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Visiting old friends

This is Angi.  He is from Katiet Village, Mentawai, Sumatra, Indonesia.  I guess you could send a postcard to that description and it would probably get to him.  Katiet village is the one in front of Lance’s right also know as H.T.’s.  Angi now lives on the other side of the point at Lance’s Left where he sells wood carvings to surfers and fishes from his canoe.  I see him just about every trip and have known him for about 10 years. He is a pretty simple guy and always wears a smile. A few years ago he started surfing and is starting to get better. I am hoping I bump into him next week when I visit the Mentawais. Maybe we’ll have a surf.

About the photo:  Yep, it’s out of focus. So what? It still looks cool right? Sure I threw in the cool border like I processed it in a darkroom and pulled the saturation out of it too, but it all adds to the mystery of the islands where angi lives.  Dig it.

Excuses, Excuses

Hey, those aren’t surf photos!  What the #@$%?  The surf has been epic and your going to show me some lame ass shot of a stage?  SickShots sucks! Well, maybe, but there is an excuse er story…

All I have to show for the last 2 months are these non surf photos.  It has been a whirlwind of TV commercial projects back to back to back.  I’m tired.  The jobs have been relentless.  Am I complaining?  No, not really. Last year was a tough year, so I am taking all the work that comes my way.  If it means selling out- show me the money baby! Sorry, but that’s the truth.  Lame as it is.

I know this website used to represent all things surf, but don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about you.  In fact, next week I am going to the Mentawai Islands to shoot a surf charter.  I can’t wait. Return to the roots.  Get busy shooting surf and having a swim in the lineup.  Froth.

For those who are wondering.  The stage is from a Pharmaceutical commercial with a custom built set while photos of the car should answer the question of how they get such cool angles in car commercials!  The crane on the top and the camera on the end are all controlled by a remote to follow the car while driving.

Look for Mentawai shots and tweets from the Islands starting next week!

The biggest Billabong XXL ever?

There is no doubt this has been one of the best surf seasons in decades, but in the short history of the Billabong XXL I would have to say this is THE best season for judging big waves.  I can’t wait to see some of the finalists!

Every year the Billbong XXL has a panel of surf industry folk, including sickshots, review the final shots and pick the winners.  I am stoked for the opportunity and always invite you, the sickshots audience to help me.  I will be receiving the ballots soon, so stay tuned and I will ask for your opinions.  While I know many of the contestants, I keep it as unbiased as possible and ask you to do the same.

This is one amazing shot of Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker at Mavericks last month and it was shot by Frank Quirarte who always seems to be scoring unbelievable Mavericks images.  Congrats guys.  Epic moment!

Sickshots in the Annenberg Space for Photography

JuliusShulman_JuergenNogai_ANNENBERG-9That’s right some of my favorite surf photos will be on display tomorrow night as part of a sports exhibit at the prestigious Annenberg Space for Photography.  I would like to invite all of you, but the event was full in less than a day!  If you already have a reservation, my wife and I will be attending, so we will see you there! Cheers!

Go Pro and Let it Snow!

Here’s a few shots from my first run today at Mammoth.  I’m using the new HD Go Pro helmet cam (set to shoot an image every two seconds).  I also shot some video which I will edit and post later. The conditions were good, but it will be even better as snow storms are predicted this entire week!

You can see it was snowing and some of it was sticking to the lens cover on the housing.  Overall, I’m impressed with these little cameras.  The quality is great for the size and their lightweight enough that I didn’t even notice it was on my head after I got going (even though I looked like a tool). Pretty cool. Can’t wait to try these on some surf trips I have scheduled this spring!

I’m up here for a TV commercial, but the weather is so bad we may have to cancel.  Either way, I hope to get some more sessions in and share the footage when I get it.