Born in New Jersey in 1969, Dennis McGrath became interested in photography through his love for skateboarding as a teenager. In 1994 he took a more serious approach to photography while studying at the San Francisco Art Institute where he was introduced to the works of Nan Goldin and Larry Clark, both of whom had a major influence towards sparking his interest in photographing those people closest to him. In the mid 90s he turned his attention to documenting one iconic skateboarder in particular, Lennie Kirk, whose greater life story is portrayed through Dennis’s work. While residing in San Francisco, Dennis met Keith Hufnagel while shooting skate photos around the city, and the two have remained close friends ever since. Dennis then began traveling the world as a professional photographer, shooting for major skateboard publications including Big Brother, SLAP, and Transworld. In 2004, he stepped away from photographing skateboarding to focus on the sets of XXX-rated adult films, documenting the industry from his outsider’s perspective. Capturing candid portraits of various adult film stars of the industry, Dennis partnered with HUF on an exclusive collaboration in 2010 in which his photos were applied to a series of tees, skateboard decks, and postcards. Dennis is interested in storytelling through the photographic process with the use of text and ephemera—his work has been exhibited in San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles, where he currently lives and works.
DC SHOES: DC x Dennis McGrath
Dennis McGrath has put together a photo collection called “Heaven” documenting the rise an fall of legendary skateboarder Lennie Kirk along with a new collaboration of goodies from DC.