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I’d love to be commissioned to do a
photoshoot for one of the major brands, either
at an event or ultimately in Maui!
Being a windsurfer absolutely helps when taking pics of
sailors. Being able to anticipate what a rider is about
to do really helps, so a good knowledge of the sport is
key to getting saleable shots. Being a windsurfer gives
you a big advantage over the competition.
It definitely gets frustrating when you’re constantly
shooting. I missed some incredible conditions whilst
shooting the Virgin Kitesurfing Armada and by the time
I got on the water it was crowded and inconsistent.
However, the great thing is that the newspapers need
the images by lunchtime on the day which means the
afternoon/evening is playtime! There’s nothing quite
like submitting images to my agent in the morning and
then seeing them online within a couple of hours on
the website of a national newspaper.
I set up my surf brand ‘Six Foot & Pumpkin’ 18 months
ago with the aim of producing decent quality surf wear at
an affordable price and manufactured solely in the UK. I
come up with the ideas, my designer, Richard Johnston,
does the design work and then I get the clothing
produced in South Wales by a SUP friend, Neil Jackson,
who has his own printing firm. Its early days but we
currently sell a really cool range of hoodies, t-shirts and
beanies which are proving really popular. The biggest
challenge is manufacturing in the UK at a cost-effective
price, as most of the big brands produce their clothing in
the Far East where manufacturing costs are way cheaper.
Windsurfing is an amazing and dynamic sport which is so
much fun to photograph and take part in. I love getting
action shots which bring a smile to the faces of those I’ve
been photographing. My thanks go to my partner, Millie,
and my family for encouraging me to take the leap into
full-time photography; to my agency Alamy Live News for
the opportunities they have given me; and to all the
windsurfers, SUPers, surfers and kitesurfers who by
accident or design are the models for my photoshoots.
uk
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SURFING