Arto Saari x The Skateboard Mag

TSM_141.indd The first thing people might say upon initial glance of Arto Saari's historical cover photo for The Skateboard Mag is, "That thing has to be photoshopped."

Fire, soaring fighter planes, a purple and pink looking skyscape, and Lance Mountain and Steven Olson donning Red Baron inspired garb might have the air of a photo simply dropped in the Adobe application and mangled, however the Finnish skater - who has become just as widely respected for his photography as he is for his skating - got the shot completely in-camera.

The photo, which portrays a WW1 dogfight of planes chasing and shooting at each other - has actually been Mountain and Olson's brainchild for the last fifteen years. One day (fifteen or more years ago) at the Glendale skatepark, Mountain revealed his idea to Olson about recreating a photo of Steve Alba and Scott Dunlap skating a pool together, but with a historical tinge.

The image, which stands as Saari's first US cover photo, was shot in Saari's backyard in Hollywood and was largely a collaborative effort, building off Mountain and Olson's original idea, calling on Tait Roelofs to paint the backdrop for the image, and enlisting Saari's keen photographic eye.

Watch how the cover photo was shot in the video below.