Igor and the Tabulators

The surf mag article about the second time I went to the Wairarapa for a surf shoot went like this. 'The Sun Igor...the Sun' screamed back seat tabulator Pipi Ngaia as Igor hung the combat vehicle out on every metal corner enroute to to our destination. Rooster tails of gravel fanned out from the tyres to the tune of Chris Cornell wailing through Spoonman.

What a start to a surf story! And absolutely true. We were heading to the Second's Deer Stalker hut for a week. As the driver, I did not want to tackle the old 4wd track from the Spit side to the Seconds side in the dark. Not loaded up with precious cargo like Pipi, newly crowned National Champ Brett Hutchison and my editor and chief Chris Berge. We did make it in time. We had 5 glorious days of Second's rights with fellow tabulators Glenn Carkeek, Vaughn Baucke and Nick Ngau Chun.

It was a defining week for me as a photographer. I was getting my water photography dialled in. And as a magazine team Chris and I were hitting our straps. But that was a mere 26 years ago. The hut is gone, access to Seconds is harder. The Tabulators are scattered to the corners of NZ and in fact the world.

I've returned to the Wairarapa many times since. In part because it holds so many warm memories of past surf missions. Mainly 'cos it's so goddam ruggedly beautiful. And I get to be Igor again.

This Pano was what we came for, and this is pretty much exactly what I had hoped to make. So stoked, so stoked in fact it's now featuring in the Elements Gallery on PhotoCPL.co.nz HERE  

No Seconds this time, I think it may have been really good too, although the wind had quite a bit of north in it. This time we just leisured around Ngawi and it's epic tractors. Checked the now famous Lord of the Rings Pinnacles to make some panos. And then finally some surf. In fact pretty pumping surf at the Gap.

Our good mates Trinity and Dean ...and Nom nom the husky hung out at Castle Point...we need more camping trips guys!!! 

Actually pretty pumping! 

We wanted to stay longer, but also didn't. We'd scored epic weather on our three week roadie, we'd seen some sights that is for sure. The Troopy, the new combat vehicle, hadn't missed a beat. Igor was happy, although he noted there were some streams and deserts that desperately needed to be crossed next time.

From The Elements Gallery

Back home and into the massive photo edit! Keyboard jockey supreme, Igor would not like. Anyway, here's a massive pano that I love, love so much it's now loaded into the Elements Gallery for you to view and perhaps get printed! It's from the Sedgemere Lakes, Molesworth Station. You can check it out better HERE

West Coast-ing

A week late... last week's post was missed altogether. That happens when you're on the road. Seems the way we do things is always to have a few days at the end doing some serious miles to get back home. No amble home, more a sprint to the finish line. 

How good! A drone pano of Mokihinui from the Gentle Annie's side looking south 

The next destination after the Rainbow Road was always going to be the West Coast. The plan was to kind of cruise, but I think we get too excited about all that can be seen and done. 

We did stay at Gentle Annie's for a day. Gentle Annie's Campground has a well deserved reputation as being a beautiful location, eco friendly and pretty esoteric. It is all of those things, but we only kind of liked it. The waves weren't happening, I had ants in our pants for what could be up the road a ways. 

This was what was up the road a ways...

Good waves, sociable vibes with the local crew, and the excitement of surfing somewhere completely new. 

We went caving! Well, the tourist version of it anyway. We saw 10,000 year old Moa bones. Did some cool short walks. Marvelled at the tannin, tea coloured streams. 

Spotted the occasional Nikau grove 

All in all the North west coast of the Southy turned it on for an all too brief week of wandering rapidly. As with every leg of our mission, never a Been there, done that, more of a Next time we are here. 

From The Beach Gallery 

The world famous Punikaiki Pancake rocks, shot for the Big Little Beach Book on the 617 film Pano camera. While the Big Little Beach book has now sold through its 2nd print you can still get this as a print...go on, you know you want to... you can check it out HERE

Over the Rainbow

I’m not sure which came first; the desire to drive some of NZ’s great roads, or the Troopy. Which ever way it was, ever since we took over the custodianship of the Troopy the Rainbow Road has been firmly on the bucket list…no wait… more pressing than that; it’s been on the DO NOW list. 

Covid has stuffed up a lot of things, for us the Rainbow Road was a big one. First lockdown; couldn’t get the materials to do the Troopy refit. Second lockdown, got the gear, did the refit. Ready. Then another lockdown and then more. Last year got away, then this season of the Rainbow being open was fast evaporating. Ange and I were very literally packed and ready to go when the last lockdown struck. We opted to sit it out, it wasn’t so bad, the surf was good at home. 

The Rainbow Road is a 115 km 4wd road over the Rainbow Station and the Molesworth Station. It’s only open late Spring until late March. The road snakes and climbs along the Nelson and Marlborough border into the backcountry highlands. From St Arnaud in the northeast, to Hamner in the southwest. Not a stretch of it is boring. It is, in the true sense of the word, epic.  

You can easily do it in a day, most people choose to overnight at one of the DoC campsites. We opted to stay on the road for 3 nights; two at the Sedgemere Lakes campsite and one very windy one at Lake Tennyson. When we got out at Hamner, we wanted back in again. 

The DoC webpage about it is HERE

And here are [some] of my pictures ….

From The Galleries

Piha Bar Barrel, this is getting a nice instal into a commercial space in Rosebank Road, I think at 2.4 metre high x 3.2 metres wide; bloody amped to see it that big!!!
Wanna see it bigger or even having adorning your home wall? Check it outHERE

Craigie Don't Surf

You probably signed up to the PhotoCPL E-bomb to get tons of watery wave images sent to your inbox. This week…and the next few are going to be a tremendous disappointment for you. Sorry, but honestly, not really. 

