Back in 2015 I was working at a coffee shop in downtown San Diego. Freshly out of college, I was living out of my car, slinging drinks and taking any photography job I could get. One day as I was working through the monotony of the weekday shift, a customer walked in with a water housing in hand. My interest was peaked.
I introduced myself to the individual and he kindly shared with me a little bit about the housing and how he used it for surf photography. His name was Todd Glaser. I did not know at the time that I was speaking with a modern legend in surf photography. As I shared my desire to begin my own journey as a surf photographer, he suggested that I pick up a Nikonos V film camera—A nifty waterproof film camera from the 80's—which would be a good and affordable camera to get started with. When I was finally able to purchase the camera, I found that the learning curve was sharp. My first several attempts were met with discouraging results. I flooded three cameras before my first successful roll. Surmising that the harder it is, the more worth while it must be, I continued in attempts until I finally got a successful roll back from the lab. I started to get the hang of it. I liked it. It became a passion, setting me on a trajectory which would lead to deep friendships and unforgettable days spent documenting the ocean and the way of life that surrounds it. You never know where a small conversation and a decision to take a step forward can lead you. Here I am, years down the road, still shooting, still stoked.
