Looking For Some Style
This type of surf photography would never be possible without a friend that goes the extra mile to help. My buddy Neal loves to surf and every time I’m in NY there are waves, Neal always says yes. Maybe the waves weren’t fantastic but we were having a blast before the sun came up and I had an opportunity try some new shots.
After the sun creeped of the horizon, I switched to a low appature and bumped up the F/stop to create a speed blur effect. It’s really hard to get a semi clear photo while bobbing up and down in the water, It’s hard to accomplish with a tripod…
I love using a flash pre-dawn, it’s so hard to find someone that will surf in the dark but it makes for amazing photos every time
The flash doesn’t really work more then 10 feet away you can still get some fun shot via post editing
You can see the flash in the lower corner
I know “blow out” photos are desired effect and would not be an acceptable if a client was paying for photos but Neal doesn’t pay so I can go as weird as I want lol
These photos are me just getting weird with it, I hope you enjoy. mahalo for viewing 
Doom and Gloom
The days of warm water and pretty sunsets are gone, bring on the nasty funky Fall power. It was grey today, the ocean, the sky and the people but who cares? There were waves and that’s all that matters. I’m going back down to the beach in a few hours so I will save a verbose blog post and rely on photogenic magic.
Representing Long Beach, NY @ Lincoln Blvd
Here’s Drew, the best photo of the day because he has enough Balls to get down to the beach before sunrise and kill it in the dark, where were you? Sleeping, that’s why Drew Rocks!
Didn’t matter if you were shooting towards the sun or away it was all muted greys
Here’s Drew’s Buddy, he rocks too but he fell on this wave and it made me laugh, sorry drew’s buddy, email me and I will give you all your photos for free.
Here’s Drew dropping in on his buddy, but it’s totally ok because my business card is in his mouth and he held on to it. So sorry Drew’s Buddy you got dogged twice today. That also makes me laugh, sorry just being honest.
Here’s a guy named Dan, That’s my name too. “Rock on” Dan’s of the world
Yeah we are happy to be in weather like this if it means we get waves.
I didn’t get the memo, it’s bootie season now, 3 hours of shooting, I could barely feel my feet, please dress according from now on, but if you wear Gloves until I say it’s cool, you are a kook and I will make fun of you too, that go for removable hoods also, grow a pair it NY
Before Dawn Patrol
AND THE LIGHT SHALL SHOW YOU THE WAY!!! Got together with my buddy Neal before work on Monday 9/30 in Long Beach, NY. If you not up on current events, the North Atlantic is currently in the middle of the weakest Hurricane season in the last 100 years (maybe I’m being a little dramatic). We are waved starved and will hump an glimpse of swell we get. In effort to squeeze a couple of more rides out of the swell, we got to the beach around 5:30am, a solid 45minutes before first light and an hour before sunrise. Easy enough for Neal he’s just got to ride the wave, I have to focus on a moving target in the dark while bobbing up and down trying to get a usable image. The only way I can get a usable image in “no light” is with a flash, luckily I have a waterproof flash housing to go along with my Camera.
I didn’t get too many usable photos when it was pitch dark, but this one some how was crisp as day light. You can tell by the blur of the light in the back ground that there was more then a little movement going on. Aperture 40, F-Stop 2.8, Flash 1/8 ISO 500
You can tell by the difference in light from the first photo that I must have spent 15-20 minutes without getting another usable photos and this one is a little shaky
I was getting great color shooting into the sun but positioning myself close enough for the flash to be affective was a little tricky
I have to give credit where it’s due, imagine get flashed at 8fps (frames per second) in the dark and keeping your cool to pull off style like this
It stunk that we had to go to work so early but you do what you have to get waves.
Doing What I Do Best
I take photos, I imaging I also do a fair bit of marketing myself as a surf photographer, Exhibit 1: This Blog. But I struggle with the conflict of doing this for fun or doing it for money. I was approached by SURFLINE.COM to be listed as a “Local Pro”. Meaning they do a small bit of advertising for me personally and I generate site traffic for them and their advertisers by directing them to where they can see my pictures. Fair trade off I guess, just being listed as a “PRO” on their site gives me creditability that would be hard to generate on my own.
But I guess I’m just stating that I’m not doing it for the money, they have a section where you can buy my photos but it’s not about that. Surfline.com is the largest surf forecasting site on the internet and to be associated with them is an honor. I will always take my own type of photos (I’m not into “Sports Photography”) with an artistic approach.
So I hope you also go to their site and see my photos but you’ll never have to worry about “The Surfing Photog” going away, this is my home and it’s what I do best. So less words and more photos, Aloha
Lido West, NY FRIDAY THE 13TH
this guy almost cut back into my face, I felt uncomfortable how close his ass got to my face lol
Around 6:30 the sunrise came up but there was so many clouds that the light didn’t really get good until 7
The blur on this photo made it cool but the guy throwing the double shaka make it AWESOME!!!!
GREY, THE NEW COLOR
Scored an epic day in Long Beach, New York on the 22nd of April; It unfortunately didn’t come with any sun. When it’s overcast windy and heavy not many people throw their 5/6 mm wetsuit on and come out for a photo session in 50 degree water temperatures. Luckily I can always count on my Buddy Neal to charge for awesome photos.
