Zimmerman photographed Tony Alva for People magazine in 1978. Alva was 20 and had recently launched a highly successful business selling skateboards with his bold, graphic signature. The skateboard legend, now 62, reminisced about that photo shoot before a recent film screening of “The Tony Alva Story” at San Francisco IndieFest. 

John photographed Alva at his Venice skateboard factory (R) and surfing the waves before the two took off in a small propeller plane for the Arizona desert, to a site with huge concrete pipes (24 feet in diameter). Tony remembers the trip as a real adventure, saying he would never have gained access to skate the pipes, but John calmly presented his business card and talked his way in.  Once inside, the pair set to work capturing Alva’s signature skateboarding style–aggressive and vertical, amid the desert landscape. 

The Zimmerman Archive is proud to present a special edition print of this unique photograph, signed by Tony Alva. The edition is limited to five prints measuring 13″ x 19″, digitally printed with the finest archival ink and paper. Each print is individually numbered and stamped with the Archive’s impress and bears Alva’s signature. A certificate of authenticity accompanies the prints, priced at $2000. The photograph was recently published in America in Black and White: Selected Photographs of John G. Zimmerman (Hannibal Press, 2017). Additional information available on request here.