bar was definitely high and that the bump under it was useless. But when it comes to pop Ale is second to none, and after a quick warm up and a little battle he took the trick home.

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DC//SKATE//WITH//US

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TOSCANA//TOUR

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DANNY GALLI_switch crooks_Livorno.

What more could you ask for during a skateboard tour, than a good spot by the sea, on a sunny day, and with no one around? After waiting patiently for the others to land their tricks, Danny started warming up for his line, whose last trick was this switch crooks to pop over the last two stairs that cost him more tries than expected. Are you getting old Danny? Ha ha ha.

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FABIO COLOMBO_nollie heel flip_Livorno.

From the van this looked like the perfect rail, but once we got to the top of the stairs we noticed that it was too moved over to the side of the run up and was impossible to skate properly. The perfectly smooth surface of the landing encouraged all the guys to skate... but the only one who landed his trick was Fabio, as Jacopo and Danny were fined by the local police just as they were about to land two good tricks. What a pity!

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LORENZO UBINO_bs lipslide_Viareggio.

Lorenzo is the latest addition to the Italian DC team, his favourite terrain is stairs and handrails and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very good at them, so this 10-stair rail was not a big issue for him even though there was no run up. He blasted 4 tricks first try, the last of which was this bs lipslide. The funny thing is that on the side of the building, in the background, there is another rail that is bigger than this one... and while checking it out he hurt his ankle just walking down the stairs! The tour was over for him.

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GUMMY_fs ollie over the rail_Viareggio.

Gummy is always one of the best guys to go on tour with, always positive, always calm and amusing. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a master at skating pools and vert ramps, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of strange to see him skating street... but when you are a boss you are a boss no matter what. Good job son!

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MASSI BARATONO_

wallie up to fs boardslide_Firenze.

Massi was our guide in Firenze, even though heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from Rome and lives in Innsbruck, Austria. His mom owns a luxury holiday farm in the hills around Florence called Podere Querceto, where they produce an amazing red wine, olive oil, and saffron. A visit is highly recommended. Massi helped us a lot with the spots and skated with us every day during our stay in Firenze. The three benches in the photo that he wallies onto were so heavy that the help of the whole team was necessary to move them! Ha ha ha. Thanks for everything Massi.

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FABIO COLOMBO_bs kickflip_Carrara.

Fabio had a score to settle with this spot but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say a word about it, and as soon as we had parked the van he went straight up the stairs to check them. He was super focalized and after ollieing and kickflipping them he started trying a bs kickflip. It was clear from the beginning that he would have landed it in a few attempts. And so it was. Taking a trick home at a spot always feels good, but taking revenge is an even greater satisfaction.

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1966

1994

2016

THE SALMAN REISSUE Photos__Davide Biondani Words___Guido Bendotti

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Salman Agah was one of the most influential skateboarders of the early 90’s; undisputed pioneer of switch stance skateboarding, during a time when the trend was doing pressure flips to noseslide on curbs, he was switch ollieing fire hydrants; he was famous for skating with a cast on his left arm. In 1993 he was awarded Thrasher Magazine’s Skater Of The Year award, and in 1994 Vans made his first pro model shoe, something not so common at the time. The Salman had a rubber toe, which is so trendy right now, and the notorious elephant logo. For its 50th anniversary, Vans has released a limited edition reissue of the Salman Agah. We decided to have them tested by three skaters who in 1994 were just born or barely able to tie their shoes, had them redo some tricks that appeared in some of the San Jose skater’s most famous 90’s ads, and redid them just the same. Style is timeless.

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a conversation with_

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Fred Mortagne

Interview / Davide Biondani

Attraper Au Vol Fred Mortagne’s black and white photography is based on a constant search for the perfect match between shapes, lines and shadows, where the skateboarder is framed perfectly. This aesthetically-blasting formula has been the solid foundation of Fred’s photographic journey over the last 15 years, now collected in ATTRAPER AU VOL, his very first book. A few weeks ago, we had a conversation with Fred about the end of Cliché, him being a Leica ambassador, his approach to photography and, of course, about his book. Enjoy.

