Drift

This image was taken not long after I first moved to Mexico and started working as a surf photographer. My first gig was with a local surf school, going along on their guided trips, taking photos of the clients and selling photo packages. That’s how my surf photography journey really began in Mexico. I’d already done a bit of photography back in Australia, mostly just shooting friends, playing around, working with a friend who was a professional surfer, and dabbling in some brand work. But this was my first solid, paid gig in the surf world. This photo was taken during one of those beautiful mornings at La Lancha, drifting around in the water, photographing clients. The light at La Lancha was really special, it had this glistening silkiness to it, especially when you were looking to the south. It was morning, not super early, more like mid-morning. The water was crispy because it was winter, but the light was this dreamy combination of smooth and silk with a bit of crispness to it. It’s still so vivid in my mind. This woman paddled over a little bump in the ocean, a small wave and at that moment she was kind of immersed in these beautiful sea sparkles. It was one of those moments that just crept into my camera. I called it Drift because that’s exactly what it was. She was drifting over the wave, and I was drifting in the surf, observing my clients while these quiet, beautiful moments unfolded all around me.