Believe it or not, Barefoot Wines has been taking great strides to get involved in surfing and more importantly, cleaning up our beaches. With a 15 year relationship with the Surfrider Foundation, Barefoot’s mission is to preserve our beaches, making them “barefoot friendly.” In their recent efforts of the last 3 years, Barefoot wines has held more than 75 cleanups, helped remove more than two tons of trash and hosted more than 2,000 volunteers.

And their latest project, One Beach, a film by Jason Baffa (Singlefin Yellow) explores creativity, optimism and having fun cleaning our beaches around the world. The film includes surfboard shaper Kevin Cunningham (Spirare Surfboards), Jim Moriarty (Surfrider Foundation), artists Richard and Judith Lang, Barbara DeVries (recycled plastic jewelry maker) and Tim Silverwood (Take 3), each of whom is making thier own unique efforts to help clean our beaches. For more on the film and other related videos, visit The Barefoot Wines Facebook Page.

Dane takes advantage of a little swell in Ventura this past week on his self-shaped Sperm Whale quad. According to Dane’s blog, he shaped it with the guidance of Thomas Campbell (who has only shaped one board himself). But no matter how the thing looks or works, we all know this pilot could pretty much fly anything.

Film/Edit: Michael Kew
peathead.blogspot.com

While immersed in college life at UC Santa Barbara, Josh Kimball began shooting images of anything and everything with no formal training and a basic SLR. Soon after graduating, a few of his images ran in leading publications, and what began as a hobby soon became a career path as dozens of national and international magazines, books, calendars and websites collectively published several hundred of his images.

Josh accompanied Cyrus on his first Under the Sun trip to Australia, helping as an extra hand for Cyrus as well as shooting stills of the ensuing trip. Below you’ll find a selection of Josh’s photos from the trip as well as some words about his experience down under as well as bit more about the man behind the lens.

Under the Sun DVD and original motion picture soundtrack are now available in our store.

How did you get connected with Cyrus for Under the Sun?

Well I guess it sort of started when I was living in Cardiff back in 2003. I had managed to snag an internship at SURFER MAGAZINE in the photo department, and I had an assignment to shoot some portraits of Cyrus for possible general usage. That happened, and that’s how I more or less got to know him. Later on that year I moved up north to Central California for a change of pace, but still made frequent trips down south for photo-related business. I’d often find myself hanging out and shooting photos with Devon Howard, an incredible surfer and all-around good guy who happened to be very well connected in the surf industry. Devon knew of my aspirations with photography, and mentioned that Cyrus was possibly looking for an assistant for a long trip he was going to be doing. I had sort of lost touch with Cyrus, this now being late in 2005, but the prospect of doing a trip like what Devon mentioned was incredible. Devon put us in touch, and after a few months of planning logistics, I was tagged to be Cy’s assistant on a trip to Australia. It goes without saying that I was completely thrilled with the opportunity.

Talk about your involvement with the film? What parts were you there to photograph?

My role was essentially twofold: to be of general assistance to Cyrus, and to provide still imagery when possible of the trip in general. As far as helping Cyrus went, I did everything from helping lug around some of his gear, to driving vans while he filmed out the window, to videotaping his interviews with guys like Dave Rastovich, to name a few tasks. All around general assistance basically. Cy also needed me lend my skills with the still camera to hopefully provide general fodder for future magazine and website use to promote the film. It was a good arrangement, and while I knew I’d need to be there first and foremost as his assistant, I relished every chance I had to get to shoot stills.

Any memorable moments from the trip? What stood out for you?

Wow. Too many to count, and in each of the Good, Bad, and Ugly categories. It was a pretty heavy trip in a lot of ways. I flash back on the good, and have a blur of memories of flying to a new country, being locked inside sapphire tubes shooting photos of amazingly talented surfers like Rasta, of getting to know a bevy of new people, of the gorgeously pristine New South wales and Queensland beaches, and of just having the opportunity in general to be able to travel and get paid to do it. Pretty unreal for a guy who’d only been pursuing a photography career for a couple years.

Cy and I also experienced some massively difficult times as well. Talk about a crazy day. I had just dusted a roll of film out in the water on this flawless day of gaping barrels at a northern NSW reefbreak which Rasta just owned that day, and ran up the beach and back to the car to get more film, all jacked up as I knew I probably had just shot the best surf-action photos of my life. All giddy, I approached the vehicle, saw the side window smashed in, and my heart sank. With a quick look I knew most of my photo gear had been snaked, and I didn’t see much of Cyrus’ either. Fucking sucked. We tried to deal, but you can imagine the hassles of dealing with insurance claims while overseas, finding new gear, etc. A couple weeks later, at a different beach, after Cy had purchased thousands of dollars in new gear, someone broke into a different car we were using and took all his stuff again. We probably had something on the order of $60,000 USD in photo and video equipment stolen from us within 3 weeks.

But it’s one of those things where I feel time heals all, and so 5 years later as I reflect, the thievery plays a minor role in my mind, dwarfed by the generally positive and amazing experience that the trip was.

When did you know that photography was going from hobby to career?

