What’s in your camera pack?

I shoot all Canon and all SPL water housings. SPLs are the lightest and the strongest. That’s pretty important when you’re in big surf. For bodies, in the water I use Canon Mark IIIs and then I have a Canon 5d for anything I don’t need a motor drive for. As for lens, there are really three main ones. I have a 500mm that I shoot from the shore with, a 70-200 that I shoot in the water with, and a fisheye for everything underwater.

You competed at the Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival against all these ski photographers. Do you see a lot of similarities between ski photography and surf photography?

When I look at ski photography and surfing, they are so similar in the mindset. We can all relate to it. The actual action is the same kind of thing, as is the lifestyle, very similar. Obviously, you’re going to have to learn how to surf or ski but the photography should cross over relatively easy.

What sort of tips do you have for aspiring photographers?

Nowadays, there are so many photographers that it’s all about being creative. You have to do something that will make somebody raise an eyebrow. Look at something that hasn’t been done a lot and try to really find a creative new angle on things.

I bet you’ve had some scary moments on the job. Do any stand out?

I’ve had times at Pipeline where I’ve been held under so long that I’ve come up and had no idea where I was. I’ve had jet skis land on me, I’ve been hit by surfers, and I’ve been hit by my own housings. But really the worst thing ever is being in the wrong place on a really big day. And you know, it never rattled me but these days, I’ll tell ya, when you get older you start being more cautious and that’s a really bad thing. You start being cautious and thinking too much, that’s when you get into trouble.

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