so long, california

well,

my attempted move to california didn't work out quite as i had hoped, so i'll be packing up to go back to the east coast for the holidays. after that...i could end up anywhere...we'll see.

i'll probably put up a portfolio of the my favorite photos from my time out here, but i need to get a roll of film developed first.

Until then, here are a couple logging photos from a surf session yesterday morning.

sea walk

in general, i haven't been too interested in going south of LA to surf. i think, since the waves down there are so overexposed in magazines, that I just got tired of them before even checking them out.

i was definitely missing out. i just spent a couple days down there with christian wach. we surfed very good waves with hardly anyone out...for both of the sessions. the first session was overcast and foggy, so i just surfed.

the waves were much better during that session than the waves in the session that i did end up shooting, but here are a few shots from the second day, of christian riding his new log and a borrowed alaia.

it's a rare thing for a surf photographer to get to surf when the waves are at their best...so even though the shots aren't as good as they could have been if it was sunny that first day, i'll take the waves instead of the photos this time.

good waves/bad vibes

sorry for the lack of posts all month... i haven't had the internet at home and it makes it tougher to post things on here. i'll try to catch up a bit when i have enough time on the internet to do so.

for now, here is a little rant about my home wave. i've had great sessions there on the days that the swell isn't supposed to be epic. Then, when a proper swell finally came, it got crazy. This is just some thoughts on the craziness.

sorry, also, if reading it bums you out a bit...but i think it's important to realise how much bad vibes effect everyone's session...so next time you feel like someone is invading "your" spot, give them a chance to respect you before you ruin the session.

good waves/bad vibes (maybe i'm just naive)

i'm really bummed that i can't feel comfortable shooting photos at the waves by my home, just because the sandbars happen to be really good. i can see the purpose behind "locals" not wanting "their" spot to become publicized--the whole "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot" theme applies. but...there is already a parking lot here...and although the wave is very fun and fairly un-well-known, it is hardly paradise. that time is long gone here.

i wasn't going to name names and post the photos all over the internet and in mags, etc. anyway. i understand the principles behind keeping semi-secret spots semi-secret, and was just trying to shoot some photos for some friends. i wasn't going to even shoot at the main peak. i just enjoy shooting barrel shots from the water, and shooting at the closeout down the beach would have been just fine. it would have been soooo fun for that.

but, it didn't matter what the purpose of my having a camera was, apparently...it wasn't worth the risk of losing the equipment that i would have had to have left in the car, just in case there was some truth in the warning that "there would be trouble".

i now don't really care about posting a few of the shots i got from the beach that day. not like that many people read this anyway, and i'm still not going to name the spot out of respect (not respect for the aggressive "locals"...i have no respect for their bad vibes...but just out of respect for the general code of conduct for spots like this, which i would have followed anyway.

at least my friends who paddled out had a really fun session, and friends in FL, etc. will probably appreciate seeing a few photos of quality waves.

we ended up going up the coast to get some photos for my friend jesse. We got great waves with a proper, mellow vibe at the other spot. it definitely wasn't uncrowded, but everyone got along fine and caught plenty of waves to themselves.

that same evening I went for a surf with my friend daniel back at the wave by my home. upon suiting up near the wave, someone driving by yelled "go home!" to whom I simply replied "I am home!". we then went out and had a fun session at the beach break, eventually moving over to the main peak right before dark when the crowd subsided. The few waves I caught there had the best shape of any i've caught in a long time, and I'm pretty sure daniel was stoked on the session too.

but, daniel took two boards down to the beach, and unfortunately only left with one. someone thought that the board should be theirs instead of his, I suppose. I'm positive that Daniel wouldn't have agreed...he was pretty fond of the board. If someone asked to check it out, use it, borrow it, etc., i'm sure he would have happily offered it to them...but stealing it is different, and it is the ultimate sign of disrespect.how can people who spend so much energy trying to scare people out of doing what they enjoy be able to sustain a positive feeling when participating in the activity themselves? It would be a shame to feel so alert/protective/aggressive all the time.

all surfers like to have waves to themselves, and it's normal, i think, to feel like it would be better with a few less people in the water. there has to be a better solution though. As long as respect is shown by everyone for everyone, in the spirit of mutual stoke, there is no reason why everyone can't have a fun session. besides the obvious signs of respect such as not dropping in on someone, not taking too many waves, waiting your turn for a set wave, etc. I also mean not paddling out to a spot that is already overcrowded, not naming names of sensitive surf spots in photos/articles, potentially saying hi and being friendly--actually enjoying the company of the people around you, not trying to threaten people out of the water or off of the beach--and of course, not stealing a board from someone.)