Healey goes left

What is the left like at Mavericks?

Really heavy [laughs]. I went to Mavericks on this trip with that in mind—to just really focus on the left, and watch it and try to get some good ones. I think a lot of it has to do with how the water was moving in there and it’s just a really, really violent wave. You really have to pick your battles and commit if you want to get a good one.

Healey is a freak of nature..He goes left at Waimea, left at Mavericks, and can hold his breath longer than the average human being..You can read about the lefts he rode at Mavericks last week in this web gallery we made for Surfer...

http://www.surfermag.com/features/healey’s-mavericks-lefts/

The best job in the world..or is it?

I feel like I have the best job in the world...I am so lucky to be given the oppurtunity to watch some of the best surfers in the world do there thing and be a part of a group that defines our surf world at this time.  Sometimes my job is as easy as hanging on the beach and shooting the guys do there thing..Othertimes it's not that easy.  This photo below was from a session earlier in the year at Mavericks when I shot photos off of my friends Jetski..I don't have the best track record with jetskis, but have yet to lose one either!  This session, Derek Dunfee and I drove out to Mavericks in the dark and while he surfed,  I shot photos...During this session a freak accident occured where I had to jump off the ski and let someone else drive the ski to make a rescue..Luckily I had a wetsuit on and camera in a waterhousing so there was no delay..>I jumped in the water, rescue made, everyones ok.  On Wednesday of this week Sion Milosky wasn't so lucky.  He unfortunately got caught in a situation where there was no ski to help him and a two-wave hold down didn't let him back up.  I couldn't imagine how his family is feeling right now during a time like this.  It forces us all to take a good look around us and be fortunate for the presence that our friends and family have among us as well as how important it is to lookout for one another in the water. Below are a couple photos from my last trip to Mavericks where I got to meet Sion and watch him do what he does best in the water...RIP.

cleanup set

Derek likes to shoot photos

Derek took this photo of me after getting heat stroke for being out there too long..I crawled on the dock, puked my brains out, than Derek put me in front of the wall to shoot this photo. photo: dunfee

Sion charging Mavericks earlier this year...RIP

more snapshots from more places

I have been very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to travel the world photographing some of the best surfers and waves around.  Usually for the surf magazines and advertisers, they request digital because it is easier for them to see the images the day the were shot and apply them to the layouts and whatever other needs they are after at the time.  The reason above, along with many more are why so many photographers have gone entirely digital.  Aesthetics aside, digital is great.  It serves it's purpose for some looks.  That is not to say that we should throw all our film cameras away.  I always keep a film camera or two in my bag for when the surfing is over and all the megapixels in the world couldn't show what a roll of Tmax can show...So here, below this is a sample of some snapshots (straight out of the camera) from the past few months of chasing waves with my friends and what in my opinion looks far better than any digital image would look like with or without photoshop

Jenna at home

Looking out the window of my friends house in Hawaii...The wind just switched offshore

Mick Fanning at home in Hawaii checking the score of the Charger game

Board cemetery at the Quiksilver house on the Northshore

Joel Tudor cleaning the dust off an old 1963 Bing we borrowed to surf when it was small in Hawaii

Derek Dunfee waxing up his 10'0's at a motel in Half Moon Bay before a big day in November of this year

Barbwire in Big Sur

Sunset reeds in Big Sur

6 trees

My friend Pat and I decided to go skate down in San Diego about a month ago on a rainy day...He nearly broke his arm after I zigged instead of zagged with the camera...we had fun and this kid was laughing at us..he ripped.

Pat again

Dane almost made the final this year..he was sooooo close. His semi against Jeremy Flores had 3 waves break in the 30 minutes the heat went on..This is him waxing his board just before he went out.

The Gudauskas brothers along with Dylan Graves and Nolan Hall at there house at Sunset this winter

Joel riding down to go surf sunset one evening

Weird light leak makes for an interesting effect...Not too sure how I feel about it, but there's something about this photo that I like so I'm putting it up anyways

Joel organizing his boards...I think the tape on my film came undone on this roll as there are a few lightleaks and such.

Hasselblad snapshots

Below is a series of 6 photos I shot on my Hasselblad from my last trip to Half Moon Bay with Derek Dunfee and from New York last September.  I'm kind of a photo nerd and froth out on always shooting in different mediums and formats dependant on the situation..It's not so great for the simplistic approach or keeping my camera bag light, but whats a couple extra lb's on your back when each moment is so unique to itself.  On the trip to Half moon bay I brought a digital camera for the action, a hasselblad for lineups, lifestyle, and whatever else crossed our paths and a pocket point and shoot for those inbetween moments..seems like a lot, but at the very least it keeps me entertained and keeps me shooting...The photos from NY were taken on our last day as Jenna and I were walking around the town seeing the city...Theres something I find interesting about the film I get back and what I choose to shoot when there's only 12 images in a roll...

Mavericks on tuesday

Half Moon Bay, California

Shaun Dollar XXL winning wave

Shaun Dollar's XXL winning wave February 13, 2010 at Half Moon Bay, California