Well for years, there were good signs that progression was there, although a photography career’s a tough row to hoe, so it often felt like constantly moving two steps forward and one step back. Progress, albeit slow. Getting chances to do things like the UNDER THE SUN trip and subsequent other trips and magazine work really got the ball rolling for me though. It has been a sort of leap of faith, and again, at times mind-blowingly difficult, but I just kept believing in my ability behind the camera and that sort of got me through a lot of rough patches and doubt and those sorts of things. It’s the kind of career where I’ve learned to look at it on a year by year basis – long term – as opposed to day by day or month by month and not getting caught up in the ever-present series of peaks and valleys. This has helped immensely. I recently heard a great quote that “everything takes forever”, and I find that a sort of mantra for the experiences I’ve had in the 8 years I’ve been pursuing it as a career. It takes time. But it was more of a series of events rather than one huge breakthrough for me, which I suspect is how it is for most folks in photography or other visual arts.

Was writing natural for you or was that something you developed to add to your repertoire as a photographer…sort of becoming a self-contained traveling, surf journalist?

I’ve got to be honest that writing, for me, was definitely nowhere near as natural for me as working with the camera. The latter seemed to flow often
effortlessly, whereas I found writing to often be quite a chore. I could write somewhat well, but it just took a lot of work for me to be able to compose, say, a word vehicle for a magazine article than getting the photos themselves. And I used to be so damn serious with my writing. So serious with a sort of whimsical take on things that, looking back, doesn’t always provide fun reading. A great surf journalist Steve Barilotti once read a rough draft for a mag article I asked him to peruse and give feedback from, and he, as nicely as possible, tore it a new one. At first it stung, but he gave me the best advice I’ve ever had for composing articles: have fun with it, and more importantly, make it fun for the reader. Employ humor. You don’t need to try and save the world with an article in a surf magazine. This helped a ton, and really working humor into pieces and dropping the serious edge I think made my writing a lot better. But again, although I can do it and have done so with a degree of success in being a “self-contained” surf-journalist, I definitely still don’t feel like I’m a natural-born writer.

How has your photography changed over time? Are there any techniques that really changed your approach?

It has actually changed almost 180 degrees in a lot of ways now compared to my pursuits while working on UNDER THE SUN. After basically getting burned-out on the surf industry, which can be a pretty soul-sucking place in a lot of ways, I wanted to shift from magazine work to print sales. I just really liked the idea of producing pieces that actual people would want to put in their homes, not images of teenage surfers that will run on the advertising-based, meat-market-foundation of most of the mainstream surf-magazine world. But, I chose a poor time for this sort of re-invention, the end of 2008. With the last of my major magazine article money trickling in, combined with the global financial meltdown around that time, selling prints was a recipe for disaster as that’s one of the first things on most people’s chopping blocks when they’re in dire financial straits themselves. I got clobbered. Photography as a business and career had to be suspended for most of 2009 as I took up random part time jobs to survive. I moved to wine country, worked the insanity of a harvest doing 12-15 hour shifts for 2 months straight every day, and used the money to buy a large format printer. Best investment I’ve ever made. With the financial climate somewhat better than when G.W. left office, large format fine-art prints have been my focus, and they seem to sell.

The photography has changed to sort of cater to the printmaking side of things, and I’m getting a lot more joy out of shooting landscapes and general ocean scenes, the sorts of subjects that lend well to making prints big enough to consume a lot of real estate on someone’s wall at home.

Who has been your biggest influences in surfing and photography?

Well with surfing, I might have to give the nod to Dad. He surfed as a younger man, and was the one who originally encouraged me to go rent a soft top surfboard on a family vacation to Carlsbad, CA some 17 years ago. I got bit by the surf bug real hard, and it was pretty much his doing originally. As far as influential surfers, I’ve always had an affinity for traditional longboarding. I just love it. So I obviously studied so many of the surfers in that vein: Dora, John Peck, Devon Howard, Jimmy Gamboa, Joel Tudor, to name just a few. I love shortboarding too and can do it decently enough, but I’m a traditional longboard guy through and through.

With photography, a huge influence for me has actually been Dan Merkel, especially when it comes to print sales. I’d always appreciated his work, both in the surf-world and in shooting landscapes, and I had the chance to meet him as he randomly approached my booth at an art show I did in Santa Barbara a few years back. He looked my prints over, told me I had a few good ones, but that if I wanted to make a career out of fine-art photography print sales, that I really needed to consider my subject matter more closely and think: ‘what would people want to put in their homes’. It was unsolicited advice, and it stung a bit as he more or less told me my stuff wasn’t quite there. But like what Barilotti told me with my writing, it’s been some invaluable advice and I’ve already been able to put it to use, by shooting images of landscapes and ocean scenics that both have meaning to me, but also seem to be the types of things that folks with big walls want to cover them with.

For more of Josh’s work check out his website – http://joshkimball.com/

Nat Lanyon is a 24 year old, Australian photographer/filmmaker. Only shooting for about 4 years, Nat’s polished style is well beyond his years of professional experience in the field. With a strong passion for surfing and skateboarding, it is clear in Nat’s work that he has a bright future ahead. When he recently sent us over his reel, we had to dive in a bit deeper and find out a bit more about this young talent…

What came first for you…photo or video? And how did you get started in shooting?

Photography came first. Istarted shooting about 4 years ago. I would just muck around taking skate and surf photos with my mates while at Uni… I was just learning and having fun. I remember I sold some photos of Christian Wach to Gotcha about 3 years ago and thats when I got kinda amped and thought I would try and take it a bit more seriously. I’ve been shooting video for 18 months now.

Describe your style.

I think it’s kinda nostalgic, vivid, fun colours and lots of nice little moments. It’s evolving but..I hope, haha.