Me and the Missus are off on a big Southy mission. It was planned for last year, and then earlier this. 3 of the lockdowns literally coincided with the times blocked out for this mission. We were starting to think we could control lockdowns by squiggling on the year planner. 

The boards are strapped to the side of the Troopy, wetties in the lockbox and water-housing stowed inside. But these things are hopeful sidebars. The main purpose is going inland and doing some overlanding. We do have a Troopy after all and isn’t that what they are made for. We aren’t going hardcore, in fact probably the softest overland trip in NZ; the Rainbow Road to Hamner, just to get a taste. I can’t wait to get there. [This web log is being done on the Interislander] 

Instead of boosting down the North Island to the ferry, we hurried slowly, two blissful days in Wakapapa. What? Ruapehu in autumn with no snow, are you mental? Well actually, it was pretty damn cool, exploring some of the walks, going up the Skywaka, High Tea at the Chateau.  

…next week’s photos, who knows! But it sure AF won’t be surf.

From The Galleries

Piha Bar Barrel, this is getting a nice instal into a commercial space in Rosebank Road, I think at 2.4 metre high x 3.2 metres wide; bloody amped to see it that big!!!
Wanna see it bigger or even having adorning your home wall? Check it outHERE

It Was On Before It Wasn't

The Billabong Grom Series finale at Piha last weekend was off to a perfect start....

The forecast looked great, even a nice little supporting bump in the swell on the Sunday. The groms were frothing, in fact the lil' tackers were in danger of surfing themselves out prior to their heats. Surfing NZ staff and organisers were stoking, finally a comp with really decent waves. I was on camera duties and pretty much the contest machine was running smooth as, the judges were happy, the competitors were happy. Saturday was a great day... and then Auckland went into lockdown at 6 am on Sunday morning.

The Piha fun park was open

Sunday was pretty weird. The comp postponed, whattyado!? Supposed to be working, now not. It's like you're locked and loaded and nowhere to go. The surf was pumping, the whole west coast of Auckland turned on. Out of towners were allowed to drift back home over the Sunday so many took advantage of the pristine day. I did too, surfed me ring out. Here's some pic's of the free surfing on the Saturday morning at the Hass'.

Local surfer Liv Brown-Hysom, text book base work

Liv, same wave but different section

Alice Westerkamp sending buckets

Leia Millar ripping as ever

Pretty sure this is Jack Hinton, please let me know if I'm wrong

How fun is that little bowl of a wave!

Tiarua's Zali Wyper ...all style...and had probably been surfing for 4 hours already

Hopefully we get to get back on the sand at Piha again to finish what was started

...and then where the big boys got to play ...

And Over on Recreational Society

 Pretty damn stoked to have interviewed Tyler Anderson and his mint Troopy! Check it out HERE

And totally related...Piha Bar Barrel, this is getting a nice instal into a commercial space in Rosebank Road this week, I think at 2.4 metre high x 3.2 metres wide; bloody amped to see it that big!!!
Wanna see it bigger or even having adorning your home wall? Check it out HERE

Covid City Refugees

Comp co-organiser Cale Tolley, definitely walking the talk

It was a weird old week. The AK was on lockdown. Me and the missus were already in Whanga post the Billabong Grom Comp, do we stay in Whanga and side step another lockdown? Do we go home to Piha and risk not being able to shoot the inaugural Verticus Ramp Jam in the Mount...and even if Lockdown continues will the Verticus be allowed to run? We did what anybody would do...nothing. We opted to stay put and daily assess the deal. There also happened to be pretty decent waves on offer at Whanga. By the time Lockdown was over, there was only a day difference from when I'd have to drive to the Mount anyway, besides it was offshore.

Remus Henare warming up on Friday evening

The Mount Ramp at Blake Park is the big daddy. It's wider and higher than any other NZ public ramp. It even scares the most seasoned vert skaters. It's the Pipeline, the Teahupoo of ramps. The organisers Cale Tolley and Gav Bisman shrewdly created the event around a somewhat freestyle jam format over 4 hours- 4-8pm so that the light, heat and wind would be at their best. Over 500 spectators filled Blake Park. All the competitors in every division fed off the crowd and went large. My job was made easy; just shoot NZ's creme d la creme doing their best.

The Palmy crew, foil hats ON!

Skating royalty Morri and Scott Woolston; always watching, always judging

Welly's Chris Wood

Josh Wilson on his way to the podium

The gurls going for glory

!4 year old Niwa Shewry has now won 3 back to back vert events

Zedyn Fellows took out best trick and highest air

...and this is why..he landed this Mc Twist

How stoked is he

Takuma and Z with the video evidence

Mount legend Ants McCloud cruised the event but threw down a couply to show the groms how it is done

Cale giving Z a run for best trick and winning the Masters on the way

Miles Ratima and Cale on the live broadcast

The groms between heats

Hamish Stewart gave Cale a good run in the Masters

As ever Steve Nikolls put on a technical show

Nik Clegg with his trademark Backside tail bone

An epic evening, shot too much, got fried in the sun and can't wait until next year's! In the meantime check out more coverage of the Verticus Ramp Jam 2021 HERE

And Deeeen ....

Meanwhile home is on the pump

How stoked is Ratty! As a side bar that board is a single fin triple stinger that Ratty shaped and he absolutely rips on it

Today is a bit big for around these parts, and this weekend we have the final of the Billabong Grom Series here at South Piha. The forecast looks sick!- See ya on the sand.

