5.12.2011

The Zone

I've been shooting like a lunatic the last few days. Santa Barbara and Ventura counties hold some great surf and some great surfers. I was lucky enough to link up with Surfing Magazine's 2011 Shaper of the Year, Robert Weiner, last August. We met through mutual friends and talked story about surfing and photography. Well, I was amped when Surfing named him their shaper of the year for two reasons:

1) I had just met him a few months previous and was so stoked that the industry had recognized his work as being top-notch.

2) He came off as a really genuine human being. The kind of guy that has everybody's best interest in mind. And that is the type of guy you want toting around the Shaper of the Year award for the year to come.

So, heading south from the PNW, I hit him up to see if he had any team riders that needed/wanted some shots. Luckily Robert has a great group of guys to work with and, like I already said, I've been shooting them like crazy the last few days. Mike and Matt McCabe are ridiculous progressive surfers and Sean Hayes has the perfect blend of stylish power surfing combined with new school flare. It has been a real treat to see -- and shoot -- these guys surfing.

The waves weren't stellar by any means, but I managed to get a shot here and there. The California mornings and afternoons hold some of the best light in the world. The mood alone made the waves less of a factor as the light took over and blessed me with three days of beautiful golden mornings and vibrant glowing evenings.

All in all, this part of the trip has been a major success. I'm a few hours shy of meeting Robert at his shop to pick up my new 6'2".

Stoked.

Also, on a side note, I met Dane Reynolds randomly the other night. I was pulling into a state beach and there he was, crew and all, getting ready for a surf. I just went and introduced myself, said hey, and that was that. He was super mellow and seemed like a real nice guy. I was kinda starstruck though, fumbling over my words and what not. I guess being from up north, I don't get a chance to mingle with any of the world's best surfers. He gave me a nice smile and a huge shaka as he bailed. Good Great memory.











2 comments:

  1. You should let me get a sneak peak at some of your shots.

    Did you try and convince Dane to come to the NW?

    ReplyDelete