Talk about the great things of being a young filmmaker in 2011. What about the difficulties?

I like the lifestyle it brings, the travel and meeting new people. I’m setting my business up at the moment and I’m on a small business program with the government so the next 12 months should be pretty productive. The difficulties are sometimes getting people to pay on time and not fuck you around in general. Some people want stuff done for next to nothing.

What are the most important things that you have learned over the years about photography/cinematography that you always go back to?

That it’s okay to be hungover when filming, especially surf. Haha, nah, seriously maybe that you have to self-promote your work, not in a bad way but make sure you try to get it out their so that it can reach more people. Also, to be creative and try things that might not work. Sometimes it’s a waste of time but it can also really add value to a clip or a range of photos for a lookbook. You just have to give it a go.

What do you focus on when shooting? Is there a particular method you have when approaching a shoot? A routine, if you will…

Depends on the shoot. Obviously with surfing, I just gotta make sure I don’t miss anything and try to use any cool available angles without sacrificing view-ability. I prefer (or at least try) to shoot most surf lifestyles away from the beach or use nice landscapes that I’ve captured on the road because so much shit is played out. If I’m shooting a lookbook or video for fashion, I usually spend some time with the owner and we run through a set of photos they have collected for inspiration and that helps envision what we going to try and achieve. Sometimes a little storyboarding can be a fun way to make a fashion video a little bit more interesting.

Is there certain criteria that you have for yourself in order to release your next video clip. In other words, are there certain things that a clip must have for you to approve it for the world to see?

Nah, not yet. Obviously it depends if it is a paid job or if its just a personal edit. I’m pretty carefree with my personal edits. I try not to make them as professional as my paid work. I try to make them a little more fun and purely for enjoyment.

What kind of equipment do you use?

My equipment is pretty damn basic. I’ll be looking at a major upgrade in the next few months but until then I’m running a Canon 550D, 100-400mm L series Canon lense, Sigma Wide Angle & 3 Canon prime lenses. Canon Flashes and yeah that’s it.

What does it take these days to be a successful photographer? Filmmaker?

You have to be a combination of things: good technical skills, good post-production skills, creative, a solid networker and be happy doing some self-promotion.

What has been getting you stoked lately?

Just enjoying life and getting a few waves myself. Been road tripping to Byron Bay a bit, listening to good garage rock, OFWGKTA, other punks clips on Vimeo, different types of pale ales and wines, Seinfield (haha, I shouldn’t still be getting amped on that show should I?) and all the pretty ladies that this amazing weather is bringing out.

For more of Nat’s work, check out his websites:

What’s next for Nat Lanyon?

In the next few months…just working hard. I have two entries in the last round of Innersection (an online shortboarding comp ran by taylor steele), more work for Rhythm as well, which I’m amped on. I’m heading to Indo for a while in February to shoot some fashion videos and lookbooks which I’m also amped about.

This summer Cy and Ed worked with Chris Malloy to produce this short on our buds at Patagonia Cardiff. The short follows a day in the life of manager Devon Howard and celebrates Patagonia’s 5 year anniversary in Cardiff by the Sea, CA.

Starring
Devon Howard, Yvon Chouinard, Chris and Dan Malloy, and the Patagonia Cardiff Crew

Directed
Cyrus Sutton

Produced
Chris Malloy

2nd Unit Cinematography
Erik Derman

Music
Boaz Roberts

Richard and Andrew James are twin brothers, 26 years old, from Freshwater Beach in Sydney. Surfing and travel have been their lifelong passions so it was natural for them to embark on a filming mission that most would turn and run the other way at the thought of exploring such far off regions of the world.  Thirty Thousand: A Surfing Odyssey from Casablanca to Cape Town, the brother’s first film, is their story of a year long search for waves down the west coast of Africa (30,000 km), a place that some would consider as foreign as the moon. The film won the Audience Choice Award and Best Soundtrack at the International Surf Film Festival, France. In the interview below, Richard gives us some insight into the film, his experiences, and what it takes to find waves where there is little or no evidence of ride-able surf.

Tell us a little background into your film Thirty Thousand. How did the idea come about? How long was the trip? Who was involved, etc…

The west coast of Africa is such a long coastline with so much surf potential that hasn’t really been properly explored. We didn’t really know much about the areas we were going before we left – we were just inspired by looking at the map and wondering what must be out there. The plan was to go down the entire length of the coast, from north to south, starting in Morocco and ending up in South Africa. We gave ourselves a year to do the trip, but really we had no idea how long it was going to take. In the end we had to bypass a few countries by boat, places where we didn’t see much surf potential, because otherwise there was no way we could have done it in 12 months. For the most part it was just my brother Andrew and myself. We had another cameraman, a good friend of ours Tristan Fitzherbert-Smith, who was with us for the first few months, but unfortunately he couldn’t do the whole trip.

Traveling thru Western Africa, you must have some interesting stories. What were some of the more memorable parts of the trip?

Angola was really interesting. It was a really difficult place to travel through. In most places we got by with a little bit of French, but there everyone speaks Portuguese and not a word of English. It’s also incredibly expensive, about $250 per night for a basic hotel room. The only reason we could get by is because we were set up with our own car and camping gear. The economy has been turned on its head by all this oil money that’s coming in there now. People are still dirt poor, but prices are exorbitant. We also heard some crazy stories about the civil war there from a few ex-pats. These guys were amazingly unfazed by the whole thing; gunfights would be going on in the streets and they were just going about business as usual. Then driving out of Angola into Namibia, and the change of scenery from savannah to desert, with so much open space and distance between places it’s almost impossible to believe. The landscape in that part of the world is just incredible, it’s like you’re driving on the moon.