And Over on Recreational Society

Pretty damn stoked to have interviewed Tyler Anderson and his mint Troopy this week!

Check it out HERE

From The Gallery

And totally related...Classic Whanga Bar, shot on film, way back in the day. Wanna see it bigger or even having adorning your home wall? Check it out HERE

Grom Jam

It Seems Like a Long Time Ago Now...

14 year old Niwa Shewry on his way to winning the Open...yes OPEN at the Mangawhai Bowl Jam

All the other press releases and tales of the 10th Annual Mangawhai Bowl Jam have been broadcast. Brutally, it's yesterday's news. But I went too, this year I opted not to be in the photographer's pit, literally poolside. I wanted to be a spectator, just enjoy the rides, the event. Of course I couldn't bloody help myself, I still ended up viewing the skating through a camera. I shot 5 rolls of Kodak Extar medium format film. I loved it, manual exposure reading, manual focus, manual film wind, not sequences, just make every frame count.

Mikey Bancroft, always a crowd pleaser

Shooting film, meant getting the rolls developed and scanned. This took 5 days. Honestly it stressed me out, which is funny. It's old school, we never used to need everything right now. Hell, skate and surf mags used to only come out every second month.

Jesse Peters, Bowl Jam instigator, with Morri

Uncle Mozza on his way to winning another Master's Title

Bowman Hansen 2nd in the Open

Andrew Morrison, deadset legend

Part of me wishes digital cameras were never evolved, you don't need to take 2000 frames to tell a story. It makes hard to value the process that lies behind an image. But then the other part of me wants to be back in the photographer's pit, getting the sequence coping side, being a part of the media melee getting the shots out fast.

Dave Read, founder of Manual Magazine right on point getting the shot

And At The Other End.... 

The 2021 Billabong Grom Series Whangamata, presented by Oceanbridge [which is an epic tale in itself]

Nav Malone free surf shredding on the Saturday morning

I worked the Whanga Billy Grom comp last weekend. Defo not a job for film. This is all about getting images of as many different competitors delivered to the SNZ Media officer twice a day, fast, not too many, and just the right ones that support the media releases. And gawd help you if you miss helicopter parent's precious pup's best wave.... nah, it's not that bad, well, I'll just let that sentence stay here. It's a repetitive theme of the PhotoCPL E-bombs slash web logs; I love shooting surf comps. Don't ask me that at 5pm after shooting in the sun on the sand since 8am. But I do, love catching up with old friends, love witnessing the evolvement of NZ's surfing culture, love seeing the next generation coming through. So here's a sample of some favourite images from the weekend.

Chloe Groube

Tava Santorik

Ava Henderson

Tom Robinson

Kauai Rahui

Jos Kennings… a slighter older grom

Finn Vette

...and yes, quite aptly bookending this week's post that would be the U18 Women's Whanga Grom Champ and Niwa Shewry's older sister Ariana

And totally related...Classic Whanga Bar, shot on film, way back in the day. Wanna see it bigger or even having adorning your home wall? Check it out HERE

Dates To Remember

So, what are you up to this weekend? Or for that matter the rest of summer. 

Uncle Moz last year at the Jam

There’s gonna be offshores for the west coast and by the looks of it all next week. BUT there also happens to be the 10th Annual Mangawhai Bowl Jam on Saturday. If you have ever been before, then you’re probably going, or a least you know what you are missing out on. But if you haven’t experienced the Bowl Jam before…just come. It is nothing short of spectacular. 

Event starts at 10.30 am  and runs through until the Open Final at 2.30… go surfing on Sunday, unless you’re too f_cked up from the always epic after party.  

… and deeeeen…

If you liked that, you’ll love the inaugural Mount Maunganui Verticus. 

This is organised and hosted by Cale Tolley in association with Hyper Ride on February 20 at the Mount Vert ramp. The plan with this is an evening jam style starting at 4pm and running until dark…after which of course there is an afterparty. 

Cale a couple of sessions back on the Mount ramp

Piha Billabong Grom Comp

Piha Local Leia Millar will be flaring

Surfboard riding more your thing, wanna see the best grommets in the country battle it out for series finals honours? Then I’ll be seeing you on the sand at South Piha last weekend of February. 

 Wrongboarding

The 8th instalment of the Mangawhai Loggerheads is looming large; April 17th. The single day long boarding event is ideally held at Mangawhai Heads, hence the clever name, but it is mobile conditional on waves. It’s part of a loose circuit of traditional long boarding events which include The Ohope West End Wiggle [6-7 March] …probably should’ve written that first aye! And the always dope as f*ck Single Mingle in Summer, ChCh which is getting to be quite a large festival of everything singular, it’s running 8-11 April. 

Daryn McBryde styling as ever last year at the 'Pu

2017's line up

2021 Aotearoa Surf Film Festival

…and if your dance card is not full enough after all that, then the Aotearoa Surf Film Festival is confirmed and touring the nation. You may know I’ve had the absolute honour to have been a founding judge of the Surf Film Fest, man I tell you we have waded through some crap over the years so you don’t have to. But there’s always some shinning lights of creativity and talent. This year’s selection is exceptional, seriously, the feature films and shorts are fricken sick. 

Check out the ASFF website HERE for dates.

Not related and altogether a different place and coast from anything mentioned above; this image is available on PhotoCPL.co.nz HERE

Northern Surfari

Gidday! And before we get into this too much further, as a disclaimer, this was firmly a surf trip not a photo trip. So the images here aren't the most composed, shot at the best time. We were surfing then.

