The cover-shot has always been something pretty special to be a part of. For both the surfer it features and the photographer who took it. For me the cover-shot should always be selected using one criteria – best image wins.

When searching for the shot that would grace the cover of our style issue we knew we had our work cut out for us. It had to be something that immediately encapsulated everything the word style stands for, and to pull that off in one shot is no small feat.

When this image of Steph got thrown into the mix we instantly knew it was the one. Everything about it screams style. I believe it’s a pretty iconic shot and one that will sum Steph’s style and surfing long after she retires.

The man who took the shot, Morgan Maassen, has such a great eye for these moments, and his unique post-production adds a lot of mood to the image. This shot always had to be a cover.

Let’s hear what Morgan has to say about the shot.

This photo was taken in the deep south of mainland Mexico.

Steph and I were revisiting a place where we had scored several summers prior, and found it to be just as good as we had left it. Endless jungle, rolling sand dunes, and a swimming pool-temperature sea treated us to 5 days of pumping point breaks.

While Steph tore the waves to shreds on her high-performance DHD quiver, it was when she pulled out her mysterious black single fin that i really had a field day shooting.

This afternoon was probably the hottest day of our stay – the sun was merciless, beating down at 33 degrees plus. Steph paddled out at high noon and drew lines on waves that i have never seen someone take before with my own eyes… The stuff of legend.