Two sun-drenched California girls and a kid on a board, each completely in their own world. No agenda, no awareness of each other — just sunshine, concrete, and the pure unselfconscious freedom of a Southern California summer afternoon that could only have existed in 1976.
Low to the ground, grinding and carving the asphalt like a wave. Young, fearless, and utterly anonymous — this rider went on to make some very big waves. Hugh tells the rest. "That shot was one of several I did on the street, at Balboa Island, in the summer of 75, just as I was beginning the Skate series. I was shooting some kids that were hot-dogging on the street on the sidelines of a small skate contest. I had no idea who they were. A few years later, someone saw them and asked if I knew who that kid was. I said no. He said it was Danny Kwock, who went on in the 80s to be a top surfer in the Newport area, and surfed for Quiksilver. Now he is the president of Quiksilver entertainment. He is a very cool guy." — Hugh Holland.
At the pinnacle of his highest point, the sun catches him at an angle that makes him transcend gravity and space — suspended in time, suspended in light. He reaches out. And so do we.
A solitary skater owns the empty concrete of the Viper Bowl, arms wide, riding the curve like a wave. Cruciform, weightless, ethereal — a worshipper caught mid-devotion, arms open to the California sun. One of Holland's most iconic images, and the moment skateboarding stopped being a pastime and became an art form.
Golden hour sunlight turns his hair to fire — a young Apollo riding his chariot across an empty Los Angeles schoolyard. Holland had a gift for finding poetry in ordinary places, and this is one of his most lyrical, timeless, and effervescent.
© Copyright 2026 Hugh T. Holland Trust & Hugh Holland Photography. All photographs and content are protected by copyright and international treaties.
No image may be copied, reproduced, published, or used for AI training without prior written permission. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy • Copyright & Licensing Policy • Print Sales and Fulfillment Policy • DMCA / Copyright Infringement Notice Procedure • Terms of Use
-->
