Shiner overlord, avid skate photographer and Newport’s resident Irishman Jerome Loughran is next up in our “Photographers Stories” series, dishing the dirt behind a handful of his favourite shots from 2011.
Give it a read below then check back tomorrow for more tales!
Marc Churchill, boneless, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Marc, like myself, has a love for Oregon and we have to go every year, it’s become a Concrete addiction. We got the Oregon bug like three years ago, which is when this was shot as we kinda started shooting for what turned out to be the interview he had earlier this year.
This photo was shot on the forth day of the trip, we had just started to shake off the jet lag and so we hit up Klamath Falls, deep in Cowboy Country. We rocked up to the skatepark literally foaming at the mouth to find one of the biggest concrete masses I’d ever seen. We all piled out of the van only to be hit by a wall of forty four degree heat, the air-con in the van had lead us into a false sense of security. Ha-ha.
Marc was melting like all of us but we had this amazing park to ourselves so we skated in what was like an oven for hours, and it was amazing.
Marc hoisted this Boneless well over head height and I was so hyped on it and stoked that it made it into his interview, this was my first solo interview published in the mag and it was with my best homie!
The best thing about this photo was what happened after we shot it. Later that evening, we hit up a Rodeo which was mental and then the after party, actual Cowboys – all six feet plus, the hats and full denim outfits – line dancing! It all got a bit weird when the music changed into R n’ B. Seeing massive Cowboys grinding to R n’ B is a bit wrong.
Denis Lynn, frontside noseslide, Belfast.
This was shot on the Shiner Ship Tour, where we headed over to Ireland with some of the riders to link up with skate friends and family. We Had Stu Graham, Manhead, Jake Collins, Nicky Howells and Conhuir Lynn met us over there. Conhuir asked if his younger brother Denis could jump in the van. I hadn’t seen his little brother since he was a little kid in Belfast years before, but Rye (Gray) was keen so he got the thumbs up from me.
Dude, I didn’t know what I let myself in for. Ha-ha! He’s the best dude ever, fully keeping me on my toes all the time, man I can watch him skate all day long! During one of the sessions, Stu taught him backside body jars and within a few minutes he was doing them like he had been doing them for years! He is what happens when a skate rat turns into a skate monster!
I had to hook him up straight after that, and I’m fully backing him all the way! The photo was shot during one of the few dry spells we had on the trip up in Belfast’s new Titanic Quarter. The spot is so good, just watch out for your board as Denis nearly lost his in the drink!
Stevie Thompson, Lovenskate Bowl Jam, London.
I Shot this at the Lovenskate/Carhartt “Alice in Wonderland” party that Stu from Lovenskate had put on to celebrate some collaborations between the brands. I’ve never met a dude so into what he’s doing as Stu, look at him (the Rabbit on the right), always smiling! He had this bowl made to fit into his themed event which is so rad.
To say this was tight is the biggest understatement, there was no flat bottom, tight as hell walls and really good fun. A host of shredders did stuff that you wouldn’t think possible in something like this – Ewen Bower and Sam Roberts to name a few – but it was Mr Stevie Thompson who killed it off! If you ever get a chance to skate with Stevie I strongly recommend it. He’s a rad guy, just straight up madness getting into and out of the weirdest and most amazing tricks you will ever see. Watch his sections in any of Andy Evans’ films for the proof.
Darren Navarette, layback tailblock, Leeds.
Earlier this year we had the Creature team hit the UK shores and I was at the helm as driver, photographer and general dogsbody but it kept me busy and it was one of the best tours I’ve ever been on!
I had met Navarette on a previous Indy tour and knew him a little, he’s been and done it all, he doesn’t need to lay it down at demos, plus by his own words it takes him forever to warm up and wake the Vertical Vampire!
He is mostly known for his vert and large transition skating, but when we rolled up to Needleside in Leeds, he got in the mix with the rest of the guys. Always mellow, Navs takes it all in and he’s not your typical Yank! There’s nothing like shooting with one of your favourite skaters that’s for sure!
Nicky Howells, nollie heel, Newcastle.
I had wanted Nicky on the Shiner Big Push, but until like a couple of weeks before it was touch and go if his knackered ankle would make it, but after hours of searching various websites we managed to get him the most tech ankle support going. It seemed to do the job as Nicky was killing it and getting a bunch of the challenges done! But what it didn’t seem to do is help with his mental state, like any skate trip when you have filmers, photographers and a big crew, you attract a great amount of attention from the general public. On this trip it seemed like we got more than our fare share of alco’s, crackheads and general busybodies, to add to it they seemed to come out when Nicky was about to break himself off. Nicky is one of the funniest characters in the UK scene, always making people laugh, just don’t let him put his iPod on, I cant get The Wanted out of my head even now!