I'd promised Will Bailey's eldest son Maddox a surf trip, a lad's trip years ago. I knew it would happen, but life does get in the way. The promise was made a long time ago, from Maddox's point of view nearly half a lifetime ago. I really think he thought it had become a 'Yeah right' thing. He's 15, this chat had been going on since he was 10. Will made the call; he was off work, Maddy was on school holidays, the swell was predicted to be big. That's resounding YES from me, let's go!

Go wets young man

Cheezel's bank in full fire

Normally I side step swell events like last week's. It was clear the current would be hideous, the crowd would be similar. But this was about fulfilling a promise...and why not. It's summer, it'll be an adventure. We had so much fun. It's so easy to get jaded, sit back and pick holes in the weather report and find reasons not to go. 

Maddox and Will amping on the next tread mill session in the rip 

ahhhh Te Troopy in its natural environment

Wait what! Seeing double... that's Tairua family The Wyper's Troop Carrier

It was crowded, the snakes and drop ins were rampant, but in amongst it all were good rides, long rides, catch ups with old mates. Moments of pumping-ness shared with new mates. Goodtimes! 

Shanksy on his birthday surf mission...and revealing in the glow of getting the best wave of a day on the big day

Paul Shanks and Les Fraser, two deadset legends

Best Reef whip EVER

The day after the peak of swell, still fun as 

Games of Speed between surfs 

Piha locals Issac and Zack Becroft Peaking 

Trying to make lefts into rights 

Days drenched in surfing, in talking surf, living surf. Camping...well glamping in the Troopy.

From The Galleries

Not related and altogether a different place and coast, next lad's trip Maddox?

This image is available on PhotoCPL.co.nz HERE

The Lucky House

Bill, and probably the turn that got him number 8

Leana and Billy Stairmand, Sean Peggs, the Gorgeous Ange and some dodgey old fart. 

I love the Nationals being at Piha. It’s a tough call, there is a part of me that groans…not again, all the shredders taking our waves. But the overwhelming thing is that it is a chance to shoot a bunch of different surfers in the backyard. It’s also a time to catch up with old mates, talk shit and just have some fun. Our house gets filled with a semi regular cast of hopefuls. Love hosting. 

Billy

Peggsy

I didn’t get the contract to be the official photographer this time around. While I do love that role normally, this time round I was very happy not to. There was a plan in place; shoot the free surfs around the day in, day out heats. 

Peggsy

Bilbo

Our house has a reputation, it’s the lucky house. It’s a bit of a running joke, but the fact remains every Nationals we seem to claim at least one National Title. It helps that 8x Open National Champion Billy Stairmand is always one of our temporary flatmates. Last week we walked away with a full house of champs. Both Billy and Sean Peggs won a National Title, Sean winning the Seniors, the Over 30’s. 

First day paddle outs

Local Liv Brown Hysom revelling in dawn

Peggsy loving having a week off driving his Mac

The Keyhole Krew out in support for Dune Kennings during his Semi final, unfortunately he missed out on a 0.5 decision

Dune

There was a quite a strict [voluntary] daily regime in place. Caffeinated and smoothies by 6am, down the beach by 6.30. Surf, shoot. Check the comp site. Surf or compete again. Cruise back at the house. Surf. Dinner, good food, bed by 9.30 pm. Repeat.  Long gone are the trips into Auckland’s nightclubs over the hill. This is serious stuff. Clearly the routine of clean living works. 

Ava Henderson, U16 and U 18 Champ and Open finalist... watch out NZ

ahhh I couldn't help myself aye, ended up shooting the finals day all day. Great to see Dan Procter win another Longboard Title

Our new queen, Gizzy's Saffi Vette took down the big names to clench her first open title 

Her bro Finn took out the Juniors too!

Mini Hutch aka Taylor Hutchinson, made the Open Finals, but you'd kind of expect him to

Kehu Butler gave Billy a real run for his 8th Open Title...like REAL RUN. It was close, but Bill linked more big turns per wave, just edging out Kehu

It was cool to have both Ella Williams and Paige Hareb competing in the Nats again, both made the final and went hard

The house is filled with laughter. I love that. When it’s all over there’s a few days of separation anxiety…where have the buddies gone!? Back to normality. Or in this case off on a surf trip, more about that next week. 

Generally... GOOD!

It has been a good week, not super productive on the photo front, or adventuring high and far. But good just the same.

The gorgeous Ange and I spent three days in Whangamata. There where no waves, but we went anyway. We'd had so many false starts on getting away in the newly fitted out Troopy, we finally had to put the blinkers on and just go. Go anywhere, get gone.

Onemana swims, pohutukawas out

We stayed at the Whanga Motorcamp, the one right in town, wedged perfectly between the beach and the shops. Sadly it has been sold to property developers. Of course it's a prime piece of real estate, but it's sad the generations of happy campers are losing their bolt holes. A bit of Kiwiana has once again gone under the hammer.

I'm not a fan of micro waves... but hell, what else is there!

We went for swims and caught up with old mates, did some work from the road, but more importantly generally meandered. Good times..hashtag camplife.

Back into though, there's a winner winner chicken dinner! This print from last week's subscriber only comp is now winging it's way to sunny Otago. Cheers to all of you that entered the draw ... more draws to come soon, so stay tuned.

Pre Chrissy print sales are going well, I'm kind of thinking, if you want a PhotoCPL print this side of X-mas you better rattle your dags.

Here's my favourite commission from the week that was... once again a terribly hacked phone pic... you'd think I'd know how to use a phone's camera aye.