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eing from Lyon, you were involved with Cliché Skateboards since the beginning. This week, rumors about the brand going “out of biz” started circulating. Surely and obviously the brand was different from what it used to be... but how did you react to the news? Yes, I heard about it yesterday, and the first feeling to grow inside of me was sadness. I guess in its recent years it wasn’t evolving on what it was originally based… It’s tough to advance in time and always find the right formula to evolve and adapt to survive. I mean, that’s my everyday challenge, how to always re-invent myself, maintain something strong over the years. David Bowie was excellent at that. He would never be where you expected him to be. Always re-inventing himself, killing a formula that was successful, and starting from scratch again.

n Lyon, it seems like the most iconic spot in the city, Hotel de Ville, is going to be “modified” or maybe just a part of it… you are one of the supporters of the petition to save it… what’s the situation at the moment? With the departure of Cliché, could two symbols of the 2000s skate scene be disappearing together?

and the media, our voice will be much stronger than anyone expects. The hardest part is to adapt to how politicians work and speak. Their way of working is so sneaky and antidemocratic… But I have good faith. We have a lot of resources and help from people like Long Live Southbank which is so precious, their experience is huge and so valuable, what they did to save their spot commands true respect.

n your photography, lines and shapes play a very important role, it looks very similar to architectural photography. What do you look for when you are out shooting? What captures your attention? And is there a lot of research to find the right locations to shoot, or is it more, let’s say, random? It’s stuff I get naturally attracted to when I shoot, although it’s not like that in my everyday life. But as soon as I have the desire to shoot pictures, my eyes focus on those “ingredients” to make my own visual recipe, and the rest disappears. I do research a lot, yes, I mean, just like for skate spots, anyway. Whatever I do or wherever I go, I pay attention to my surroundings, to find skate spots, or shoot spots…

We are working hard right now to save it. We don’t exactly know the plans of the city, but they surely want to ban skateboarding from it. It takes a lot of effort to find all the strongest arguments, but we are making good way.

till concerning the technical aspect of photography… what’s your relationship with these 2 classic tools in skateboarding photography: the fish eye lens and flashes. It seems like they are distant from your approach to photography…

We have so much love and passion for that spot and its importance for the local scene, that it gives up tremendous energy. We are very well-connected, with some city officials

Yeah, I have never been a full-time skate photographer, and the pros excel in that domain, so there was no point for me to do that. Plus, I wanted to express something else,

a more personal approach, another facet of skateboarding, not commercial… the opposite of what I was doing with video for the skate companies… Shooting skate pictures in my own way was a manner to not just be focused strictly on the marketing aspect of skateboarding, because it is much more than that, even though it is the general focus.

ou are a Leica ambassador, how did the relationship with Leica come about? I mean… it’s every photographer’s dream. Ha ha ha. In life you need to be patient. Sometimes things happen years after you do some stuff. In 2007 I won the Redbull Illume photo competition. But nothing really came directly out of it. Shooting for Redbull could have

been something, but I was not interested at all, plus my photography was too far from their needs. I entered the contest every time, and always placed in the finals, in the top 50. For the 3rd edition, Leica was their partner, and as an important participant, they asked me to use their M Monochrom for a limited time, to enter pictures shot with it. I could keep it if I placed in the top 50 again. I shot great stuff, like the cover of the book, but I only made it to the top 250. As I was supposed to return the camera, I made sure to shoot as much as possible with it, to have material to show to Leica. It was such an opportunity. They were eventually impressed with all of it, and after a few months, told me to keep the camera, then offered me some collaborations… So it was not just about having the connection, I really worked to make it

Nassim Guammaz / Ollie.

Geoff Rowley / Noseslide.

happen, which was great because it was high motivation to go out and shoot a lot, more than I do usually. That’s one reason why there are so many pictures of events in my book.

ow long did you work on the book and what was the main challenge while making it? From a photographer’s point of view, the photo selection can sometimes be a nightmare when you have to edit your own photos…

ast September at Photokina (the main Photo Tradeshow in Europe) in Cologne you took part in this sick photo exhibition called “Masters of Photography “ together with amazing photographers like Ellen von Unwerth, just to name one.

That’s why I did it with Thomas Campbell who has a huge experience, as he had already made so many good books, and was the photo editor for Skateboarder magazine in the nineties. It was still difficult, because I had a lot of strong material, so it was hard to have to let go of some iconic pictures, as we didn’t want to make a 300-page book, and it was really hard to balance it all with less intense pictures, to find the necessary breathing space.