All the photos are grey today but I bet they still get your blood pumping for surf. Broke this post into my favorite sequences and left a bunch a single shots for the end. Aloha
I’m really a fan of this angle, it usually leaves me totally exposed to get hit in the lip with the wave but I can’t wait till one day when the wave chandeliers over my head and I get a backdoor barrel shot.
Same angle as last but I was a little too inside and the wave didn’t really open up, Neal really threaded the needle though and busted threw the backdoor on this one.
Here are just a few single shots that I really liked
Old/New Movtivation
Me and the ocean just took a serious break from each other. It’s never planned but in my pursuit of waves searching I’ve had to go in land to produce funds for my traveling. It brings me back so hungry it’s almost all consuming. In a few days I’ll get the first chance to surf/shoot in the last 3 months. I’d like to tell you I’m returning to a massive swell with perfectly groom off shore winds but I’ve never been a good liar. I’ve checked the reports so many times in the last week at this point I could by the minute tell you the meteorology data for all of the Northeast. But rather then bore you with jargon, I present to you some found beauties that were over looked in my first edit of my NY fall season.
The best Motivation I know is to re-edit old sessions and find sparks of fire I missed the first time. Mahalo for viewing them.
A Bath of Fire
The sting of the sand blasting against your face, the almost creepy silence of the beach void of all sounds except the crashing of the waves and the burning sensation of the brisk 40 degree water temperature sizzling the small amount of skin that is not covered by thick neoprene. This is the price we pay for empty barrels in the dead of winter. It’s an addiction that saves us from the insanity’s of life.
Do you have what it takes to be here?
Go into a surf shop and put on a 5/6mm wetsuit and try to touch your toes, the extra power you need to stretch to normal limits is ridiculous. Now try pulling into a barrel… Neal making it look easy
If you are a regular visitor to my blog you know how addicted to color I am, but there is a solace to a grey overcast days with brown waves. It’s raw, not pretty and real. This is surf photography for people that have so much love for the ocean it literally hurts.
Step into life without fear and be rewarded by the things that scare you.
Candy Coated
Sorry It’s been over a month since my last post. On September 7th I had a leak in my water housing due to user error, I lost about $4000 worth of equipment and honestly it was so hard for me to even look at this blog since. I just surfed and re-evaluated everything I had learn over the last year, while I figured out if I could afford getting back into a hobby that means so much to me.
I got a new used camera body and considerably cheaper 50 mm lens and got back in the water yesterday to push myself creatively. The lens wasn’t as quick to focus into the light as my old one and instead of letting that hurt me I decided to use that to my advantage. I got in the water at 6:20am (about 40 minute before the sunrise) and I wanted to represent the softness and pureness of the morning light. The color was intense!!! And with my new lens it remind me of looking into a cellophane hard candy wrapper.
Thank you for your continued support, it makes the struggles of living creatively worth it. Aloha
First light creeped over the horizon at 6:30 water temperature was high 50’s and air was low 50’s but my buddy Neal still suited up and helped me get back in the water.
Sometimes you just need to take a second and appreciate the sunrise
Focusing was hard while the ocean was rushing and my buddy was floating over the lip but the softness captures the essence of surfing at it’s purest form. Getting up sooo early so you enjoy your passion before you have to run to work stoked and salty
As the sun broke it released these wonderful purple and red hues that engulfed the sky. I don’t really eat candy but this was a huge sugar rush for me
Contrast the sky against the sun blaring thru the brownish/greenish (really dirty) water and there was an explosion of color.
Not the most epic action shot but the spray of water across the foreground reminded me of crystalized sugar in bright light and it seemed more then fitting in this post.
Mahalo,
Daniel the Surfing Photog
No Bro
I went to the crowed spot in New York today, Lincoln Blvd, It was the home of the Quiksilver Pro New York last year and is always full of surfers of all kinds. I actually enjoy surfing their despite the amount of people, usually it’s just the bro hang out. Good Vibes, cool people and a lot of hooting and heckling. I’ve surfed everywhere in the US but these mushy brown waves is where I will always call home.
I gave out a crazy amount of business cards (actually ran out for the first time) so I have to say “sorry NO BRO” cause I do not post everyones photos and yes I WILL CHARGE YOU but I did take close to 1000 photos today so message me if you want your photos (read the contact section to help me out). If you didn’t think I was working out their today, you don’t deserve your photos haha. That being said thanks for checking out the site and I’m really a nice guy… most days.
Seriously if NY didn’t start getting some size I was getting on a plane asap. Thank you hurricane season
Literally 3 people told me to watch this guy, thanks for the suggestion, how about you worry about you and I’ll do me (no one has ever told me to shoot someone else). He could rip but he was a master of the the “one big punt” and it’s hard to shoot guys that pump down the line looking for one killer move… never know where they are going to throw it?
Was stoked to see women in the line up, this girl ripped harder then most guys today. She was the only one that intelligently commented on my water housing set up… Maybe has something to do with the logo on her board. Try harder guys
Take another lesson boys, she was out longer then everyone… Except me haha
Always giving credit to the stoked old guys, maybe cause I’m 28 and I hang out with 16 years in the water most of the time?
This dude wins the award for best wave selections of the day, didn’t ride the most maybe not the biggest but every long workable wave this guy was all over.
thesurfingphotog.com 