Motorcycle Explorer October 2014 Issue 2 | Page 10

I
soon discovered they are a vain bunch,
surfers. They say they want the photos
so they can check their posture, their
technique, position, etc. But actually
what they really want, much like us
bikers, is the perfect picture of them
being confronted by and overcoming the
most challenging and beautiful of
environments. I took his photos, he
brought me a big fat burrito and the next
morning came to my room to see the
results on my laptop. We dumped them
on his memory stick; he was ecstatically
happy and brought me some beer, then
went off and told his surfing buddies.
W
ithin a week I’d become Mr. Surf-
photographer. I was ‘in’ with the
beautiful people, the super fit and uber
cool. The sunrise surf shoots were easy, I
could clearly see which surfer was my
subject, however the sunset silhouettes
needed to give me a sign so I could point
my lens at the right one. I was living in
beer and burrito heaven, I had a trail of
pretty surf chicks and cool dudes coming
to my door with memory sticks and high-
fiving me with pure delight when they
saw what I had captured. My Facebook
friends were suddenly all becoming
younger and better looking and their
profile photos were ones I’d taken. I
couldn’t walk down the street without
doing the surfer handshake with every
dude and dudet I passed.
"I’ve got other examples
but fruit picking wasn’t
nearly as glamorous"
6
MEM / October 2014
W
hen I should have been spending
my days researching the Iran and ‘Stan’s
visa situation, I was surfing photography
websites and learning my cameras
capabilities. If there was a downside to
this, hanging out with petite girls and
rippling guys, it was that my tummy was
growing with inactivity and cholesterol
payment. The point though is, I went for
a sunset and found a way to feed myself.
That's not unique, it’s almost written,
that the time rich and money poor find
these opportunities on the road. It
happens when you stay put, watch, listen
and ask. I’ve got other examples but fruit
picking wasn’t nearly as glamorous.
"I suppose that is the
adventure, embracing
the unplanned, taking
opportunities when they
arise, living and
learning"
I
t was two wonderful winter months,
and that spring I lived off the fat of a
brown pot belly as I rode through
Eastern Europe and Turkey. I completely
screwed up my trip to Iran and the
‘Stans, possibly due to under research
caused by too much surfing behind the
lens and not enough in front of the
screen. That was a major contributing
factor to the U-turn in Ureka. I suppose
that is the adventure, embracing the
unplanned, taking opportunities when
they arise, living and learning, what
would be the point if we didn’t? MEM