What did it feel like to be part of such a project? What feedback did you receive from the public regarding your photography and skateboarding photos in particular? Of course it’s such an honour. Leica are really supportive and show tremendous love for my photography. The show was huge and my section was right in the middle of it, really well-presented. I didn’t get much feedback directly, but again, with exhibitions in general, I know by experience that it’s better not to expect too much right away. It can be strange to do big shows and sometimes not get any feedback. But that doesn’t mean nothing is happening in people’s minds. You need to let it brew. People need to see your work again, and again, and again, especially nowadays with the thousands of pictures we see all the time. I did get contacted by a few people from photography magazines, and that was rewarding that they noticed and enjoyed my work to the point of contacting me afterwards. That even means more to me when it is non-skateboarders. But as I said, maybe in 2 or 3 years, or more, I will probably get in touch with someone who will tell me, “I loved your show at Photokina in 2016!”

Thomas did the layout with his designer Tosh Woods, and I brought some ideas as well.

Making a book is not a joke. Over the years I waited for good conditions to start working on it, and when Thomas offered to publish it, I knew the time had come and it was the best option.

Stephane Giret / Kickflip.

ou once told me that one of the hardest things to find was the right title… Yes, because the best one was already taken: A Brief Glance!!!! We wanted a French title… and I found what the French translation of it was, I was so hyped, then I realised it was ‘A Brief Glance’ in English. I was so jealous!!!! Such a good title! ‘Attraper Au Vol’ has some similarities in a way. It’s about “grabbing” something as it flies by… it could be a butterfly. That is what skateboarding is about when you do tricks, and it applies even better to photography. So I like that it connects to both.

hile working on the book, did you put a lot of pressure on yourself to make it the way you wanted? And the day you had it in your hands for the very first time, how did you feel? Not that much pressure, I think. We took the time to do it right, and put it out only when we were satisfied with it. The whole process took over 2 years. For sure, there was a little stress before finally opening the first box, but then it was all good. I was very happy. But now, most importantly, the feedback I’m getting from people is already truly excellent, so that’s what matters the most.

t seems like photography plays a “less important” role in skateboarding compared to videography nowadays… the new generations prefer to watch a clip than a pic… was it wrong timing for you to switch from videography to photography? Do you agree with that, and how do you feel about it?

Well, I always like to do things with wrong timing! Not following trends. It gives me more chances to stand out, I guess… Sure, nowadays it’s all about video, which gets tiring at a certain point as we are bombarded with so many, all the time. I also believe in the power of printed works, as we are surrounded by screens in our everyday life, so relaxing the eyes with non-electronic stuff is important as well. People still like nice objects, like books, vinyls, crafted objects.

hat’s your opinion about everything getting “old” the next day and people’s attention to things fading really quickly? When you put a lot of effort and an amazing amount of energy and work into a project (a photo shooting, a magazine or a video edit), doesn’t it get very frustrating at times? It’s definitely not easy, it’s hard to still invest so much time when you know what will happen. Indeed, I think it’s the right timing for the book. It’s not going to be outdated in 2 weeks. It will live for years. There is no truth about an era. Taking risks and doing the opposite of what the trends are, usually proves to be more successful. Again, that’s what Bowie was excellent at.

Dennis Durrant / Nollie flip.

n a recent interview we did with Alex Olson, talking about full length videos he said, “We don’t have four years to wait anymore...” what do you think about the new trend in making skateboard videos: short edits, a lot of lines, raw footage? Personally, I like to work on smaller projects so I can experiment with more styles and techniques, and have more fun with less routine. It makes my life very diverse. Then again, it contributes to overflowing the web with so many videos. Many factors make it that, yes, it’s hard to make a full length video these days. It shouldn’t take longer than 2 years, so the material doesn’t become outdated. But there are no rules. Look at “Spirit Quest,” an independent video created by Colin Read that took three years to make. It’s totally epic, absolutely original and never seen before, and that’s the perfect example that everything is still possible. It’s just that people are tired of watching the “classic” videos all built up on the same format. That’s the main factor that makes people get tired of them, not the wait.

