What we have here is a self-professed skate-nerd who lives with his folks in Kitchener, Ontario. One might assume Will Jivcoff would be at geographical odds in terms of trying to carve out a career path as a skate photographer. Not quite the case. At 19 years-old, he's covered a lot of ground over his near 5-years spent behind the lens. Since 2007 his photo missions have taken him to places like Texas, California, Arizona, Barcelona, and his beloved Detroit.

Will's first photo was published in the April 2008 issue of Concrete, and he was profiled in the mag's 2010 Photo Annual. In the December 2010 issue he was featured as the "star contributor" on the Rise & Shine page after reeling in a 10-pager about the Bones Wheels team skating the GTA.

"I've grown to the age where I don't really fan out on skaters anymore; well, not to their faces anyways," Will jokes when asked about the Bones trip that boasted a roster of renowned pros like Sierra Fellers, Jake Duncombe, and more. "I definitely did some bragging to my friends at home about getting to capture one of Jeremy Wray's frontside 360s. Needless to say, it was a blast."

This time around, Will shares some of his favourite unpublished photos:

Will Jivcoff by Will Jivcoff.

What was your first photo set-up, and what main kit do you roll with now?
My first camera was a Canon EOS 30D with a 10-22mm wide-angle lens, a cheap 28-90mm lens and a Canon 430 EX flash. At the time, I had no clue what I was doing.

How often do you shoot with film?
I've only got one film camera, a Bronica SQ-A, which shoots 120 film. Lately I've been holding back on the film trigger if I'm going long-lens unless the spot really catches my eye. For fisheye, the square format can't be beaten.

Justin Bohl – 5-0 // August 2008
"This is a good friend of mine skating a downtown Detroit wall-rail. Justin dubbed it ‘Poo Alley' because it's the most disgusting and vile place I have ever set foot in. It's got shit stains on the wall and reeks of piss. But hey, it made for a cool photo."

What got you interested in photography to begin with?
Gradually, through skate magazines, I started paying more and more attention to the photos, the lighting and how everything was going down. I think what really set me off and made me commit to buying a camera was the 2005 Transworld Photo Annual. I remember that whole issue being amazing.

Homeless King // July 2009
"Detroit blows my mind every single time. The downtown core is so empty and has so much urban decay. I happened to find this fellow and gave him a buck. He mouthed toothlessly, ‘I need it more than you,' then he closed his eyes and stayed that way until we left."

Being someone who's benefitted from coming up in the Digital Age, how aware are you of skate photography's roots?
I pay a lot of attention to the history and I might even actually prefer that style of shooting. You didn't need to bring a rolling studio with you. My favourite skate photo for sure is the Natas Kaupus frontside ollie on a bank shot by Tod Swank. It was featured in the 2010 Concrete Photo Annual (see it on p.91 of the online edition). By today's skate photo standards, everything is wrong with that photo [laughs]. But the lighting and Natas' style are amazing.

Mitch Donovan – switch 360 flip // September 2009
"I had just met Mitch earlier on this day in Toronto and soon found out how good he could do switch tre flips. He was even cool enough to huck a bunch of these even after he had landed it. Sometimes filmers and photographers just can't agree on angles."

Which Canadian lensmen helped you out along the way?
Andrew Norton, Peter Stankiewicz and Terry Worona. I had them on MSN Messenger when I was younger and would bug the shit out of them all day, every day [laughs]. Peter's a good friend of mine and he was the first to school me about 120 film. Terry pretty much schooled me on everything I needed to know about radio slaves. Early on, I really had no idea what the standards were for skate photos, so Andrew was really good to talk to. He was the intern at SBC Skateboard at the time.

Would you send a lot of photos to Norton for constructive criticism?
I distinctly remember sending him the first photo that I was super stoked on. He was like, "Well, it's just a noseslide. I think he'd have to get a bit crazier than that." My heart was broken, but he was right. That just pushed me even harder, and looking back I think that may have been the very birth of the photo standards I have today.

Justin Bohl // January 2009
"Justin and I went to visit a friend down one winter down in Long Beach, where there can be some pretty epic foggy nights. This was a typical evening – skating the best damn flatground at El Dorado skatepark."

Why the love affair with Detroit?
I guess it would have something to do with all the unseen spots, the lawlessness and just how grimy everything is in general. When I think of skateboarding, I think of skateboarding in Detroit. When I see footage of Detroit on a VX-1000, I think that's exactly how skateboarding should look: rough, rugged and raw. There are no cliques and no attitudes – just dudes trying to get down.

Mitch Pryma – front blunt to fakie // February 2010
"Hands down, this photo of Mitch is my favourite I've ever taken of skateboarding. This was in Barcelona at one of those spots where everything about it makes so much sense for a photo's composition. The last time I was this excited might have been when I got a Gameboy for my 6th birthday."

*Visit Will Jivcoff's website right here.

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