What would you say was the biggest eye opener about Africa in general? And what misconceptions did you have that have now changed after spending time down there?

Everyone associates Africa with poverty, and it’s an accurate impression to some extent, but what surprised up was the incredible inequality of wealth within Africa. There are plenty of super-rich people around, who have made money through government corruption, or oil, or mining. The extent of natural resources that some of these countries have is massive. What we realized is that there’s enough wealth within Africa to turn the entire continent around, if only Africans would start helping Africans.

How did you know where to look for waves? What did it take to access some of the spots in the film? And if you were to go back, where would you hit first?

In most of the countries we visited we knew beforehand there were good waves. It might have been just rumors, or an old photo we’d seen, or something like that. But it’s not easy to find spots. We had to use Google Earth and just figure out the setups with the most potential, and then follow our nose until we thought we’d found a good spot. Then it was a matter of waiting for swell, which could sometimes take up to a month. Access was a big problem – sometimes we were on private land owned by mining companies, sometimes it was a local village who didn’t want you surfing or were trying to make money from you, or the police asking for permits, wanting bribes, things like that. We just had to be low key about it, keep the camera hidden as much as possible, and generally we were able to film what we wanted.

If I had to chose a place to go back, I guess it depends on the kind of waves you’re after. Southern Morocco and Western Sahara have amazing longboard waves, perfect right-hand sand points. And it’s a fairly cruisy area. For barrels I’d go back to Liberia, it has these amazing bowling lefts, and it’s an incredible country to visit, but getting there and getting around is much harder.

If people were to take away one thing from watching Thirty Thousand, what would you hope it would be?

We just want people to be inspired to go travel and search for waves. We wanted to show how much is still out there to be discovered. The world is a smaller place in a lot of ways, because of the way we travel and communicate, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t find perfect waves to yourself if you’re willing to get out there and look.

As far as filming goes, any difficulties in that arena being in some remote areas and the fact that there was only the two of you?

It was hard when there was just the two of us. One would have to film while the other surfed, and then we’d swap over. When the surf was big, and we were in the middle of nowhere, going out on your own isn’t much fun. Especially in Southern Africa sharks are always on your mind. Storing all the footage and backing it up was also a challenge. We had our own generator so we were self-sufficient for power. We’d shoot HD straight onto hard drives, and then post a drive home every month or so.

What’s your background in filmmaking and how did you get started?

I’d done six months of a filmmaking course back in Australia, but I dropped out to do my own projects. I think it’s a better way to learn. Making this film has been a huge eye-opener for us in terms of figuring out how much is involved in putting together a film, as well as how the industry works. It’s been a pretty steep learning curve.

How can people see your film?

The best place to get the film is direct from our website: http://www.thirtythousand.com.au

Some people may think that the alaia was just another fad to come and go in the surfing world. However, Guilhem and Yrwan from Hidden Wood Surfboards in France believe otherwise. As advocates of riding whatever you feel you will have fun on, they have continued to run with the creation of these fun, slippery boards. Influenced from snowboarding, Guilhem and Yrwan have been working with various types of wood and materials to further develop an eco-friendly and functional alaia.

What first got you interested in riding alaias?

With an alaia, it is all about the feeling. We just love how it feels to cruise on a wave. Aesthetics is a big part of it too. The unique mix of object simplicity and wood touching. Coming from snowboarding, we found many similarities between snowboards and the alaia. It is fun to feel how much an edge holds, combined with flex, which offers an amazing pop like a snowboard in powder.

Besides alaias, what other types of surfcraft are you making?

We handcraft handplanes and paipos. Our team riders, Fred David and Pierre Louis Costes, rode them in Hawaii and had lots fun with them, which is really positive for us.

Besides that, we are working hard on a new project, a 100% Paulownia chambered board with a major step forward in the hollow construction. These new boards will be extremely resistant and smooth to surf with an outstanding aesthetic.

Describe your process of making one of your boards.

Our process is not very complicated but you need the best wood, good tools, and strong experience to get a durable board.

The first step is based on the wood blank quality. We choose the nicest parts of the wood to craft our slats. They receive a special preparation then they are planed down and glued together with a natural glue that replaces the toxic epoxy resins.

Thanks to our homemade templates, outlines are drawn on the blank and cut. Afterwards, rails, rocker and concave are pre-shaped with a electric grinder and hand finished with a plane. To get a uniform shape with nice smooth lines, we use different kinds of electric sanders. They are hand finished with several abrasive sheets of sandpaper, up to a 400 grade.

Finally, we apply our HIDDEN WOOD heat transfer and after several days of oiling, the alaia is water resistant and ready to ride.

How do you differentiate your boards from what others are doing?

We talk about alaias as boards just thought to have fun on waves. We are not really talking about performance. The difference remains in the shape and in the woodwork as a joiner.

We are mixing several wood essences (red cedar, paulownia), always working on new experimentation. We are using natural glue and working with different artist to make unique boards.

With HIDDEN WOOD alaias, we try to stick to reality. Some shapes are very sharp, reactive, which are designed for our ambassadors and will always be more technical to surf.