fter shooting more and more photos, what kind of photography attracts you now, outside of skateboarding? Anything really where I can apply my own style. I’m open to applying it to other subjects, which would be refreshing for me to do also, you know. I need to make my photography evolve. I’ve been shooting much more street photography than before, and working on the book gave me a lot of serious ideas and subjects, so right now I want to focus more on photography and leave video a bit to the side, until I come back to it in the future, that’s for sure. I will always shoot both.

hat’s your plan for next year? Are you already working on any new projects? Any anticipation? I will do some stuff centered around the book… I have a show in San Francisco lined up in March… and as an Element Advocate, I will keep on working on some projects with them. The last one was editing Jarne Verbruggen’s part for Thrasher, and that was a huge success! I love his skateboarding, so unique and creative. He has my vote for 2016 Euro SOTY!

Nick Garcia / Switch fs kickflip.

Attrapper au vol is available at elementbrand.com

Photos_Reece Leung Portrait & interview_Davide Biondani

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Jerome Campbell has always been one of our favourite skaters, in a way we “saw him grow up,” ever since we met during his days as an AM for Blueprint, to the partying, skating, and touring together over the years, and it was always a pleasure to meet him and go on missions. Apart from having been pro both for Polar since its creation, and Converse, in the last year he has become team manager for Cons Europe and Cons UK; so he decided to “grow up” and assume quite a lot of responsibilities compared to when he was just a full-time “lazy-ass” skater. This transition from a laid-back skateboarding life to a work position packed with deadlines and obligations is not easy to manage at all. We asked Jerome how he experienced this transition, how his new life is, and how it has influenced his skateboarding.

(Guido Bendotti)

WALLRIDE MELON_Sheffield.

Hi, Jerome, where are you at the present time? As I write this I’m sitting in a horrid airport terminal that has a massive problem with jet exhaust fumes. Every time they open the door this incredibly overpowering smell comes in and suffocates us all. Every time I call you, you’re in a different place somewhere in the world! How many flights have you been on in 2016 so far? Ha ha ha. To be honest it has been a little crazy lately, I’ve had at least 2 flights a week for the past 12 weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, however a lot of travel and not much rest can really catch up to you after a while. Your life has changed a little in the last 2 years, you left your position as a professional skater for Polar and became TM for Cons, exactly what do you take care of now? I actually don’t do that much team managing, I look after the more strategic marketing elements we do in Western Europe all the way down to South Africa. It’s brilliant, I’ve always needed to be very active both physically and mentally, I don’t work well unless I have one million things on the go at once, which sounds pretty counterproductive but it’s the truth. Skateboarding as a professional was obviously incredible and something I will forever hold dearly but it just wasn’t enough for me mentally, yes you could argue that skateboarding is both physical and mental and I would very much agree with you, but I was looking for an outlet that challenged me in an entirely different way. I wanted a new direction and I certainly got one.

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How did the decision to “switch” from your position as pro-skater for Polar to TM for Cons mature? Was it an opportunity that presented itself to you? Or were you already thinking about a plan b for your professional future? It certainly wasn’t an easy decision as you can imagine, and as a kid growing up skating, my dream was to become a professional skateboarder, so to achieve that and then decide to take a step back was obviously an incredibly hard choice to make. Honestly though, once I made that choice and accepted within myself that this was a good thing, I never looked back. Skateboarding is absolutely brilliant (as we all know) it enabled me to do things that I never thought I’d be able to do and for that I will be forever grateful. I’ve always thought it was super important to remember that skateboarding owes me nothing, I owe everything to skateboarding. Saying that though, it’s obviously super important to be realistic. Skateboarding professionally certainly has a pretty short lifespan which is without a doubt a massive shame, but I was always acutely aware of this and never saw the physical “act” of skateboarding as my final career choice. Don’t get me wrong, “skateboarding” will forever be something that I’m connected to and “do” with my friends, but there are a number of things that keep me equally occupied right now and I love that.

CROOKED GRIND_Barnsley.

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BS KICKFLIP_Barnsley.

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KICKFLIP WALLRIDE_Barnsley.

