film IS NOT dead

fewer people are shooting it - even fewer are processing it. but DAMNIT there is no replacement for the organic feel and beauty of something shot on film. i can't and don't want to tell you why i feel this way. i just like looking at images and letting the feeling explain itself.

canon AE-1 used by my parents and still working great.

Fuji 400 superia and Kodak 400 T-max

process from Neg to Disk by Rose Photo - Venice, Ca.

you can see more shots here.

high above rio in rocinha

while shooting for our environmental documentary in Rio, i was lucky enough to meet a couple local surfers who grew up in the favelas (slums) on the hills above Rio. Their area in particular is called Rocinha and is the largest slum in the city. their story is unbelievable and the subject of a documentary worth checking out called, Surfing Favela. having come from broken homes and poverty, the ocean has given them a place of refuge, inspiration and meaning. the bigger story is that they have established a surfing school and spend their time teaching youth surfing and a respect for the environment they love to play in.

the beaches of Rio are loved by all- young, old, wealthy and financially challenged. it is inspiring to see all these people come together through organizations like surfrider to take care of the beaches as a collective of like-minded people. A special tip-of-the-cap to a local surfer, named Bocao, who has put together the Rocinha Surf School - a project focused on giving kids a positive outlet for their energy, focused on surfing, community and environmental awareness.

the guys took us up into Rocinha, an experience which is hard to put in words. I just got back my 35mm film and can only share a few images. a special thanks to surfrider brazil for making this day possible.

from Namibia to Rio

well, 2 days of travel later i've made it to Rio - frankly, after 12 flights and about 20,000 miles of traveling this last six weeks, i went to bed feeling a bit ready to get home... but alas, i woke up to a warm, hawaii-like off-shore breeze, and fun looking shore-pound at copacabana and ipenema - so i went for a jog to loosen the joints and body-wamped for 2 hours into some views to shake the south african jet-lag. feelin' much better. amazing what a little ocean time will do for ya.

high a-top the namibian dunes

the trek continues... special thanks to dan moder for snapping some shots of me working in between his set-ups. it's been an amazing journey through Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. We even got to surf an epic 200 yd. left hand, hollow, sand point !

now i'm off to Rio to shoot a sequence for my environmental docu. more to come.

Trekking through S. Africa - camera in hand

I've been lucky enough to jump on a commercial shoot traveling through 3 countries in S. Africa. This is my first trip to SA and I've been blown away by the kind spirit of the local people and the amazing power this land posses. The hawaiians speak of "mana" and the energy a land exudes, Africa definitely embodies the spirit of it's long breathe of cultural history.

We spent our first days traveling up a long windy road called the "Sani Pass" into a region known as Lesotho - i've never really seen anything like it. We are now by a stretch of beach that feels like it hasn't changed in 100 yrs. I'm looking forward to the adventures to come.

manly good fun

after making singlefin: yellow, i thought australia was my favorite trip and i thought i'd go back to visit every year after. well, cut-to four years making one cal day, four more years trying to put some money in the bank and yowzers, an every year visit became ten years before i could get back. but now i mean it, i'm going back every year! anywhere that takes it's surfing, beer drinking and espresso as seriously as i do, is high on my list and australia did not let me down.

i also feel so blessed to be introduced to the guys at the sugarmill surf shop. it's been a long time since i've hit the road with no plan and no agenda- these guys adopted my scally-wag vagabond-traveling arse in like i was their own. it was a full adoption and i can't thank them enough. if you are ever in the Sydney area and need to bone up on your surf style, stop by the sugarmill. they'll even fire up the espresso maker for ya. who knows, you might even see them paddling around in their new row boat... or maybe row-boat tow whipping joel fitz into some slabs. boo-ya.

but seriously, check out this surf zone if ya can. great people, fun waves and a really beautiful area. further props out to my buddy shanon and the heritage surf shop for all their support. everyone made me feel so at home.

i leave you with the danny-boy-chonger-fitzy-baff list of surf titles turned porn film mash-ups: top 5

5. chrystal vee

4. inner most limits of carnal fun

3. pelvic momentum

2. endless hummer

1. thicker than walter

happy international surf day - i'm off to Oz!

our awesome documentary team is headin' on the road again to shoot the 4th episode of an upcoming documentary film i'm directing about people making a positive effort to keep the beaches of the world clean. i can't wait to fill you in more, it's been inspiring, enlightening and most of all, really fun to shoot. this film is made possible by the generous support of surfrider.org and barefoot wine. today is international surf day - go grab a wave & grab a few pieces of trash on your way back. we can all make a difference !