Windansea
Windansea
On August 22nd, 2023, the effects of the tropical storm were still in full force at Windansea Beach in La Jolla, California. Surfers from around the world had converged on the area to take advantage of the storm swells.
Armed with a 300mm zoom lens and and plenty of caffeine from our favorite La Jolla coffee shop, Rosemont's, I was ready to capture the action.
View the series "Windansea" here
Windansea is a legendary surfbreak and a stunning beach, with exposed, smooth boulders protruding from the sands.
It's one of my favorite spots in southern California, and offers a great vantage point for surf photography.
I've shot there dozens of times over the past few years, but this day was special - dozens of expert surfers lining up to test themselves on never-ending sets of breakers borne from the storm surge. This was not a day for the timid, and it was clear that the crew out on the water were some of the best around.
My approach to photographing this day was a bit unorthodox - I slowed down my shutter speed, allowing me to create intentional blurring to capture the raw energy of the waves while tracking each surfer's movement. This resulted in the images you see in this series - which capture the raw skill of the surfers in their battle against the primal power of the ocean.
It's with great excitement that I introduce this series of limited edition images - titled, simply, "Windansea". For printing, I knew I had to use Moab Slickrock Metallic Pearl - a shimmering, heavy weight paper that brings out the colors, energy, and detail of these images in a way no other paper could. I also love that "slickrock" is a great way to describe Windansea beach itself.
I also knew that these images would look incredible as metallic prints under plexi - a sleek display, ready to hang. The quarter inch of plexi layered over the photograph adds depth and dimension to the images. Prints on plexi come ready to hang, with a French cleat mount attached to the back - no framing required. It's a great contemporary look for your home.
All prints are signed and numbered en verso.
This limited edition series is now available in the following sizes:
12 x 18 inches print on Moab Slickrock: Edition of 25
20 x 30 inches print on Moab Slickrock: Edition of 15
24 x 36 inches metallic print under plexi: Edition of 3
I hope you enjoy viewing these photographs as much as I enjoyed creating them. And my thanks and respect to the Windansea surfers who put on such an impressive display on that day!
View and purchase "Windansea" here