And other shapes are made for our friends. As passionate riders, we want to make alaia riding easy, so we always try to find little tricks to make it more popular and accessible.

Do you think alaias are just a fad in surfing? Or do you see them as a functional part of your quiver?

We love the feeling of riding an alaia. We love working with wood, we like surfing all kinds of board, from a log to a mini Simmons and we will always keep an alaia in our truck because the feeling is unique.

For more check out http://www.hiddenwood.fr and their blog at http://hiddenwoodalaia.blogspot.com/

While we’d rather grab an apple for some instant energy, it seems those slim-canned, chemical cocktail companies are funding some really cool projects these days. And it’s hard for us artists to turn down healthy budgets in this economy even when funded by a not so healthy product. Relentless Energy Drink Co. has been making some particularly impressive work through their network of filmmakers lately. The telling of personal stories behind the shreddage happens to be our cup of tea here at Korduroy, so may we introduce this particularly artistic take on the bodyboarding escapades of Jack Johns by Allan Wilson.

Here are other short films on their roster that are very much worth checking out:

http://www.relentlessenergy.com/film/flight-of-passage-ben-nordberg-and-steve-mason.html
http://www.relentlessenergy.com/film/jenny-jones-permanent-vocation.html
http://www.relentlessenergy.com/film/short-stories-2011-all-in-lennie-willow.html

Ryan Struck is a talented photographer from New Jersey. He has been shooting in the Garden State for a little over 2 years where he has primarily focused on shooting still images. Recently, Ryan has taken the leap into shooting motion, and by the clip he shot in Mexico (below) earlier this year, his eye is keen and he has a bright future ahead of him. Impressed by his work and the fact that he is fairly new to the game, we decided to dive in a bit deeper and find out about Ryan’s life since he has found photography and the lessons he has learned.

How did your interest in photography begin? Any formal training? And what does photography mean to you?

I can remember seeing photographs of people with the background out of focus and wanting to create an image the same way. I fumbled through snapping photos, putting my own perspective to the test trying to achieve this. It wasn’t until sometime later that I found out there were certain techniques to provide your viewer with depth of field which makes such photos so appealing. I took a photo class at community college and got a C and was kind of frustrated. I could never seem to fulfill the assignment requirements or really grasp the concepts the teacher was trying convey. Photographing 3 eggs against a white piece of paper just wasn’t teaching me anything, at least I didn’t think so then. I put the camera down for a long while after that. I really thought you needed to be taught how to use a camera in order to be a photographer.

Looking back, I am glad I got a bit frustrated because for me photography has a lot to do about self discovery and less about someone telling you how to take a picture. It’s an outlet for creation and I guess I’ve chosen to walk that path to my own tune.

Describe your style.

Careless, solid colors and flip flops. A teddy bear brown Carhart jacket when it snows. Ohhh… behind the camera?

I often aim to show the unseen. I want my viewers to feel like they have a front row seat to the action, but in a way they haven’t experienced before. I believe everyone has a natural curiosity as to what other people are doing. It’s so evident in bigger cities as you walk down the street. You can lock eyes with someone as you pass by or look them up and down and really check their style out. For some odd reason you never feel like you are gawking. The nature of curiosity is an important part in our lives and I experience my curiosity through the art of photography. I believe there is something to be seen in the classic look of our ordinary and everyday lives. We are all experiencing what would make great photographs I just stand aside and press the shutter button. When photographing subjects for my personal work I almost always aim for moments that draw the viewer in and allow the feeling of a stolen extended glance, without the hurriedness of being noticed.

On your website, you say you look at your life now as before photography and after photography. How has your life changed since you found photography?

Photography is a relatively new art form especially compared to other disciplines such as painting. For example, the first photographic image ever created was in 1827 versus, say, the 17,000 year old cave drawings found in Lascaux. Art and photography are always changing, at least, in my opinion. Much like a wave, photography presents me with something different continuously. I’ve met new people, seen different things and felt new ways about the world around me with a camera in my hand. Time for reflection away from the pixels is probably just as important in my journey as well. Life after photography opened my eyes to difference, details and has really captured my attention. Even more than a passion and means of employment, photography gives me a sense of fulfillment.

Photography has saved me. It has given me more than I could have ever imagined. Shortly over two years ago I started shooting surf. I snapped photos at the beach here and there before that but it wasn’t until in the dead of winter that I stuffed my camera in a housing and decided I wanted to try and create some cool photos. I started to really pay attention then. I have caught the bug and my camera has brought me to places around the world as well as awesome nooks throughout the Garden State. After assisting, interning, 2nd shooting and generally doing anything I could find photo related, I was offered a full time job in the corporate world as a staff shooter for an advertising company. The job itself is as far from an office life you can imagine, and not as glamorous as it sounds, but it has really fit me for the past year. I am convinced I obtained the position on the back of my surf photography portfolio, which still amazes me. I felt like I was just out shooting surf for the love and low and behold I was creating my first photography portfolio. I didn’t realize that portfolio would later land me an interview in NYC (I wore a suit) and a job as a photographer for the entire state of New Jersey. I am incredibly grateful that I have an actual career in photography and I love every minute of the action. I have many people to thank, but I am confident that the ocean provides for us humans far more than we may realize at times.

What has it taught you about life? And how do you apply that outside of the lens?

