September 2024
I booked this trip to Indonesia with one goal: surf as much as possible. For once there wasn't an assignment, a goal, or a client on the other end. It was just a personal surf trip with friends Michael Darling, Malcolm Daly and Austin Sweeten posted up in front of HT's, originally known as Lance's Right. But of course, I still packed all my camera gear.
For the first part of the trip, I did my best to ignore it. I surfed, relaxed, and tried to leave work behind. But photography has a funny way of creeping back in. Even when I'm not shooting, I'm usually taking photos in my head. Watching light move across the water, noticing how the lineup looks from shore, or seeing moments I know would make a shot worth keeping. I mentally wrestled with that a bit. Part of me wanted to be fully present as a surfer, while another part kept feeling pulled toward the camera. Eventually, I stopped fighting it. I started swimming out with my housing, taking photos of my friends, shooting slow morning lineups instead of rushing into the water before it got crowded, and documenting the trip simply because I felt inspired to. That shift made the experience feel different. Most surf trips I shoot have a purpose beyond the waves and the surfing: a story to tell, a campaign to deliver, or a specific objective. This time, there was none of that. I was shooting purely for the enjoyment of it, and that freedom felt refreshing. The result is this collection of photographs: a mix of friends surfing, empty waves, travel moments, and the little details that caught my attention along the way.
Everyone's version of a vacation looks different. This was mine.
Various images were utilized for Surf Time Magazine, Picture Organic Clothing, The Inertia and HT’s Resort.