Ok, the silly season is upon us, enjoy, get crazy, just leave the company photocopier alone, that glass isn't load bearing!

From The Beach Gallery 

Still frothing on this pano!!!! It's loaded up to PhotoCPL.co.nz now and you can view [and buy] West From Taitomo HERE

'Tis The Season To Be Printing

No surprises; now is the time of year orders ramp up for prints, and I'm slack at taking a pic of every order that goes through. There's been some bangers this last week though... 

Piha Layers got printed at 900mm wide, then matted and 40mm natural timber frame, the brief was that the overall size had to be 1200mm wide to fit the space the clients had.

You can view Piha Layers HERE

Then...

And probably the worst photo of a framed piece ever taken; Graveyards the next level up at 1200mm print size, same treatment of matting and 40mm timber box framing making the final piece a whooping 1500mm wide. Different client.

You can view Graveyards HERE rambling on, it was fricken pumping this day, the crew had already had 3 surfing through the tides and were done, we just chilled back in the grass and watched set after set roll through, content with the day. This images was also used as a feature double page spread in The South Seas Book and in UK's Carve Magazine.

Craig MacDonald holding the prize! [He didn't win it this time] My good old mate and cripple Gazza Sawyer sent through this image over the weekend ... since the event was held late Feb in Dunedin, I have no idea why Craig's holding the board in Opunake in November :) But it does show how images can be glassed on a board...even a knee-lo.

Give Away Time

And why not? If you are already a subscriber, you know what to do; you're in the draw to win this 40x30 print of Lion Walkway The draw will also be open to new subscribers and you can SUBSCRIBE HERE this’ll be drawn Tuesday 8 December 5pm NZT.

From The Beach Gallery 

Still frothing on this pano made a fortnight ago! It's loaded up to PhotoCPL.co.nz now and you can view [and buy] West From Taitomo HERE

Possessed To Skate

It's been mentioned before; the very first board sport shots I ever did were skateboarding. I was thirteen and a regular at New Lynn Bowl. My dad loaned me his Instamatic camera for the day. I horrified him by chewing through a full roll of film shooting Tony Hallam and Mark Robinson. I grew up on Skateboarder and Thrasher Magazines, heavily influenced by photographers like Mofo, G.E.Freidman and Grant Brittain. Google them.

The legend...Dave Crab on the ramp he built 20 years ago for the Kerikeri community

The weekend's chauffeur..and O40's 2020 Champ! Cale Tolley...higher than a drone.

Cale with his son Jackson and Mozza

How good! Morri and Dave donated their reissued signature decks for the open champ Niwa.

14 year old Naki native Niwa Shewry

Niwa's favourite shot from the weekend

Wanaka's Zedyn Fellows; both Niwa and Z opted NOT to go in their age division to contest the Open...that's rad!

Z... just gnarly good

I didn't set out to apply their influences to surf photography, but I'd hope it shows through. As an example; DNL's [did not land] are a cardinal sin in skateboarding...I applied to surf. You're not s'possed to shot portraits with wide angle lens, G.E.Freidman specialised in this. I copied, because a ultra telephoto action shot flattens and compresses the view. To juxapose that compression on a magazine page with a wide portrait works, it shows/gives connection with the subject.

Ramon Thackwell, the Prez of Skateboarding NZ

Uncle Moz

Dave Crab

Squeak, a welcome return from injury

Nick Clegg, also back on the road from a heavy spinal injury

I don't skate anymore, I was never any good anyway. But I still love it and appreciate it. I love skating's culture of inclusiveness and support. There are no kooks in skateboarding. Vert is the Pipeline or Teahupoo of skating. It's gnarly, it's consequential when something goes wrong.

Taupo's Remus Henare U16 2020 Champ

Remus

The Vert scene in NZ is small and a tight knit group, but it's on the rise again. If you've never been to a Bowl or Ramp jam, go. You'll be thoroughly stoked out and impressed.

Wellington's Chris Wood

Last weekend, legend of the lifestyle Dave Crab, once again hosted the Kerikeri Vert Jam. Once again the numbers have grown, as has the talent. Put it this way; 13 year old Zedyn Fellows landed back to back 540's.... and still didn't win the Open, 14 year old Niwa Shrewy took top honours with a variation of huge airs and rail work.

If you are in Wellington this weekend, Chris Wood is hosting The Welly Ramp Riot at Ian Galloway Park [Nov 28]. The Mounties are planing a Vert Jam for next year and of course the Mangawhai Bowl Jam is confirmed for again for 6th Febuary 2021.

New Beach Gallery Addition

Super stoked to add last week's pano to the prints now available on PhotoCPL.co.nz You can view [and buy] West From Taitomo HERE

Gearing Up For Summer

Last night's mini mission

Where's Wally? Thanks Trino for the portrait...defo my best angle

Last week, I did not clutter up your inbox with a web log. I reckon if I haven't got something to write or add, then I'm just wasting your time...I'm probably doing that anyway right! Admin week, surfing week, not shooting week. But this week... I got busy and did a mini mission I've been planning for ages. There's a lot of over cooking and over thought that goes into these mini missions. Time and tides are planned, scouts and re scouts, then wait for the skies.

I'm going through a sky phase, for panoramics at least. I want light, but also detail and a bit a drama in the sky. Added to the over thinking was the amp of really giving the new Canon Eos R5 camera a decent trial of making a big meg Pano. It passed with flying colours...even though I was scrambling through the menus to to get the setting overrides needed...but that's user error.

This is what I wanted to make...

.... and it bloody well did it.

