I am Pipeline

"I am Pipeline" is a collection of photographs taken in February 2016, during what many called 'The greatest Pipeline ever'. Arguably too, the Winter season of 2015/2016 will be recalled fondly as one of the most epic surf seasons in Hawaiian history.

The North Shore of Oahu is one of the most spiritual places for surfing in existence. The Banzai Pipeline is magnificent in its power, but still incredibly destructive and some of the most skilled surfers have met their fate here. It can allow the most awesome rides. But it can even more easily destroy.

I was privileged to watch probably the highest level of surfing I had ever seen at Pipeline and Backdoor those days. I remember one of the most incredible sights as the hooter rang closing out the Volcom Pipe Pro. The sets were 8-12 feet all day and several surfers raced out to the lineup to get their share having watched Kelly Slater, Makai Mcnamara, Bruce Irons and Jamie O'Brien destroy perfect Pipeline in the final. A rogue set approached the lineup, it was easily 15 feet. A lone figure paddled hard onto the wave from second reef. Whoever he was, he just knew. He knew the wave.  I have never witnessed a wave more perfectly ridden than this one. It had been too big for Backdoor. By this stage, barely anybody had been seeking out Backdoor rights as the terrifying fate of being caught inside with feathering third reef and thundering second reef sets charging towards Pipeline from behind, it seemed certain destruction to go right. This lone figure started driving his bottom turn, before racing up and high-lining over the top of Backdoor. To see a man high-line 15ft Backdoor was itself truly phenomenal. He proceeded to race high above the mountainous wall which closed out over Backdoor and Off The Wall lefts before dropping to the bottom of the wave and pulling into a cavernous Off the Wall right. By this stage of the wave, the surfer had traveled so far down the stretch of beach that it was impossible to see if he had survived the barrel. But of course, as I said, he simply knew. In the glowing distance of the sunset, a figure kicked out skywards before paddling with controlled desperation towards the horizon. He knew how to surf.

I have no photograph of that moment. Only my eyes saw it. And It was perfect.

Mahalo.

Shop all the prints from "I am Pipeline" HERE

#logdaze with The Inertia

Firstly it's always a great honour when you get the call up to work with a world renowned surfing platform such as The Inertia. I was pretty excited to find out they wanted me to 'Takeover' their Instagram for 24 hours whilst telling the story behind a number of photos I have taken.

There is the mix of excitement at getting to show off the work you love, which represents so much of my actual life. The photos I take are what I see in my mind. I am connected to my camera, and we see the same things. But to remain respectful to the platforms, organisations and magazines that give you the opportunity to show off your work is also paramount.

I must admit, I had a bit of nerves, or perhaps not nerves, but definite considerations, when selecting which images to show. It's a fascinating thought, but in a world of 'like' buttons and shares, it is very easy to get caught up in publishing images only because you think they will get the most 'likes'. Of course one can not predict the outcome of the future, but I am certain most photographers are actually quite aware of which photos generally garner the most traction for their immediate impact, that is, the one second the person looks at it and presses like before flicking on.

So my predicament of course, with such a large audience as that of The Inertia, and with complete control over what content was shown over 24hours, do I go for those dark images that confuse and conflict, or do I go for images that a one second audience is sure to like. With some profane exclamation, I ended up choosing my actual favourite photos, most of which are the opposite of what some crappy online how-to social media guideline will tell you gets 'likes'. Because seriously, we are making choices based off a like button? Don't swear so much my manager says. Fuck that, I do what I want lol. :D

Click here to see the images and read the story behind each one

Yes to new experiences - #ONEWAVE

It's an amazing feeling to be surrounded by people who love and care about the same things you do. When Elyse (Lu) told me about the web series she wanted to create, I was onboard immediately. Titled "One Wave", it's a beautiful and personal look at the internal (and external) drivers of a person in their pursuit of surfing.

Elyse is an amazing human, who cares deeply about individuals. She is completely genuine and selfless and it shows in the way her subjects respond and interact with her filmmaking style. 

I have never done much water filming even though I have done countless hours of water photography. It was quite a new experience, testing different camera techniques and using different equipment. But the similarities between filming and photography in relation to human interaction are identical. The intensity and fire within when going for a wave. The playful joy after paddling back out after a successful ride. The quiet contemplation when waiting for the next wave. 

Tarnea O'meara was amazing as always as the subject of this Episode 2. Spending my time with wonderful humans and calling it work...

Enjoy. 

Cyclone Winston

It's a tale of two worlds, and it all depends on your personal perspective. To some, Cyclone Winston conjured up thunderous power, devastating force and unfathomable destruction. To others, it was a tale of untold perfection, fluid lines and heart palpitating adrenaline.

A point of significant importance is that Cyclone Winston left a trail of destruction through Fiji, being the largest recorded tropical cyclone to ever make landfall over the Pacific Island nation. Fiji is no stranger to incredible surf, the consequence of distant storm cells sending long period swell racing towards the reefs there. The perfection we enjoyed here came at a price.

Swell on the Gold Coast is always a contradiction to the ethos of surfing. The lines are long and perfect. The barrels are cylindrical and draining. The light is golden and the water blue. But untimely consequences are always prevalent. Fibreglass misses foreheads by centimetres. Glass fins driven recklessly by lesser skilled pilots miss backs by...well in the case of one world class pro, they didn't miss, but left two tell tale lines through her wetsuit...a fortunate outcome. And egos are left bruised, as competent surfers struggle to find space amongst the herd of hundreds upon hundreds of wave starved carnivores.

Saturday the 27th was meant to be 'The Day'. What that encapsulates though varies depending on who you are talking to. I stood upon Kirra Hill early, alongside legendary photographers Ted Grambeau and Swilly, with faces bemused by the early disappearance of the maxing swell the night before. Some talk of the mass exodus to DI to 'escape' the crowds, only to have found that the news bulletin had been read by everyone and it had been read a little too early. Others, like Darryl Parkinson, surfed perfect barrel after barrel through bottomless Greenmount, as the local boys enjoyed another timeless swell that will be recounted fondly in years to come.

I created a short series of photographs shot over the afternoon of Friday the 26th on my perspective of Winston. The liberty I enjoy taking as an artist is creating what I feel as much as what I see. Winston didn't feel like total perfection to me. Taking a lineup photo of endless perfect waves would be unjust towards my sentiments, even though a perfect lineup is a popular photo. The perfect lineup does not do justice to the suffering of the homeless and deceased in Fiji. The perfect lineup doesn't do justice to the broken bones of the hospitalised maverick, suffered at the hands of a drop in. The perfect lineup also doesn't do justice to the opiate like faces of those exiting thunderous rounded cylinders. All of these incidents came to pass during Winston and many have been recorded as individual occurrences. Winston showed the extremities of human emotion. My Winston collection shows golden joy to dark.

There was perfection on offer. But you had to pay to play...

Click here for the Winston Gallery