Lanna Apisukh

TRIGGERED ©LANNA APISUKH

By Lanna Apisukh 

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve been fascinated by skateboarding. It’s a fun and creative outlet that allows me to connect with other like-minded individuals in the public space. As I ventured out to skateparks throughout the years I’ve lived in New York City, I began bringing my camera along with me to document the culture and growing number of female, trans and non-binary skaters I was beginning to see more of at the parks and on the streets. This growing body of work I was making as a passion project eventually led to commissioned work with FUJIFILM in early 2022, when this image was made with skater Jennifer Charlene. 

The goal was to capture her in action at Venice skatepark in Los Angeles, which is sort of like photographing in Time Square. It’s always crowded and full of tourists. So to avoid all the background distraction, I had her skate on the far side of the park facing the beach so I could isolate her as she gracefully rode up and down the ramps. It took a few tries (albeit with a new production camera I had never used before!) but eventually I froze her as her board turned parallel to the top of the ramp’s coping. The sun was high in the sky (usually not my favorite time to shoot) but I knew it would help me compose something that would feel bright and dynamic or even graphic with the hard light and wavy shapes of the bowl. 

When I got behind a computer to review the images, I wasn’t certain what I got that day as the California sun was shining brightly making it hard to preview images on location. Fortunately, what I saw was this light and airy ballet-like action moment captured with Jen – one that has become a favorite in my skate portfolio.

To view more of Lanna’s work, visit her website.