That life is beautiful and that I am forever a student of my surroundings. As photographers we go out of our way to find a uniqueness to call our own. Following what makes you feel comfortable equates to work you ought to be proud of. You don’t need a camera to learn about life but I choose to carry one in hopes of one day doing something important and worthy enough to share with a broad audience. Imagine if I could make a positive impact on others one day? I’m not there yet but I’m working on it. I am proud of who I am today and I only want to hone my focus as time passes. I have learned that anything worthwhile will take so much effort you will question yourself more than once. I keep this in mind and recall my past thoughts and actions as a way of remembering how far I’ve come and how far I’ve got to go.

After traveling and seeing other places, what does being a East Coast surfer mean to you?

To me the East Coast is about a sense of community. The industry is very much focused on the Pacific Ocean; all of the American magazines are based in California minus Eastern Surf Magazine, who’s home is in Florida. Some of the most common questions are “Have you been to Hawaii?” and “New Jersey has waves!?” People call the East Coast the red headed step child of surfing, there’s plenty who relish that fact. Something about the fringes of our sport that really resounds with East Coasters. That being said, however, our reputation of distant relations might fade a bit with the Quiky Pro up in New York this September. I hope everyone in town scores because this is our chance to show the world we have great waves. Waves good enough to offer $1,000,000 purse.

Now you have begun to shoot video. How does capturing motion differ for you? How has the learning curve been for you? Challenges?

Recording moments in video format compared to freezing one particular moment as a stand alone image are very different things. I can confidently say I know nothing about motion and the learning curve is steep, as anything worth a lick should be. I am just trying to absorb as much information about video and editing through reading and trial and error. Shooting video is getting easier with DSLR and Final Cut Pro is way more accessible to the masses (and me!) at $300. I believe you have to be creative and driven enough to be any good what you’re doing. Anyone with dough can shoot 10 fps (or 60p), throw their image in LightRoom (or FCPX) and move the sliders around. I’m moving on from shaky video clips to some that are more fluid and I am trying to understand the more technical aspect of motion. Once the technical side of shooting and editing is out of the way (wait, is that ever?) I feel like creativity flows a lot better. I’m looking forward to getting to that point… whenever that may be.

Is there a photo (or particular shoot in general) that you are most proud of?

Hmm, I have a trouble picking favorites and at times I tend to be a bit critical of myself. As I move forward some images I’ve created are standing the test of time. Often for me the best way to evaluate my work is looking back on the wake of images I’ve left in my path; the best stuff remaining buoyant when you have a moment to reflect. Some work is embarrassing to look at or even think about, but it’s those learning lessons which make me a better photographer. It’s not always easy, but when you can look at what you have accomplished it’s ok to think you’ve got some good work in the bag. One thing I struggled with a lot was not achieving great photos right away. I beat myself up over the work I produced. I’m happy I’ve learned to accept the imperfections of art and to be proud of what I’m creating. On good days I can tell myself I am capable of doing anything. So many times I see something so incredible with my own two eyes but when I see what my camera saw, it can be very different. This holds particularly true for surf photography because you don’t often get a “do over” on that last set wave. I have come to understand this as real life holding much more beauty than can ever be captured on film. Maybe that is part of what keeps me coming back… can I one day capture an image as wonderful as life really is?

What are your goals with photography? Where do you want to take it…or where do you want it to take you?

I just want to continue moving forward and furthering my sense of good imagery. I want to follow the sun around the world because I’ve realized that it’s really the nature of light that makes the most impact on whether a photograph works or not. Ok that’s not wholly true, but it’s kind of close. I want to create images worth a damn. The thrill of photography is fascinating and keeps me in good spirits, I want to keep chasing that happiness. My goal is to never give up.

For more of Ryan’s work, check out his website at www.ryanstruck.com or like him on Facebook at http://facebook.com/RyanStruckPhotography

Erik Maki is the founder of Maki Longboards, a custom surf skateboard company out of El Segundo, CA specializing in sustainable skatecraft. He has been building boards for about 4 years now, and in that time has been fortunate enough to incorporate some of the most sustainable materials available today. These materials include sustainable hardwoods, natural fiber laminates, and Entropy bio-resin for graphic application and finishing.

Operating much like a surfboard shaper, Erik offers a full lineup of models that can be purchased as stock models or on custom order. Each board is handcrafted from start to finish by me, and so I can easily adjust the color/design, length, width, and thickness to suite the intended rider.

How did you learn to build skateboards? Tell us about your evolution of getting to where you are now.

I think it’s safe to say everything I have done in my life so far has contributed to my evolution as a board builder. It certainly didn’t happen overnight. I grew up in San Francisco, and when I was little I spent a lot of my time in my grandpa’s workshop learning to use old fashioned hand-powered tools to build things from scratch. When I was in high school I taught myself to whittle and carve wood in my spare time because there were no wood shop classes available. I never gave it much thought, it was just something I wanted to do.

When I moved to San Diego for college I was introduced to longboard surfing/skateboarding, and I immediately wanted a skateboard that looked and rode more like my longboard surfboard. I tried out all kinds of longboards but couldn’t find one that fit my idea of “surf skate”, so I decided to build my own. At that time I didn’t have the experience or skills to make it happen, so I took my first and only formal woodworking class at Mission Bay High School during my senior year at UCSD to learn the basics of power tools and safety. The experience for that class helped me land my first job at a home-decor company where I carved wood and foam prototypes and learned to work with resins and casting materials. I quit after a year because I was worried about the long term health effects of the resins and chemicals I was using, but I had gained my first real hands on experience with shop tools and resin work.

