This swell came at a perfect time for all of us. It had been awhile for most of the NNE crew. Though there was that motivated contingent of surfers who went south to get some GERT Surf. And by all accounts, they all scored. GERT was a bust up here. But this Nor'easter? She was a welcomed swell. Not for nothing folks but I have always said that our Nor'easters are better than Hurricanes. And so far this season, I'm right. Though I just watched the latest update on IRMA and she could be right in our window with a favorable swell direction. So let us be vigil on IRMA.

So I swam out and shot some water pics during this last swell. And so did a few others. I've got 12 galleries this week. Can you believe it? 12 galleries numbering close to 1,000 pics. Plus I shot a million miles of video. I know it sounds crazy, but this is the digital world now. We can shoot as much as we want and not worry about the cost. Just delete the ones you don't want or like.

But getting back to these water pics. I had two cameras with me. My Canon D 30 and my GoPro. I must of looked like a full blown kook out there. I was wearing my old Rick Griffin hat, and that lasted all of 10 minutes before it was blasted off my head. DOH!

If anyone happens to find an orange baseball style hat with a Rick Griffin Surfing Eyeball on the front, could you please hold it for me? I'd certainly appreciate it.



I think this was shot with the GoPro. Yes it was, I see the wide angle perspective. Oh did I mention that the water was warm? Well it was. I was in the water shooting for over two hours. It was worth every minute.



I was liking the long shots. Oh, and these were all video clips. So what you're seeing here is video frame grabs. I love using slow motion for the empty wave clips. I guess I'm old school when it comes to empty waves. But honestly? Young or old, you need to slow it down when shooting an empty wave. Unless of course your shooting huge Pipe of some other massive barrel. And even then, you'll notice that the guys shooting those breaks also use slo mo.



This pic above is from Brian Thacker. I heard he caught a fin in his head.
Ouch. That comes with the territory. Those of us who shoot in the water have an understanding with the riders we're shooting. And it's really quite simple. Or at least it is with me. "DON'T YOU DARE HIT ME!" I like to bring that up before I start swimming out. I often repeat that in case they didn't hear me the first time.

The surfers love to get close to the cameras. In fact, when I was out shooting empty waves this week, I had to keep telling the surfers who would paddle directly out in front of me trying to get their pic taken, that I'm not shooting "surfers". Didn't make a difference. They came
like little puppies.

They all want their pic taken. It wouldn't be so bad, if they were people I knew, and more importantly, they knew how to surf. I know I know, we all started out somewhere. It's just that I'm not going to document your first waves on film, when I am on a mission. Ask me later and I'd probably take some pics of you. And of course charge you a few pennies. But hey, I don't know a single surfer on the planet who does not want a photo of them surfing. Not a single one. And if they tell you any different, they are lying through their teeth.

I'm happy to take your photo when I'm shooting surfers. That's what I do.



This is another Brian Thacker pic. The guy paddling on the shoulder is Mike Rosa. The goofy foot in the barrel is Jesse Gould. I love this pic. There's so much going on here. I love how Mike is getting one last look at Jesse before he goes over the top. Jesse is a great tube rider. He has such a cool style. He's one of those surfers that I can pick out of a crowded line-up, on any given day around here. I'm stoked that Brian got this pic.

So this last water pic is by Danny Dillon. I just met him for the first time this past week. I know his brother Sean who works at the shop. He seems like a nice kid. He has the bug which is nice to see in the younger generation. Not many of today's surfers have the patience to be a photographer. Hell, not many had the patience since they started taking surf photos.

The one simple rule I tell any new surf photographer who is also a surfer is,

"YOU NEED TO SHOOT FIRST-THEM GO CATCH A FEW WAVES."

I learned that one the hard way. The reason being is, the surf and conditions are typically better early in the day. So many things can happen. The swell could drop, the wind could switch, the sun could go away. SHOOT FIRST.

"Surfing and Shooting Surfing Heals All Wounds"

(Above) Pete Rizzo getting up some speed to ride the roof. August 30th, 2017 Photos by Cory Fatello *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Up close and personal, Kai Nichols fitting into another hole.
Thursday August 31st, 2017 Photos by Brian Thacker
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery