The Whalebone classic 2023 in July
A decent day this time with an off shore and a small swell that gave all the contestants a chance. The best of the day was a cheeky handstand. Don't know whether it earned him any more points, but the crowd appreciated it.
A decent day this time with an off shore and a small swell that gave all the contestants a chance. The best of the day was a cheeky handstand. Don't know whether it earned him any more points, but the crowd appreciated it.
September 2023
The Margaret River Pro 2023
I totally forgot about this.
Two days videoed and the issue was that they wanted to run it over and done by the Friday. Ok, I was there for the last two days and while I missed the morning session on Thursday I took a good look at the finalists going out for a surf during the arvo with one very enterprising aerialist later in the arvo.
The Friday was no more than that. Clean and clinical with no one taking chances. I'm almost prepared to walk in a big lens to catch them out. However!
Enjoy.
First the Thursday arvo session and then the Friday.
The Margaret River Pro 2023
I totally forgot about this.
Two days videoed and the issue was that they wanted to run it over and done by the Friday. Ok, I was there for the last two days and while I missed the morning session on Thursday I took a good look at the finalists going out for a surf during the arvo with one very enterprising aerialist later in the arvo.
The Friday was no more than that. Clean and clinical with no one taking chances. I'm almost prepared to walk in a big lens to catch them out. However!
Enjoy.
First the Thursday arvo session and then the Friday.
And finally. the stills that came out of the day.
The 2022 Whalebone Classic (Longboards below Cotts)
On an invitation to go down and watch a friend go out for a surf during what was really a dreadful day. I took the advantage of some shelter under the scorers tent and watched as they tried really hard with an onshore breeze and nothing special.
On an invitation to go down and watch a friend go out for a surf during what was really a dreadful day. I took the advantage of some shelter under the scorers tent and watched as they tried really hard with an onshore breeze and nothing special.
Nothing else to do today.. might as well as go for a surf.
t was a lumpy day in June 2021 and I was waiting to pick up a 2nd hand gopro. Sitting in the carpark at Cotts watching the guys going surfing.. So I pulled out the Olympus.
t was a lumpy day in June 2021 and I was waiting to pick up a 2nd hand gopro. Sitting in the carpark at Cotts watching the guys going surfing.. So I pulled out the Olympus.
May 2021
The Margaret River Pro.
I spent a day or two down there testing out a new camera against an old tried and true combo I've had for a decade or so. Its the shoot out between an Olympus M I Mark III with a 150mm pro w/ a 1.4 converter and my old friend a Pentax K5 and a sigma 100-400
The first day, a Tuesday had nothing going as they had wrapped up before I got there ( around midday). The Wednesday was a lay day and I went there to test the old lens. The final day paid for all with the q finals of the men going up. JJ was up first and I was a little too late to get him with a 7.30 start, but the waves were pumping and a good offshore breeze holding the waves up.
The sequence of the images begin with the Wednesday shots, then to the Tuesday and finally the Thursday.
I've since put a couple of videos together as well. One is the some of the stills set to a bluesman background and the three days with video and very old surf music. See below the stills
The Margaret River Pro.
I spent a day or two down there testing out a new camera against an old tried and true combo I've had for a decade or so. Its the shoot out between an Olympus M I Mark III with a 150mm pro w/ a 1.4 converter and my old friend a Pentax K5 and a sigma 100-400
The first day, a Tuesday had nothing going as they had wrapped up before I got there ( around midday). The Wednesday was a lay day and I went there to test the old lens. The final day paid for all with the q finals of the men going up. JJ was up first and I was a little too late to get him with a 7.30 start, but the waves were pumping and a good offshore breeze holding the waves up.
The sequence of the images begin with the Wednesday shots, then to the Tuesday and finally the Thursday.
I've since put a couple of videos together as well. One is the some of the stills set to a bluesman background and the three days with video and very old surf music. See below the stills
It's July 2017, the last day of the month and a storm has been lashing the coast for a couple of days. The wind has switched around to the south west and there's not a yachtie in sight of Fremantle. So a quick run down to North Mole and the walk in to Rouse Head brought back memories of the father - son combination I saw on the last visit.
Not going to happen today, but the waves were good and again I concentrated on the standouts in the pack. Some of these images have been tweaked a little to emphasis the combination of light and water. But you can be the judge of it. I will admit that the second shot of a magnificent carve across the face wasn't up to the usual pin sharp accuracy that I get from the new lens, but it was so good I included it anyway.
One small incident on the day stood out when I heard the crack and rumble of a storm cell passing behind me over the city of Freo. Stop and think of the blokes in the water. Then again they were blissfully unaware as I found out having gone back to my car, to find one of the people I'd been photographing packing up his board and getting changed. He hadn't realized what was going on and I didn't think to ruin his day by telling him of my undignified dash for cover as the lightning crackled above my head. So be it.
Enjoy
Not going to happen today, but the waves were good and again I concentrated on the standouts in the pack. Some of these images have been tweaked a little to emphasis the combination of light and water. But you can be the judge of it. I will admit that the second shot of a magnificent carve across the face wasn't up to the usual pin sharp accuracy that I get from the new lens, but it was so good I included it anyway.
One small incident on the day stood out when I heard the crack and rumble of a storm cell passing behind me over the city of Freo. Stop and think of the blokes in the water. Then again they were blissfully unaware as I found out having gone back to my car, to find one of the people I'd been photographing packing up his board and getting changed. He hadn't realized what was going on and I didn't think to ruin his day by telling him of my undignified dash for cover as the lightning crackled above my head. So be it.
Enjoy
What do I do when I get a day off?
The lawns are mowed, the roses pruned and I've just heard that there is a bit of swell around the coast.
I'm not going to go all the way down to Margrets, but the North Mole is a favourite spot of mine to catch the surfers at their best and I can get the side on shots that I favour.
The story really evolves around a father and son that I saw off North Mole and the way that the father was working with his already capable son and the dedication that I saw there.
The lawns are mowed, the roses pruned and I've just heard that there is a bit of swell around the coast.
I'm not going to go all the way down to Margrets, but the North Mole is a favourite spot of mine to catch the surfers at their best and I can get the side on shots that I favour.
The story really evolves around a father and son that I saw off North Mole and the way that the father was working with his already capable son and the dedication that I saw there.
Sitting on the rocks at Rouse Head ( on the way to North Mole ) you are looking almost straight down on top of the surfers. You have to walk in, but that's fine and it's really best during the afternoon when you are not shooting into the sun, but the waves were coming through and the sets were on occasion, head high or better. In the main there are three sets of images that I was shooting. The father and son, a boogie board rider and a slightly older guy riding a rather longer board than most. You'll recognize them when you see them, but I must admit I was taken by the skill of this young surfer, I guess they still call them grommets but he's above that rank already. If you know who he or his dad are let them know I'm happy to pass on an image or two to put on the fridge.