As a skater, is your only concern to go out skating or are you worried about being in time for your next flight? As a TM you spend your time solving problems. Sometimes skateboarders complain about their sponsor, about the way a tour is organized or about how a team works. How has your point of view about this changed now that you have a view of both sides of the coin? Skateboarding is without a doubt the best job in the world, I mean you get to fly around the world, skate and get paid to do so, what could there possibly be to complain about? Ha ha. I get it though, sometimes things aren’t as easy as that, and now that I can see it from both sides I totally understand it. Making sure skaters are happy and looked after is one thing, ensuring everyone is updated on your plans, key global stories, alignment and strategy internally is another story altogether, ha ha. Everyone works better when they’re happy and that obviously includes skateboarders, I try to make sure everyone feels supported and connected to what we’re doing as a brand. What do you like the most about your job? Producing content is great fun, developing a plan, a concept, and seeing it through from start to finish is a great feeling. Working with rad creatives from all fields is also really fun, challenging but fun. I never thought I’d say this but I actually really like working in an office environment a few days a week, you learn so much constantly. It’s great to understand the wider business elements outside of just skateboarding. I can’t stress how liberating it was to find a world outside of skateboarding, don’t get me wrong, I’m still very much in there too, but working with “external” people is super inspiring. What project has given you the most satisfaction so far as TM?

Working on “The Relay” was rad, to be honest, it was all pretty last-minute but I’m super happy with how it came together. It’s sometimes difficult to orchestrate things like that, and there’s always so much you wish you had done differently once it’s finished, but I guess that’s all part of the process. I used to get really caught up in those little things. The, “Shit, we should have done it that way,” or, “Damn, I wish we did that differently,” but I guess that’s part of the process and the learning. How many times a week do you skate now? And how has your approach to skating changed, having less time to do it? Perhaps once or twice a week, but that’s mainly down to the weather over my lack of interest. The UK is tough this time of year, once it rains it just seems to hang around on the ground, wet leaves seem to just get wetter. What’s boiling in the pot for 2017? Loads of exciting things to come this year, mate. We have a whole load of great opportunities that we can’t wait to get moving. Our plan is to be as active as possible and get our boys out there shredding. Once, Chess told me that you confessed to him that you wished to be in the middle of a desert driving a convertible car, ha ha ha. Is this true? How much would you pay to go back 5 years and have to worry only about skating? Ha ha ha... Strangely enough, me and Neil Chester actually did that last year, we traveled (in a bright-red convertible) from L.A through to Vegas, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, before getting a flight to Mexico city. I would certainly pay to do that again. If I’m honest, I wouldn’t want to go back 5 years, that part of my life is done and as much as I enjoyed it, it’s certainly time to move forward onto new and perhaps more exciting things.

Photos_DVL Interview _Guido Bendotti

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How was being part of the Waterproof project? Recently, Phil described you as the real motivator of the project, always present even if you didn’t have to shoot, helping, making the spots skateable, and motivating everybody… It seems like you believed in this project since the beginning… Apart from shooting, how did you contribute to it? In my opinion Phil is the one who did the really hard work! Most of the things in the rain project were filmed during autumn and winter when it was pretty cold, because that’s when there’s the most rain in Europe. After every session he had to dry up in the car and change his clothing most of the time. For us, the guys documenting it, it was cold and wet, but nothing compared to what Phil had to go through. There were a lot of tricks that didn’t look good for a photo, so when I was not shooting action or any ambiance, helping out was the least I could do. Most of the time it was Phil, the filmer and me, so no other skaters or team manager to help us out with things. We did like 8 trips or something and I must have

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rolled him a ton of ciggies while he was skating, haha… Sometimes it had already stopped raining and by the time he landed something, the surface was already drying up a bit. So on some trips we had this rain barrel with 200 liters of water in the back of the car to spray some spots wet again when needed. We used it more to film the lifestyle shots though. And when we didn’t have the rain barrel I just cut open a plastic bottle of water and went to find some puddle to get some extra water to get the spot wet again. Just all little things where I could help out, like go find other shoes or gloves in the car, go buy food or water, basically anything that could make his life easier in that moment. I remember that night in Rotterdam where he did the super long powerslide on the wood (first trick in the video), it had stopped raining, but it was during the project’s deadline. So Phil really needed to get that trick, it was such a hassle to make the spot wet again. We didn’t have the rain barrel full of water but the big river was just next to the spot. We had a generator and a water pump, so Phil climbed 3 meters down via a small, sketchy, narrow ladder on the river bank and it was pitch-dark. You sure didn’t want to fall into that restless river!