Like I said, it didn’t happen overnight – it took me 18 years to accumulate the knowledge and experience to build my first board in 2007. Since then I have experimented on hundreds of boards with new techniques, construction methods, and materials to find the one process that is right for me. I have been using the same process for about a year now, and I am finally happy with the results. I’m sure the process will continue to evolve, but most of the groundwork is already in place.

What is your inspiration behind the craft?

Surfboard shaping and longboard surfing. My first boards were all modeled after the old-school Balsa surfboards because the outlines and craftsmanship were just so impeccable. To me a shaper’s job is to translate the wants and needs of a surfer to their board. I that regard I consider myself a skateboard shaper because I take my customers’ preferences into account when I build their boards.

How are your boards sustainable? What materials are you using? What methods are you using to ensure that these boards are as sustainable as possible?

The materials I use and how I use them play an important role in my day to day life. I choose Hardrock Maple and Red Oak veneers for their strength, durability, natural beauty, and sustainable forestry practices. I press my own blanks using a water based adhesive that is a better alternative to the glues commonly used by large scale skateboard manufacturers. Finally, I use Entropy SuperSap Bio Resins for all my finishing work. I use their Pine-sap based epoxies for everything from applying my resin tints and pinlines to the top grip finish.

At the same time, I am always looking for new and better methods to cut down on material waste. I constantly look for ways to recycle and reuse waste material – recently I started crafting key chains from scrap wood left over from old boards and projects in my shop. I think these are the little things that set me apart from other skateboard companies. I’m in my shop every day, so I have an intimate knowledge of everything that goes on in my operation from the ground up.

It seems like being a custom skateboard builder is a pretty unique idea. Why go about it this way as opposed to just mass producing a few models?

When I built my first board I had the opportunity to create something specifically for me, and I remember thinking “everyone should have this opportunity.” That’s the reason I set out to design a full lineup of shapes that can be customized to a desired length and width. After all no two riders are exactly alike, so why not cater to those differences? I would rather take the time to hear what a rider has to say and build a board accordingly than waste my time trying to convince them to buy something that’s not.

How long does it take you from start to finish to build a board?

The process takes 4-5 days, but I generally build 10-15 boards at a time.

Skateboarding and surfing certainly have deeply intertwined roots. How do you feel your skateboards help to further bridge that gap?

Skateboarding started out as sidewalk surfing, but has since evolved to accommodate new styles of riding like downhilling, sliding, and freestyling. Maki Longboards are designed for surf skate, which is the modern equivalent of sidewalk surfing. The decks are flat with a finer grip, allowing riders to cross-step and perform other maneuvers barefoot. They are also heavier than your standard board which gives a feeling of stability and allows for insane nose rides. I don’t know of any other board that allows for such a direct translation of surfing maneuvers to land, and I hope this bridges the gap and allows surfers to enjoy a whole new level of stoke on land.

For more on Erik’s boards, check out his website at www.makilongboards.com

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Hilo, HI surfer/shaper Robert Patterson breathes some new life into this 80′s board by stripping down the glass and redesigning the board into something a bit more suitable for the modern surfer. It doesn’t take a whole lot to transform a board from beater to high flying shred stick, so next time you are at garage sale down the street and see an ugly duckling of a board, maybe you can reshaper her into something beautiful yourself…

An abstract cut, piecing together a variety of surfing and skateboarding imagery with some groovy tunes and odd timing. Make what you will of it, but we think it’s pretty awesome.

Nick Chalmers is an Australian artist/media maker/bodysurfer we met on our last trip to Oz. Full of energy and creativity, he made a lasting impression. So when his friends at Rhythm sent over an interesting little clip he did starring Harrison Roach and Dane Peterson, we got all curious and wondered, “what is this Nick Chalmers guy all about?” below are some answers..

Tell us how you got into surfing and making art.

I think I started surfing when I was around 6 years old. Not full on every day or weekend, just once every now and then. It wasn’t till I was about 12 that I really took a liking towards it. Without sounding all hippy, the ocean really gives me grounding and makes me feel comfortable no matter where I am in the world. I always like having the ocean near by even if it’s just for some fresh air or a swim just to get my blood pumping and have that real ”clean” feeling.

As for my art I started like most kids do with crayons and colour pencils drawing and scribbling colours, doing my best to stay in the lines. Unfortunately I wasn’t part of the Nintendo/Playstation Club so I’d get severely bored on school holidays. My entertainment ended up being drawing and painting so I guess it was a progression from there. I’ve always enjoyed the process of creating though, no matter what medium.

Photo: Angus McDiarmid / http://angusmcdiarmid.com

What gets you excited?

First thing that comes to mind when I think “excitement” is definitely traveling. I like going places I’ve never been before that are ‘in my backyard’ so to speak, whether its going to a beach I’ve never been to or going for a rainforest walk I’ve never seen. Then there’s the other extreme which is sitting in a plane seat watching the hostess run through the safety demonstration and just having that feeling of knowing that you are going to a country you’ve never been to and not know what’s in store for the days to come.

Photo: Matt Rabbidge / http://www.greaterthen.tumblr.com

You’re known for garnering a speedo while bodysurfing. What is the purpose behind this choice of apparel?

