Looking back it probably started with my first equivalent of a GoPro mounted on the front of my surfboard.
But as surfing really took hold, I wanted some better shots of myself from different perspectives. I never thought I was a good enough surfer to get such images, as social media and the surf world kept showing me the same faces from the Cornwall surf community. The ones who'd been surfing for a lot longer, who were way better than me and whose style made for a much better shot than my clunky ability.
Yet I still asked myself, what about all of us decidedly average and struggling surfers? Didn't we deserve some shots even if it was just for our own gratification, memories and social media feeds? Ok, so our ability will definitely never make a mainstream surf mag cover, but why not make an average surfer happy? One shot so we can prove to ourselves that ok, we'll never compete for a world title but we're out there chasing our passion and doing something we absolutely love.
So I started shooting from the beach and sharing shots with the unknown surfers I captured. I still remember the first surfer I did that for. He was ecstatic because he'd never had a shot of him surfing in all the years he'd been doing it.
I wanted to represent surfers like him, me and all my friends.
But shooting from the beach just didn't do it for me. It felt like everyone was doing that and I wanted to get closer to the action.
The first time I shot in the water was one summer on a really crappy waterproof point and shoot film camera (I'm embarrassed to say!). It cost me £6 from Urban Outfitters in the sale and had the worst plastic lens. It fogged up quickly but the joy I got from capturing my friends and my other half was up there with surfing. I couldn't wait to get the film developed!
They weren't the best shots at all but I didn't care. The excitement of getting the scans back took me back to my childhood and taking films into SupaSnaps for development. I was totally hooked!
It was several years later when I tried to shoot film in the surf again. I borrowed a friend's camera and housing and was buzzing for the rest of the day! I knew digital was the way to go so I picked up a second hand Canon 5D mkiii and an Aquatech housing which I've used ever since.
In those early days I had absolutely zero clue what I was doing, not helped by the fact that I didn't know my way around a DSLR. One of the surf coaches I work with helped me set up the camera, advised me to shoot on shutter priority and basically set the camera up for me. My first practice shoot was for a company who run women's surf courses and surf retreats in Cornwall. Luckily I had some small waves, it was a sunny day and that joy I felt from shooting with the crappy £6 waterproof camera, and my friend's digital came rushing back. I was high on life, stoked for everyone around me catching waves and stoked for myself that I was doing this thing that I absolutely loved.
The shots came out well and some got published on the surf retreat's website so I must've done something right. Plus it gave me the confidence to carry on, knowing that I didn't completely suck at it.
I did one or 2 shoots afterwards for friends but then I stopped. That was 2 years ago.
So what took me so long to get to this stage where I'm now getting paid to shoot?
Honestly? Life stuff, winter, jobs I hated and not pushing myself which I hate doing. But life's too short and 2025 has been all about creating. Being creative, creating opportunities. So in January, I did a full day workshop with a local photographer and learnt how to use the camera properly. I've shot in water a lot this summer, made a lot of mistakes but learnt from them instead of letting it put me off. I shoot fully manual now too because I want more control over my shots and have built the confidence to do it.
I even had some love from Surfline this year which was a massive confidence boost! One of my shots of local longboarder Chris appeared in a post about the summer swell. Head over to my Insta, and you'll see it in my tagged posts.
So what's next for me? Well, I've built this website to show my portfolio and let people know what I can do. It's also another way to get in touch and hopefully answer a few questions about how a shoot with me works. Plus, I've really missed blogging, so I'll be sharing stories from my shoots, bits about my gear and throwing the odd film photography post in there too as I slowly get to grips with my waterproof Nikonos film camera which I want to shoot more with.
And in the meantime, I'll be shooting...a lot! So if you're out in the surf in Newquay, keep your eyes peeled for me and on my Insta stories for where and when I'll be shooting. You'll have the opportunity to buy any shots I get through the website. I'll upload them all to a gallery and you can take your pick.
But if you'd like a private, more focused shoot contact me. We'll keep an eye on the forecast and arrange a time, day, beach and conditions so suit you.
See you in the line up!
K