It sucks that you can't see the sharpness and the fine detail on your screen. But this one's definitely going straight to the pool room [well, the Beaches Gallery of PhotoCPL.co.nz] In fact it’s now added HERE

In Other Camera Geek News

Thanks Matt at Salty Surf Housings for getting the R5 housing here so fast... ready for summer! The irony of it arriving exactly on cue as the surf turns to mush is not lost. But the froth levels are high... 45 meg files at 20 frames a second... oh yes. On a more serious note, swapping over to Salty from SPL water housings for me was a big move, I have been loyal to SPL for 12 years; there's nothing wrong with them and service provided. BUT I really like the tech Matt puts into Saltys and he is in New South Wales, not California. Can't wait to share the first swim results!

Printing!

There's been quite a few print sales going through over the last weeks, Stoked guys- thanks! If you want to get a print before Christmas, now is the time to start thinking about it. Check out the PhotoCPL Galleries HERE

Auckland [could] [finally] To Get A Wave Pool

What has this 1990's photo of Chrissy Davie at Whanga Bar got to do with Auckland Wave Parks??? Well read on…

On Monday evening there was a media presentation at Red Bull HQ. Most of us already knew what it was s'posed to unveil. Surfing's worst kept secret, a wave pool for Auckland. There have been attempts in the past to get some sort of Wave Park/Pool in the Greater Auckland Region. It's the logical place; the largest population base, and argueably the largest group of surf starved Kiwi surfers. Auckland does not have surf at it's doorstep, like Dunedin, Christchurch or heck Sydney. The City of Sails is a harbour city. But it does have the largest population of NZ surfers.

The biggest issues for a commerically viable Wave Park to go into Auckland is land price and bums on seats. There's some pretty daunting historical casualities for ventures like this. Snow Planet has struggled for years and Skatopia failed.

Personally I'm frothing at the idea, and wish the directors of Adventuur all the best. I think they have chosen the correct tech, the Spanish based Wave Garden. It's the same as the Melbourne Urban Surf Park.

Chrissy, last December at Urban Surf

Whanga born'n' bred surfer Chrissy Davie now resides in Bryon. Chrissy is Bob's son, Digga's younger brother. He rips, back in the day he and I scored a couple of magazine covershots... he knows what a good wave is. He has quite a vested interest in wave park tech, he explored the possiblity of building one in Western Australia.

Chrissy has surfed the Melbourne wave; "That sounds pretty epic a Wave garden in Auckland! Yeah I was lucky enough to get an invite to go to the booked out wave pool with Chris Hemsworth [that's another whole story] . My experience of the place was total amazement.

It’s a crazy feeling sitting in a pool that’s flat and then when the machine resets it’s just a flurry of epic waves. It’s super addictive as everytime you try to come in you see another set of waves reeling off perfectly.

The Beast mode really surprised me with its Reef like suck. Really throws out and packs a punch. The barrel on the left really bends at you with a big lump of water that then hits a draining bottom to give a real ocean like feel to it. The turn waves were super fun with plenty of push and wall to get multiple turns in.
Definitely an amazing experience for advanced and beginners."

The NZ Herald article about Auckland's possible...maybe Wave park is HERE.

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

Billy Lee Pope has just dropped an absolute cracker of a clip of Kehu. It's action packed and very funny. Awesome work guys!
 

Print Give[n]away

As promised, the giveaways are going to become more regular. Here's a giclee archival print at 11 x 18 inches of Earth, Sea and Sky from the Elements Gallery on PhotoCPL. And this one was drawn as per yesterday evening and won by subscriber Mez Carter after everyone that entered was put through Random.org's randomiser.

Te Bar, Te Barrel, Te Giveaway

Last week I totally dropped the ball and didn't do a PhotoCPL E-bomb. It was lame, my rational at the time was 'If I've got nothing to write, why clog up email inboxes with crap.' While that's the right sentiment, there were prints to give away and good features on Recreational Society to share. Lame Lame Lame. 

Fury in the Gap

Gap Explosions 

Slow shutter blurs

So this week the extra mile was gone. Two shoots expressly done for you. The above images were the evening before everything settled down, the right tide, the right light and the firm favourite spot to watch the ocean warp out and distort. I lost the plot; I got so excited and in the zone I stayed til dark and rattled off 1200 high res frames.... not the best idea when it comes to managing and editing... I'm a firm believer in more does not equal better, it just means more crap to wade through to find the nuggets. 

All Black legend Josh Kronfield on for the early the next day

The big fella making decent size waves look shoulder height

Chris 'Powelly' Barron downing the hammer for a few...lucky his boss was out there too

Powelly Power Punch

Powelly's boss...and twin brother Nat on...and in..wave of the session. Just a cheeky 75 frame sequence from the new Canon Eos 5R; pretty happy with that new frame rate for surfing! 

The Boogins were having a good go too, Jeff King and his mate gut sliding all over the show with style

Literally, a gut slide 

Sharing is caring, lads will be lads 

Shay Rainger drops his landing gear 

Captain Scott Casey found a few prime pockets to hook

Of course this was the start of another run of good waves on the coast, I meant to shoot water, I meant to shoot more from the land, but I went surfing instead. And by surfing I really mean duck diving, paddling and missing set waves. 

Print Giveaway

As promised, the giveaways are going to become more regular. Here's a giclee archival print at 11 x 18 inches of Earth, Sea and Sky from the Elements Gallery on PhotoCPL. All you have to do is sign up as a valued subscriber to the E-Bomb HERE and you're in the draw. Winner drawn next Tuesday 5pm.

