Surfing Photographer Jim Russi
Surfing Photographer Jim Russi describes a classic surf photo as ‘peak of action, height of emotion, and rich warm light with vibrant colors’. His images possess a spontaneous energy.
Jim grew up on the beach in southern California and began surfing at the age of 6 years old. He attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara to hone his craft for 4 years. The day Jim graduated he left for Hawaii’s northshore and a week long surf vacation, where he met up with two other young surf photographers, Aaron Chang and Jeff Hornbaker. Surf photography in the 70’s was an up and coming field with less than a dozen photographers in the water, and he had the good fortune to be in the line-up beside these greats.
He has traveled the world serving as Senior Staff Photographer for all the major U.S. surf magazines and has been a great influence in womens surfing. Jim has collaborated on numerous advertising campaigns and continues to work primarily on Quiksilver’s Roxy ad campaign, producing images for them for over a decade now. His images convey a balance between the raw power of the ocean and both femininity and athleticism. Follow this link to hear Jim Russi talk about some of his favorite images.
Surfing Photographer Aaron Chang
Aaron Chang is a legendary name in surfing photography. In the action sports industry, this award winning photographer has over 100 magazine covers to his credit, as well as the prestigious book series, A Day in the Life. Aaron’s work has appeared in a multitude of publications ranging from sports, travel, rock and roll, and fashion. His photographs have been used in advertising by clients such as Nike, Yamaha, Levi’s, Macy’s and Polaris, and Mercedes-Benz. He is also the co-founder of a multi-million-dollar apparel company that bears his name.
Aaron Chang’s mission statement reads: “I find my inspiration in the overwhelming perfection of the design. It is my hope that, when presented with the beauty and majesty of the world, viewers might ponder the gift of life given to us so freely. It is our nature to become easily blinded to this beauty and forget what a wonder it is to be alive. My intention is to create photographs that cause the viewer to appreciate what surrounds them and to celebrate the joy of being alive.” From ethereal light filtering down through a jungle in Kauai, to surfers underwater, to an exotic waterfall deep in the volcanic mountains of Bali, his images entice the viewer to walk through the frame and into the magical beauty.
Follow this link to hear Aaron Chang talk about some of his favorite images.
Surfing Photographer Brian Bielmann
Brian Bielmann is a renowned surf photographer with images appearing in every major surf magazine in the world. “My favorite subject to photograph, for sure, is waves. My favorite place to shoot is Pipeline in the late afternoon from the water, backlit Pipeline, like 8-to10-feet. I love that more than anything. That is definitely my most favorite subject in the whole world.”
Getting the shot in surf photography is “all about reacting and having confidence and not thinking too much,” he says. But it has its risks. One year at Pipeline he ran out of film and signaled for a water patrolman to tow him to shore on a boogie board behind a Jet Ski. It was the water patrolman’s first time pulling a photographer out of large waves, and instead of waiting for a break in the set, he charged forward into a head-high wall of whitewater. The Jet Ski hit the whitewater and went vertical. “So the whitewater hit me. The camera slammed into my face. The driver jumped off the Ski or was thrown off the Ski. The Ski came down and pinned me between the boogie board and the Ski.” As a result, he cracked a quarter-inch piece of plexiglass with his face and looked so monstrous that pictures of his injury appeared in many surf magazines. He has drowned ten cameras by his own count.
He has been a surf photographer for over 30 years, and said he became a photographer to “surf forever.” “I started looking at the waves and I started noticing how this wave broke differently on this edge of the reef. And then I noticed how interesting it was, all the different photographers swimming next to me. So I literally started shooting in all different directions. I would just hang out underwater for three hours and shoot the whole other side of it, below the surface instead of above the surface,” he said. Follow this link to hear Brian Bielmann talk about some of his favorite images.