Hah! I guess I enjoy the speedo just because I feel less restricted, not that boardshorts really restrict you that badly when they’re above the knee but I just like the feeling of swimming in the ocean and feeling it cover your whole body. I really don’t know why I wear them though haha, I think they’re more comfortable than trunks and just more practical – even if some people get freaked out by it.

When I was in Noosa, I saw your artwork with unique price tags on each piece. One read “Price-2 packs of cigarettes, an egg and sausage sandwich, and a candy bar to be delivered to our hotel room by 9 am tomorrow morning”. Have such prices worked? Did you get anybody to deliver such goods?

You must have been hazed that night…some of the sales were “1x Carton of Coopers Green”, “3x Pizzas”, “1x Bottle of Absolute Vodka, 1x Lime and 2x bottles of soda water” “5x Cream cheese bagels with avocado and 5x coffees”…or something like that. Haha

I don’t think I’ve sold an artwork in exchange for anything besides an ‘artwork swap’ or cash before, but the novelty prices haven’t worked yet, unfortunately. At the Noosa exhibition I guess people didn’t like my work enough to want to go order pizzas and bring them to the apartment I was staying in, or just didn’t like the art. I wasn’t really phased if I sold the work or not though, I’d just had an awesome week and thought why not have a little party to finish it off and make people think and giggle.

How is the NSW, Australian surf scene unique from other parts of the world?

That’s a tough one. 10 years ago there was no one really riding alaias, quads, logs, SUPS, mats. The majority of surfers were just riding conventional thrusters, with the odd fish or experimental board in the line up. Nowadays there’s every form of wave riding in the water and it’s more accepted than it used to be even 5 years ago. I’m not sure how unique NSW or Australia is compared to other parts of the world but there is definitely a lot of people who are accepting of the whole “sub-culture” if you could call it, who aren’t your typical thruster riding, World Tour following surfers.

How did you get into making video clips? What do you like about the medium of expression?

I first started making surf clips when I was about 12 years old. I used footage of my friends and I surfing that we or our mums had filmed of us. I literally used to record the waves I wanted to use onto a VHS tape then once that was done I’d set up the camera in front of the TV and would play Blink 182 on the stereo and film the TV screen. Once that was done I’d record the final edit back onto VHS and it was done. For titles I’d use Microsoft Word and would film them straight off the computer. The whole process was unintentionally 100% lo-fi. I like video as a medium just because it’s moving picture and once you add audio as another element it can become a very emotive medium opposed to a picture. Movie is just another way I like to document my life and to communicate my ideas and interests to an audience I guess. It’s also just another creative outlet I enjoy and a challenge trying to learn Final Cut.

Screen grab from my first surf movie I called GROM ATTACK

If you could go back in time and tell yourself 3 things when you were 13 what would you say?

I would have told myself:
1. Befriend a few computer savvy people.
2. Pay the computer savvy people to build a website where people can communicate and upload photos (and take full ownership rights)
3. Invest in some property and travel the world all whilst living off a social website by the name of ‘Facebook’.

For more of Nick’s work, check out his website www.nicholaschalmers.com

Lorne Acheson is a humble Canadian shaper/family man who makes high quality boards, mostly influenced by the old methods of design, under the name Ark Surboards.  He’s only been shaping for a handful of years and for sure has a gift. With a design background, Lorne makes hands down the most beautiful retro fishes, quads, Simmons inspired hulls and longboards to come out of Canada.

He is currently working on a sick little board for me, a 5’6″ Simmons multi-fin set up. I really wanted to be able to have as many feelings as possible with one board and Lorne came up with the “Transformer” centre longboard fin box and side future boxes.  So we can make it a twin fin, 2 plus one, twin finner (small centre fin, twin fin), single fin, no fin. Awesome.

www.arksurfboards.com 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ark-Surfboards-Canada/190545624307026

Thanks to everybody who submitted their claims, it was a tough decision but a last minute entry from Holland stole the show with a ridiculous display of surf joy in Morocco. Bo van Veen is the winner of a custom new eco handplane by The Surfcraft Cooperative.

This clip is the work of 28 year old Bo van Veen, we caught up with a colleague of this Dutch designer about the video as Bo is on vacation..

Who’s the guy in this clip?

(Michiel)
The clip features our friend Thomas Scheerder. Thomas is always the kind of guy in the water screaming out loud, to encourage you (Rammen! = Ram!) or to claim & celebrate the waves. He doesn’t give a shit where he is, or who is around him. Nevertheless people almost always start to like him after a short while.

Why did you make this clip?

Bo is part of a group of friends from Haarlem & Amsterdam – The Netherlands, who’ve known each other for a long time (for over 15 years now). We try to have at least one snow or surf trip every year. Coming from a flat country (no mountains, small waves) we look forward to these trips and we try to make the best of it and have a lot of fun. We always try to capture the trip in a small movie. For sweet memories when we are old (when you find that old dusty DVD player in the basement). Bo is always making these videos and he always surprises us with his edits.

What else is he working on these days?

Bo and I (Michiel) work for an advertising agency called Black Magic Marker. In his spare time he runs Studio Veen with his sister, Luke. Together they create whatever crosses their minds from photos to videos, paintings, illustrations, music and parties… Right now they are working on their own sitcom with self-made puppets. All projects are handmade, low-budget and authentic.

Find their work at http://studioveen.com/

Check also Bo’s channel on vimeo, for more video’s (f.e.: snowvideo: http://vimeo.com/3803340)

Thanks to Michiel de Vos for taking the time to answer for his friend! Check out where they work at-