Are Surf Mags Really Dead?

Last week I posted an ode to Surfer Magazine joining a long list of casualties in the surf media wars. To be a bit more transparent...and verbose... the plight of print media isn't restricted to surf magazines. We all know that. Here in NZ, German mega publishing house Bauer used Covid as their excuse to bail on all their Kiwi titles and employees.

Magazines, regardless of what topic they cover, are in struggle street. Print cannot compete with the immediacy of the interweb. What it can do is provide the full and carefully curated backstory. Sadly many publishers and their bean counters still try to fit the 'modern' formula to magazines. One that isn't working.

That formula goes something like this; 33,33,33.

33% of the revenue comes from advertising. 33% from subscriptions, these are the gold as they are prepaid and vertical sales. 33% from bookshelf sales, these are messy, often sale on return and both distributors and retailers have a cut. 

There are exceptions and oddities to this. As an example; a well loved NZ tramping magazine has a huge readership and huge subscriber base. The income from the subscribers has eclipsed advertising revenue since it started. The reason; the age group it satisfies is older [Boomers] and they tend to be more organised and happy to pay in advance for home delivery.

Your costs are; staff, printing [and that's a big one] distribution and then contributors. So then the bean counters' come in and say, well advertising is easy money, the other two sources are hard costly yards... Mr Publisher put your efforts into going after the low hanging fruit. Further to that why are you paying so many subcontractors, ie contributors? I thought you said you employed the best editors?

Add to this another formula, the editorial and advertising mix. This is a balance of the most advertisements the Publisher perceives they can get away with to editorial content. And Surfer magazine was terrible at this [or from a Publisher's POV, great!]. In the 90's and early 2000's the scales were well tipped over 50/50. Generally 60% editorial and 40% advertising feels about right for a reader.

Surfing Magazines do...or did, fall into a unique category.  Often the adverts had the best images in them. So the readers were stoking out as much on the latest Search or Reef advert. In fact, as a surf magazine editor I endured many an Ad Agency meeting where I had to repeatedly explain our advert culture. A simple brand logo in the bottom corner of a double page spread action photo. The logo aligned the brand with that personality and talent. Matt Archibald was bad ass... MCD boardies were hardcore, you were hardcore if you wore them too. Simple. Ad Agencies rarely got it.

In the late 90's the surf industry went rad, and that's been well documented. It meant surf mags blew out the thirds formula. It was insidious. The industry spent more and more money on advertising, surf mags and their publishers lapped it up. Not even eventually, quite rapidly revenue was heavily tilted to advertising.

And this is when the criticism that surf mags are just mouth pieces for the industry. The slight had been long levelled at mags, but became louder and louder. In culture where the adverts are prized as much as the editorial content it's hard for anyone to distinguish.

Another thing happened. Publishers got used to the revenue formula being that tilted. They started thinking the advertisers where their core clients, not their readers. They also stopped chasing subscribers and bookshelf sales.

A good editor knows they are there for the reader... that's their job, stoke out and entertain the reader. BUT the editors' boss, the publisher, were now used to the easy money.

Readers of surf mags, the hardcore, were also the same that became disenchanted with the bloated surf industry. They didn't want to wear an Australian branded T'shirt made in the same third world sweat shop as Nike. The hardcore are not dumb. The surf mags that have died the fastest are in fact the very same that tried to hold on to keeping the industry happy.

Surf mag employees are not dumb either. They are core surfers first, that got the chance to document the culture they love. But more often than not got caught between the devil [a non surfing publisher] and the deep blue sea.

I get asked a lot what do surf magazines need to do to survive. Firstly, I'm an optimist, I think there is still a place for surf print, and specifically mags. My go to is 'change the formula man' and behind that statement lies all the above. There's no silver bullet, but there are a bunch of lessons from the past.

When magazines where invented in the 1800's they did not have advertising in them at all. They relied soley on their subscribers to pay for the printing, wages and contributions.

The thirds formula was only a temporary guideline that clearly isn't working anymore... and in fact it got super distorted during the surf industry boom, that's long since burst.

Surf mags got so massive and profitable that corporate Publishers swept in and bought them up. Just about all those titles that got sold off are the ones that are gone. The ones that are left are owned by Publishers that are surfers and understand the cultural shifts in tide.

From the Bookstore

The South Seas is out and NZ Surf The Collection Volume 2 ain't too far behind! I think there's less than 200 left...maybe more, but either way it's not gonna last summer. If you want a copy or just a window shop, check it out HERE

RIP Surfer

On Monday we found out that The world's longest running surf mag was being shut down by it's kook publishers.

Todd Prodanovich, Surfer’s editor in chief since 2015, said the magazine’s staff got word on Friday. “We were told that we were being technically furloughed, but it was pretty clear there was no intention to bring the jobs back at any point, that essentially our duties had ended,”

Surfer has been traded dozens of times over the last 20 years to different non surfing publishers. Maybe the writing had been on the wall for a long time. Surfer had been in print for a staggering 60 years. Now Australia's Surfing World is the longest running surf mag, although it too has traded owners many times. 

For a surf photographer Surfer was the pinnacle publication to be in. 

To be perfectly honest, I'm part of the problem. Despite growing up reading every single issue of Surfer as a stoked out grom [and of course Tracks]... despite working in the Surf Print game my entire adult life; I haven't bought a Surfer magazine in years, it maybe a decade. 

We all simply consume and gain our stoke differently now. Quick hits on social platforms. Those damn small hand held devices. The punk in me loves that everyone can DIY and post to formats that anyone can then see. The battle hardened old surf photo journo in me reels at the self absorbed, mediocre and sensationalist dross we are fed. More does definitely not equal better. 

