Don’t Waste Time is a skateboarding zine from Winnipeg, Manitoba dedicated to preserving and promoting skate culture. In this article Jackson Toone, the zine’s founder, shares the process of shooting photos for the fourth issue of the zine and showcases a few of his favourite shots. ***
In early November 2020, a couple of weeks after Issue 3 was released, I began planning for the next issue. I was set on increasing the number of articles and interviews, adding a snowboard and photo submission section, and increasing the print quantity from 300 to 425 copies. I also wanted to increase the quality of print through a new colour cover and glossy inside pages. There’s little to do during the winter in Winnipeg and the stay-at-home orders, ski hill and skatepark closures didn’t help. I spent my time learning more about my equipment and training my eye elsewhere, by shooting landscape and urban style photos. Unfortunately, nothing hits the spot quite like shooting skateboarding and snowboarding, so when the ski hills and skateparks opened again, I was happier than ever. The Edge indoor skatepark is an awesome local gem, but after a month or so, everyone was itching to skate outdoors again. Luckily we were gifted with a hot early spring. Word spread fast and the Plaza was soon packed again. It seemed as if everyone had come out of the winter primed and ready to throw stuff down with the courage to try new things and a fresh set of legs. I found myself in the middle, camera in hand, ready to capture the best moments. Below are a few of my favourite shots from the past six months.
Fane Smeall / BS 5050: One of the hardest things about putting together a zine is finding a cover shot. Fane tried several things throughout the weeks leading up to the deadline. Countless kick-outs and many gnarly slams later, we were pulling into the parking lot next to a particularly deadly sixteen-set. The rail had been recently de-knobbed, but the run-up was blocked by a curb. It’s a good thing that Erik had a truck to shuttle in a couple of signs, sheets of plywood and rubble. Essentially, Fane had to wallie over the curb, onto a piece of plywood, just a few feet, before popping into a back 50. The landing was uneven and the wall of a building came up quick, making a long rollaway impossible.Austin Baran / Kickflip: I couldn’t find the right angle to capture the whole spot but after someone pointed out the Convention Center skywalk above, I knew what I had to do. The Convention Center was a supersite for vaccines in Manitoba and it was crowded with people, security guards and police. After navigating that mess, I made my way to the skywalk. I called Jamen on the ground, who positioned the flash and the next thing I know, Austin was riding away from this second try kickflip.Jullian Kelly / Ollie: On the first street mission of 2021, after checking out a couple of spots with no luck, we pulled up to this bump to ledge. Julian Kelly is no stranger to spots like this. The hardest part is the gnarly crack at the start of the ramp and popping over the ledge sideways to avoid the curb. This was no issue for Julian and he threw down this ollie within a few tries.Erik Penton / Kickflip Back Smith: A day before Fane lands the cover, we arrived at this legendary Winnipeg spot known as the “gold bar”. After a good warm-up and many tries, Erik Penton stomped this flip back smith just before dark. Anyone who has seen this spot in person knows that this is no joke. An uphill runup and gapping to the rail add to the challenge. Not to mention the fact that Erik learned this trick just a few days earlier.Loki Bigras / Popshuv: When the ski hill and indoor park close, there’s not much to do in a Winnipeg winter. Good thing you can always occupy yourself with a snowskate. Loki scoops a popshuv at the snowy Plaza on a warm December afternoon.
