Los Angeles-based photographer Atiba Jefferson has a prolific portfolio of iconic skate images. For his latest series, Jefferson partners with Fender to highlight pro skateboarder Don “Nuge” Nguyen in all his glory jamming on his Deluxe Active Jazz Bass. When asked how the Fender x Nuge collaboration came about:
"I have known Nuge for about 15 years. I first heard about him because he was the dude who ollied the infamous 20-stair El Toro [a high school in Lake Toro with 20 stairs known simply as El Toro 20]. When I was asked to direct this piece for Fender I knew we could create something special, because Nuge is great at everything he touches – skateboarding, music and life. I myself have been playing Fender basses since I was 13, so to work on a project with the best bass makers was an honor and to tell the "Nuge story" was a perfect fit.”
Jefferson’s photos of Nuge showcase the longstanding friendship between the two as Nuge is captured in his home, with his vintage Trans Am, at a skate and recording jam sesh in Los Angeles ahead of him performing at a show later that night. Jefferson adds, ”Nuge is the golden child, a man of many talents. He's saved 15 people from dying in a van crash, he's ollied the biggest set of stairs, and bombed the third biggest hill in the country, which went viral and was all over the news. (Bombed is going down a hill on his skateboard). He's a modern-day cowboy cruising through life and this world on his skateboard and playing the bass whenever he wants.”
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