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So after a while we got the pump running, and it isn’t that simple to pump water from 4 meters below. But we didn’t calculate the tide of the river, so every half an hour the water was lower. But the garden hose we had was getting too short so we had to fix that problem by being inventive. To film two tricks over there, it took us like 5 hours or something. And a lot of those missions were really time-consuming. ow long have you known Phil? What surprised you the most about him over the years? I’ve been shooting with him since 2004 I think. So that’s a good 12 years. He might not have the technical skills and talent like a Youness Amrani has for example, but he’s got something else that Youness doesn’t have. He just skates fast, has great ideas and is a work horse. He has a gift for being able to utilise his talent 200% instead of 100%, it’s hard to explain but that’s how I see it. It really surprised me how he doesn’t depend on the ideas of his sponsors to do all these creative projects.

Most of the time he just organises it himself and finds the right people to do it with, with the help of his sponsors of course. While most companies come up with ideas for their riders, he just does most of it himself. I know few skaters who do the creative things he does. Like the ‘Double Impact’ project, he just did with Jarne Verbruggen and filmer Guillaume Perimony. With a budget that a proper big brand spends on one normal tour, he did like 4 tours and filmed an interesting 8-minute clip that you probably will still remember in 5 years. I think these days we get to process so many online clips that it’s hard to make something that stands out. Phil is good at this! ow was shooting in the rain? How did you protect your gear from the rain? It was really amusing, and sometimes it was horrible being outside all soaking wet in the cold. But the result afterwards was always satisfying and that’s what counts! A lot of the time I had to wait to get my shot until Phil filmed the trick first, and of course when you are completely wet and cold you don’t wanna do too many tries after you’ve already landed the trick.

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So I had to shoot fast in shitty conditions. During the day I tried to shoot with natural light, just holding an umbrella to protect my camera from the rain, or sometimes I ducttaped an umbrella to a tripod because holding an umbrella while shooting is pretty awkward. A lot of umbrellas got destroyed by the wind in this project. If I was shooting with a fish-eye it was just under the rain, no protection. After every try you had to clean the lens from the raindrops. But not every shot was taken in rainy conditions. Sometimes it had already stopped and it was just wet outside. When I used my flashes I had to put a transparant plastic bag around the flash and the battery pack. I think that for the filmer, putting out the generator and lamps during heavy rainfall was really a hassle! A lot of the filming was lines in the rain with the fish-eye, so they put plastic all around the camera with tape, leaving just a hole for the lens. he tricks in the project were very particular and strange… it looks like it was hard to shoot them in the best possible way in order to convey the feeling of speed, the slipperiness of the surfaces, and the balance necessary to land them...

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let’s say it was easier to film or shoot a sequence than shoot a still photo. What were the main challenges you faced and what trick did you have to perform to make the shots look as good as possible? Phil decided early on in the project that he was mainly gonna do powerslides, sometimes in combination with other tricks. He really wanted to make something that hadn’t been done before. Otherwise the project wouldn’t be so original. Kyle Leeper for example had already done this rad clip with Mike Manzoori in the rain a couple of years ago (Rain or Shine), it was basically normal skate tricks but performed in the rain. I think shooting this project wasn’t all about the action shots, it was the whole ambiance that was interesting to capture. Some powerslides were sick to shoot, but some I really didn’t bother shooting because they would have looked way too static. And when there were flip ins and outs involved you could basically only shoot sequences. I didn’t want to shoot too many sequences either since I’m not a fan of them. But there were also tricks that looked better on photo and didn’t get used in the edit. For me it was just about documenting the entire atmosphere of the project. That’s why it was important to make a little booklet of this project. Most magazines would never concentrate too much on the ambiance shots, which I think is a shame.

