When shooting a surf session, my focus is generally on the waves. There is, however, always an interesting interplay going on behind me as surfers arrive, prepare, compare notes, and leave a session. What happens on the sand is as much about So Cal surf culture as what goes on in the waves…
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When shooting surf events, the focus is on the waves. We’re typically seeking to capture the gnarly cutback or fins-out move off the top. As a surf photographer with over two decades of shooting, I will tell you that it is easy to forget to look at the scenes on the beach as well. But…
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I love to surf and I love to take surf photos. Often its with an eye towards competition surfing. Then an event comes along reminding me that surfing is about connection: connection to the ocean; connection to your emotions; and connection to your tribe. This event was a Team Quinn Adaptive Surf Event.
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An amazing confluence of events took place this past Wednesday. School was out in So Cal. It was the first day of summer. June Gloom gave way to sunny skies. A swell kissed our shores. And it all coincided with USA Surfing’s Championships at Lowers. And oh, what a day!!
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When many surfers hear the word SUP, they immediately think of the over 40 crowd floating along the bay inexplicably wearing a leash as they slowly cruise along over 2″ ripples. Then there are the surfers who also surf SUPs. This is a different breed of watermen and waterwomen and nothing like the bay floaters.
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Marking the coast of San Diego County are a series of piers stretching out into the ocean past the surf line. Some of these were built in the late 1800s to support coastal trade. More were added in the early 1900’s as pleasure piers. Today, they stand silently in the depths, willing couples to stroll, fishermen to cast and surfer’s to shoot.
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May Gray has definitely settled in for those of us that live along the coast and we can expect June Gloom to follow. As a photographer, my work is all about the light and usually color. I absolutely love sunny days, blue skies, and blue water and the vibrant images that can be created in those settings. So what to do in May and June? Well, in the spirit of lemonade from lemons, our annual marine layer presents some wonderful opportunities to see our world in a slightly different way.
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2023 started off with a bang on the West Coast. Big waves, er towering monsters, were providing dramatic moments as the watermen and waterwomen paddled out to meet these challenges day after day. Photogs were clicking away from the shore and we were producing awesome images on a daily basis. Then the ocean went flat. What to do?
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I have spent years photographing surfers and surfing events. My goal is often to capture critical moves on the wave, body language that speaks to the difficulty of the sport and facial expressions that hint at the ultimate joy of surfing. Yet these are typically solo representations as surfing is primarily an individual sport. That is, until you watch adaptive surfing…
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Remember those trips to the beach when you were just a little kid? You would walk along the shoreline with your little green bucket swinging from your hand as you scanned the sand for a beautiful shell to add to your sandy collection. Maybe it was a whole sand dollar, or perhaps a jewel toned shard of shell. Everything was a treasure. You would bring them home, hose them off, and line them up on the warm bricks to dry. What is is about collecting seashells that is timeless?
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I posted before about my fascination with our Brown Pelicans and got so many great comments and questions, I thought I would share the story behind this image I call “The Dive.”
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There is a patch of old So Cal coast where time is forgotten and development was left behind. It is raw; it is natural; it is called the Tijuana Sloughs. It also happens to be a great place to spend a day with your camera.
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The ocean is relaxing and soothing, right? Not always! Sometimes the ocean roars with anger and power as we recently witnessed this January. When she fully awakens, it is a thing of beauty and its time to shoot! And boy did January deliver with a set of gorgeous images.
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I am drawn toward images on people’s walls that evoke an emotion; especially positive ones. So when I go out to shoot, I am always keeping an eye out for the opportunity to capture a single moment that communicates my feelings at that time.
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We all did it growing up. We all know the thrill of feeling the wave gathering strength and propelling you down the face. But there is a subset of bodyboarders who have taken that experience to a much higher level. I set out last week to see if I could capture some of the action and here is what I discovered:
Continue readingWhat an amazing run of swell we have enjoyed here in Southern California. Pundits call it a once in 50 years kind of swell. I call it “busy time.” As a surf photographer, the opportunities have been broad and the toughest part has been choosing where to shoot every morning.
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Every image has a story behind it and “The Scavenger” is no exception. I absolutely love this little image as much as for the symmetry as the moment in time. Here’s the story….
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With tens of thousands of surfing images stored on my hard drives, I realized that I have an incredible source of material to play around with (notice I didn’t say “work”). Photoshop opens the door to a wealth of approaches to making whimsical, wacky, or cool images from your surf photography. Let me show you some examples…
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I get a lot of questions about workflow when I’m out shooting the surf scene. First, I appreciate the question because there is so much more to capturing a good image than just pointing and shooting and anyone who asks the question has obviously struggled with the editing process. So, here I strive to share the steps I take once the day’s shooting is complete and I’m back at the computer.
Continue readingThis is a question I get a lot: are the best surf photos closeups or distance shots? My personal answer is that there is a purpose for each type of image. Here are my specific thoughts on the matter:
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