words and photos by Chris Lachall
In 1994, I purchased my first camera and started studying photography in college. I went to school with Vern Laird who was already a Love Park local. I would give Vern rides home from school and he would get all excited telling me about what went down at Love Park the day before. “This kid Lil’ Stevie is learning so quickly. There’s a new dude Matt Reason from Pittsburgh who’s better than everybody.” Vern’s stories would get me fired up to go to Love Park to shoot photos, so I would go there and shoot my homework assignments for photo class.
Back in the 90’s, Philly was a pretty damn gritty place and there was a good chance that you’d get vibed out at Love Park if you were a newcomer or considered to be a kook. Stevie Williams was 15 at the time. He was a cool kid, soft spoken, focused and confident. I felt alright asking Stevie if I could shoot photos of him because of how cool of a kid he was. When you watched him skate you could tell that he was going to be great someday.
These photos aren’t great technically, the main reason we are talking about them now is because of the amazing people in the photographs and because of how special of a place Love Park was to skate. The skateboarders in these photos played a big role in the reason why Love Park became a legendary skateboard mecca that is featured in video games.
In 1995, I started a career as a staff photographer for a newspaper and stopped chasing the dream of becoming a skateboard photographer. I’ve been working for a news outlet for the past thirty years now. I’ve photographed world news stories, presidents, and professional sports, yet the photos that people are always interested in talking about most are the photos I shot at Love in the 90’s, and that speaks volumes. I wish I shot more.
