Early in the morning, I load all my gear into the car. I’ll have my camera equipment, wet suit, swim fins, and two safety vests.
One vest is padded to protect against impacts. The other is inflatable. If a wave pulls me underwater for too long, I can pull a cord to fill the vest like a balloon and rise to the surface. I wear both vests when I’m in the water.
Once I arrive at the beach and put on my gear, I’ll ride a Jet Ski or boat out onto the water. Before a shoot, I’ll check the surf conditions. That way, I’ll know how tall and far apart the waves are going to be in a particular area. This helps me time my shots.
As the surfer is going down the wave, I’ll be holding my camera while kicking and swimming up the wave. I want to intersect with the path of the surfer at the perfect moment where I can capture both her athletic prowess and the beauty of the wave.