While I hadn't picked up a Surfer in a very long time I did gravitate to especially Todd Prodanovich's posted stories on Surfer.com. He's prepared to talk about racial and sexual inequalities within our surf culture. To highlight environmental issues. He does so with back checked, creditable sourcing. It will be interesting to see where and how Todd's fine work pops up in the future. As with my old Hawaiian roommate Grant Ellis, Surfer Magazine's Photo Editor for the last 17 years. [sorry, had to be a noter on that one!] 

So, once again, I type; farewell old friend. Thank you for the Surfer Reports [remember those!] Thank you for your unrepentant Cali-centric view of the wide world tribe of surfing. Thank you for presenting the world's best surf images and words for 60 long years and providing our very best photographers and word slayers with a home. 

Hei konei ra Surfer 

You were overdue for a giveaway

And here it was The Piha Bar Pano canvas stretched and ready to hang at 610mm wide.  It was drawn at 5pm Tuesday 6 October. Over 100 people entered, which is REALLY good for PhotoCPL draws, but shows you if you do enter, the odds are really good.. even you dodgey fellas that double dipped with multiple email addresses!  There will be more giveaways, more often. The winner has been notified, canvas wrapped, packed and winging its way to Wellington. Wanna be in to win? You can subscribe HERE

From the Bookstore

The South Seas is out and NZ Surf The Collection Volume 2 ain't too far behind! I think there's less than 200 left...maybe more, but either way it's not gonna last summer. If you want a copy or just a window shop, check it out HERE

Show Reels and Giveaway

Last week, for shits'n'giggles I made up some new show reels of the images available on PhotoCPL.co.nz ...it's howling nor-west what else are you to do right. Well they were posted in Insty and it was a really pleasant surprise how much people liked them. So a bit more polishing was done and here they are.

This show reel is a sample of the images in the Americana and Italia Galleries... I have to say I was pretty stoked the selection coincidently ended up being dominated by film shot panos that also happen to be award winners. You can view the Galleries HERE

Highlights from the Elements Gallery, the Elements Gallery is kind of where the best of projects end up...like the surfboard project. You can view the whole Elements Gallery HERE

The Beaches Gallery features heaps of images shot for the three NZ Beach books...gives me itchy feet to get back on the road and explore our epic coastlines. You can check out the whole gallery HERE 

And of course the big papa; the Waves Gallery...needless to say this is the one that when posted last week got all the chat...and yep suma-suma... I wanna go swimming with the camera! You can check out the full Waves Gallery HERE 

You're Overdue For A Giveaway

So here it is: The Piha Bar Pano canvas already stretched and ready to hang at 610mm wide. If you are a subscriber to the PhotoCPL E-Bomb then you already know the rules…. but if you aren’t then all you have to do is subscribe HERE before 5pm Tuesday 6 October NZST. You have to have a New Zealand physical address to win...as in, I'm too tight to pay for International couriering. 

The winner will be randomly drawn Tuesday 6 October.  

From the Bookstore

The South Seas is out and NZ Surf The Collection Volume 2 ain't too far behind! I think there's less than 200 left...maybe more, but either way it's not gonna last summer. If you want a copy or just a window shop, check it out HERE

Flightless Obsession

It's bold and interesting times, where the lines between what companies and organisations do is so blurred. The WSL; once a sporting body now looks far more like a Media House. Red Bull...make energy drinks right? Red Bull Media is its own massive global entity, producing magazines, Tv shows and in fact a channel to broadcast TV shows. 

Is our National Surfing body going the same way? ... I'd actually like to see it happen. I think the old model of hosting surfing events [effectively being an events company], while super important, just simply does not engage with the NZ Surfing community at large. In other words, your average Kiwi Surfer has no interest in competing in a comp, sitting on the rocks at Manu Bay watching 4 foot sou'west chop for their precious weekend. We wanna go surfing man! 

While it has been a pipeline dream of SNZ's GM Ben Kennings for a while that bloody Covid thing gave BK the opportunity to spearhead the Flightless Obsession film project. In a very democratic way; he invited any and everyone to submit clips, similarly to Kiwi bands for the soundtrack and even the title was chosen via a voting process, how very inclusive. Of course surfers are slack buggers and BK spent weeks chasing surfers he knew had good clips. 

Whanga grom Hunter Cooney got the unenviable task of coupling all the clips into a cohesive flow. I think the 15 year old excelled behind his years. 

The footage at times, as you have to expect, is pretty averagely shot, but the content is what this film is all about. It's rad, its certainly worth a watch or three. It's not claiming to be a cinematic journey of excellence. It is what it is; a snapshot and scrapbook of what's going on in NZ currently [there are a few clips of Indo and Oz]. 

Through my rose tinted glasses I'd like to see SNZ smash out at least one of these a year, continue the inclusiveness and engagement. 

Anyway, here it is... enjoy... 

And here's SNZ's official press release on it, which also has the link to the movie. 

In Other News

...this is going to be sooooo good! My good mate Mags is putting on her very first solo exhibition. Mags is already an award winning photographer, most years spending the winter either in Tahiti or northern Tonga chasing whales... you can't really say shooting whales aye. Her work is noting short of stellar.... bring your wallet. 

From the Bookstore

The South Seas is out and NZ Surf The Collection Volume 2 ain't too far behind! I think there's less than 200 left...maybe more, but either way it's not gonna last summer. If you want a copy or just a window shop, check it out HERE