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But to each his own, of course! There are some exceptions, for example Solo mag from Germany, they really like to publish lifestyle shots as well. guess you guys looked for a lot of marble surfaces? That’s what we first thought of as well, but after Phil tried to skate some marble stuff he found out that when it was wet it became more sticky. The best surfaces are wood and metal. Plastic is good as well but harder to find in the form of a spot. hat’s you favourite trick from the project? I think the bs powerslide bs flip out and the switch powerslide bigspin out (which was the ender of the part) in the little rectangular fountain in Antwerp. But those weren’t too interesting to shoot though. Of the stuff I shot, I think the front wheel backside powerlside in Bilbao on the fountain that was a bank, with the flash behind him. But that trick wasn’t even in the edit because it didn’t look good on video.

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have you ever thought, “Phil is crazy, he’s trying every possible way to break his ass, ha ha ha.” I don’t think he’s crazy, ok he got beaten up pretty badly from time to time because of all those unexpected slippery slams. What I call crazy is those guys who skate those massive rails, hubbas etc… one bad slam and they end up in the hospital and out for a year or so. But Phil is pretty crazy as person, and I don’t mean this in a negative way. He’s just a maniac full of energy. A pretty unique character. hat about Jarne, he had some tricks in the edit. Did he come on many tours? Haha, Jarne was so scared the first time he tried stuff on slippery surfaces, but after one day he got used to it and was really killing it! But when we asked him to come on another tour he kindly said, “no, thanks.” Jarne is normally super motivated to do stuff, so this says a lot about the intensity of the project. ny funny story that happened while working on the Waterproof project? I saw a lot of funny slams where he ended up in a puddle of water, probably less pleasant

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for him, but I enjoyed it of course! Another one, maybe not so funny, but it made us laugh in a way, was when we were looking for a spot for an ender. During the entire project it was really hard to think of a spot that would be perfect for this.

action shots where the rain chases him, which pisses him off, but then at the end he accepts the fact of the rain chasing him and starts to skate and have fun in the rain. For example, we made a rain machine out of a garden hose full of tiny holes.

On the first trip we did, it was actually the first spot he ever skated in the rain for this project, a marble-looking long manual spot with all the metal skate stoppers that was perfect for an ender.

We wanted to film a scene in the hotel room while he was watching TV on his bed, where all of a sudden it starts raining just above him inside the hotel room. It was just hilarious smuggling the rain machine (the garden hose was attached to a big wooden beam) into the hotel and getting stuff wet inside the room.

That’s where he did the ollie up, then ollied over the metal thing to powerslide, followed by another ollie over a metal thing to powerslide, and then ollie to fakie out.

We also shot that scene in my car, where it started raining in the car.

This was in Switzerland, at the end of the project we returned to Switzerland and with all the practice he had had on slippery spots he was sure he was gonna be able to do some crazy combo on that thing as an ender.

Filming stuff like that is always absurd. Someone had to activate the rain machine and sometimes it was too early, just stupid stuff like that. Anyways, being on tour with Phil is always a good laugh, whether it’s for a rain project or for something else.

It took us an hour’s drive to get to the spot, only to find out that they had put benches on top of that manual block.

hat are you working on at the present time and what are you plans for 2017?

We couldn’t believe it. Also, every time we planned a trip, we had to do it last-minute to be sure to have a lot of rain.

Right now I’m finishing all the stuff that I shot over the last 5 years as one of the city photographers of Antwerp.

So three days before we left, the forecast said crazy rain, and on almost every trip we did, when we arrived at our destination, the forecast had completely changed.

There is gonna be a big group expo in the ‘Het Mas’ museum, which is one of the newest and biggest museums in Antwerp. Our works will be exhibited for a period of one year which is pretty rad. It opens in April, I think. Apart from that, Vans Europe has planned some trips, and I will probably do some other tours. I’m also involved with

I think we had the most fun filming the lifestyle action shots. A lot of them weren’t featured in the video part. So he wanted to film all these

a documentary-maker who’s making a series for the national Belgian TV station called Canvas. It’s gonna be about ‘Linkeroever,’ which is a place on the other side of Antwerp when you cross the big river. There is a really weird vibe over there and it can sometimes be compared to a ghost town, although it’s full of inhabitants. It gives you an idea about how people experience the architecture over there. Pretty interesting to shoot. Might do a book on it and also an expo. But the filming still needs to start and the project will come out sometime in 2018. Looking forward to that one!

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PLACES_ Photography // Giulia Romano

Marrakesh a brief glance

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